Stormwater Drainage | Tips and Services
What is Stormwater?
Stormwater is exactly what it sounds like: water that lands on your home and property during a storm. There are essentially 2 aspects of stormwater that must be dealt with on your property:
- Stormwater that lands on the roof of your home or commercial building.
- Stormwater that flows across and potentially accumulates on your land.
Why is Stormwater Drainage Important?
Your home is one of the most important investments you’ll ever make so it’s important to do everything possible to ensure it stays in the best shape. The same can be said for a commercial building. It is often the aspects of your home or business that are ‘out of sight’ that are the most important to maintain. One of these ‘hidden’ systems built into your home or business is stormwater drainage.
FIND OUT HOW LIMCORA CAN HELP YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS WITH STORMWATER DRAINAGE SOLUTIONS, MAINTENANCE OR REPAIRS
Tips for New Home Builds
For those having a new home built, it’s important that the house plans include a good stormwater drainage system. It’s not always in the front of your mind when thinking about a new home, but make sure to discuss it with your builder before plans are approved. Things to ask your builder:
- How will water drain from my roof in a storm?
- Is there an overflow feature in the gutter system?
- What happens to the overflow?
- How many downpipes are there? Are there enough downpipes for my home?
- Is there an underground drainage system?
- Where does the water go at the bottom of the downpipe – straight onto the ground, sidewalk, driveway or into an underground drainage system?
- Is there an efficient drainage channel system planned?
- Where does the water flow to?
- Are there any potential problem areas on my property – places where water might pool?
- Would your property benefit from having a drainage pit(s)?
Tips for Existing Homes
If you purchased an existing home, it (hopefully) came with a stormwater drainage system built and ready to go. Before you purchase an existing home, you should inspect the stormwater drainage system to ensure it is in good shape and verify that the drainage plan is set up for efficient and effective drainage of water from your home.
The previous questions for new home builds are also good ones to ask if you are purchasing an existing home BEFORE you purchase the home. You want to know what (if any) additional expenses you may have after purchasing the home. It’s not ideal to purchase a new home and find out that your stormwater drainage system needs a big overhaul. You can also ask:
- Does the house have a history of leaks in the roof?
- If yes, make note of where.
- Have those leaks been addressed?
- If yes, how?
- Are the gutters clear? If you see weeds growing along the gutters you can assume they haven’t been cleared in quite some time.
Tips for Commercial Buildings
As a commercial property owner, it is your responsibility to ensure that the existing stormwater drainage system is in good shape and properly maintained. If you are having a new commercial building built you must ensure the new drainage system takes into consideration the same points addressed above for new home builds.
Whether you own a building that contains one or more businesses, you want to ensure that when a storm rolls in, the businesses and all their assets are safe from damage.
Should I Do Anything During a Rainstorm and / or After a Storm Passes?
Most homes and businesses have drainage systems that are built to withstand regular rainstorms and an inspection isn’t generally necessary. However, if a major / heavy storm with a lot of rainfall has passed there are some things you should consider:
- While the storm is in progress make note of any clogging issues.
- Check the gutters and note any spots where water is over-flowing.
- Check the downpipes and note any that have little or no water draining from them.
- Check your drainage channels and note any issues where the water is being mis-directed or pooling.
- Check any drainage grates and note any that are over-flowing.
- While the storm is in progress make note of any pooling on your property.
- While the storm is in progress make note of any roof leaks.
- After the storm has passed check for any water that has pooled on the ground. Make a note of where this is.
- If you own a building with a flat roof, be sure to check the roof and note any damage that may have occurred, taking special care to notice any cracking or buckling.
It’s very important that you not put off addressing any issues you find during or after a storm. Be sure to contact a stormwater drainage specialist like Limcora to come by and do a proper assessment of the damage. We’ll go over the best options for your home or commercial property to fix any issues and prevent future damage.
Stormwater Drainage Maintenance Tips
Some maintenance tasks such as clearing gutters and drainage channels can be carried out by the home or business owner, but even clearing gutters comes with a set of risks. If you decide to clear gutters yourself, be sure to:
- Use a sturdy ladder that is in good shape.
- Follow all safety instructions that came with your ladder.
- Make sure the ladder is planted firmly on the ground and against the roofline. If the ladder is wobbly at all, it’s not safe.
- Have a partner at the foot of the ladder who can assist if the ladder shifts, or you need help.
- Wear heavy waterproof gloves.
- Use a rod inserted into one of the ladder rungs to support a bucket.
- Put debris into the bucket and empty when it is ¾ full.
- Watch for (and stay away from) any power / utility lines that are coming into the home.
- Use a hose on the ‘jet’ setting to clear any blocked downpipes.
If you’re unable to clear a downpipe with your garden hose, it’s best to get a professional like Limcora to use a high-powered jetter to clear it.
If there are issues with an underground drainage system, do not attempt to fix them yourself. There is the potential to cause more damage, which will be more costly than hiring a professional. Contact a drainage specialist like Limcora right away to assess and fix these problem(s) for you.
It’s always best to hire a professional to do any repairs and even carry out routine maintenance on your stormwater drainage system. Having a regular maintenance plan is a good way to ensure your drainage system stays in the best shape and is ready for that next big storm. When compared to the potential cost of repairs to a damaged roof or interior of a home or business and furniture, ongoing maintenance is the wiser investment.
Stormwater Drainage Services
Limcora works with leading builders and developers in major construction and civil projects throughout the Sydney, Central Coast and South Coast regions. We’re experts in commercial plumbing and drainage, with a team experienced in commercial and civil plumbing installations.
Our stormwater drainage specialists can:
- Design and build highly effective and reliable stormwater discharge, retention & reuse systems:
- For large scale civil engineering and / or commercial projects
- For medium density housing projects
- For residential and commercial properties
- No job is too big or small.
- Design and build stormwater & sub-soil drainage systems for all the above.
- Provide ongoing stormwater drainage maintenance.
- Inspect, assess and repair damaged drainage systems.
Be sure to get in touch with the stormwater drainage specialists at Limcora if you have any issues or questions!
FIND OUT HOW LIMCORA CAN HELP YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS WITH STORMWATER DRAINAGE SOLUTIONS, MAINTENANCE OR REPAIRS
Glossary of Terms
Stormwater Grate: A slatted metal fitting that goes over an underground drainage system. Can act as a filter for larger pieces of debris such as leaves and sticks to prevent drainage systems from clogging.
Downpipe: A pipe made of metal or high-density plastic that carries stormwater from a gutter system to ground level – either straight onto the ground or into an underground drainage system.
High-Powered Jetter: A tool used by plumbers that uses a motor and pump to create a high-pressure stream of water that can be used to clear tough blockages in gutter downpipes and underground drainage systems.
Gutter: A trough made of metal or high-density plastic that is fixed to the edge of a roof used to carry stormwater to a downpipe.
Drainage Pit: A collection point built into an underground drainage system that holds runoff stormwater before it drains off the property. A drainage pit can help prevent pooling of water on properties.
Drainage Channel: A permanent channel / waterway designed to move stormwater runoff to the street or other municipal drainage system.
