Master Plumbers Association

BSA Licence No.

73472

 

 

STORMWATER

PREVENTION IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN THE CURE

 

 

Stormwater pipes are the drainage pipes that drain the rainwater from the downpipes on your house and the ground surface water during rain. It is absolutely vital that these pipes are correctly installed and maintained, as sadly so many residents and businesses discovered in the recent storm and ultra heavy rain events.

 

The common phone call we get from customers is, "their stormwater pipes are backing up and not draining".  This phone call is always made during heavy rain and unfortunatley the reality is there is not too much a plumber can do in the pouring rain to relieve the back up of stormwater; especially if the drainage system has been poorly maintained and has tree roots growing up the length of the pipe. 

 

What people need to do is some basic homework on there stormwater drains, this includes the following:

 

1. Try and locate where your pipes run from and where they run to (run water down the pipe and see if the water comes out at the street or somewhere down the backyard).  
2. Determine what material your stormwater pipes are made of eg: PVC, Clay pipes, Steel pipes, Agy pipes (black pipe with ripples in it).
3. Try and determine the diameter of your stormwater pipes, this is very important, clearly if your house & yard stormwater drain is one 90mm PVC pipe then the drainage system is definitley undersized and almost certainly going to create problems for you or your nieghbour in heavy rain. If your stormwater pipe can't cope and your nieghbour's property is slightly lower then your property, then they are going to be effected by uncontrolled stormwater run off. 
4. Determine if there are any obvious obstacles which may be blocking the pipe, eg: large trees that have grown on or near the line of the stormwater pipe, verandah posts, fence posts that may have been installed and damaged the pipe during the construction of the verandah or fence.
5. If you are new in the street talk to your nieghbours sometimes they can help and give you information about the local stormwater pipes. 

Once you have tried to tick off the above points, this is where your plumber can give you some advice on how to address any issues that may be evident with your existing stormwater drain.  Unfortunatley, with a lot of the properties we inspect there is no no quick fix.  The preventative costs in most cases are significant.  Nevertheless, one must keep in mind that the alternative expenses:- to repair the damage that poorly maintained stormwater drains cause, not to mention the inconveniance that the flooding of properties cause, far outway any preventative outlays.  

 

***TIP***

Don't assume that just because water from a hose is flowing out your stormwater pipe, your stormwater is in good shape. Don't under estimate the volume of water that flows off your roof and the ground water from your yard during heavy rain.

In heavy rain a house roof with all the downpipes connected to a 10,000 litre water tank can fill the tank in 20 minutes, if you wanted to fill your water tank with a garden hose it would take approximately five (5) hours. This is the reason why your stormwater pipes need to be in perfect condition.

If for example your stormwater pipes are blocked or have been squashed or damaged by external forces, eg fence posts, tree roots, or general foliage build up in pipes from years of neglect.  And, if this pipe happens to be connected to the grated drain in front of your garage, then the 10,000 litres of water that arrives in 20 - 30 minutes with no where to drain to, will find its way into the garage and beyond.

 

Connecting to BCC Stormwater drains info

 

Poorly constructed and designed stormwater systems have been identified by the BSA as a problem area. Read more