Storm drains are designed to carry excess rainwater away from paved surfaces and buildings. When they’re functioning properly, we hardly think about them. But when they’re not doing their job, they can create serious problems.
Storm drain backups can happen at three points:
- Heavy rainfall carries leaves, sticks, trash, and other debris to storm drain openings, creating clogs at the curb.
- Over time, dirt, gravel, sand, and silt can collect at the bottom of the storm pipes. Eventually, water runoff becomes sluggish, and the drain can quickly be overwhelmed by continued rainfall.
- Tree roots can infiltrate the storm drains, creating obstacles and, eventually, causing the pipes to collapse.
In the case of a severe backup, water can run toward your building, rather than away from it, flooding your basement. But even less acute problems—such as the gradual failure of pipes due to tree roots—allows water to slowly seep into buildings, causing mold and mildew. Eventually, the structural integrity of your building can be compromised. Finally, storm drains flow directly into lakes, rivers, and streams, and as trash and debris are swept into the drain, they eventually dump into these fresh water sources.
As with most plumbing concerns, routine preventive maintenance is the key to avoiding costly repairs and negatively impacting the environment. Storm drains should be cleaned at least twice per year using high-pressure water jets, which clear debris and break up tree roots. Water jets are also an effective emergency treatment for storm drain backups.
Maplewood Plumbing and Sewer has been venting laundry drains in St. Louis homes for more than 30 years. Contact us today at 314-645-6350 or here for more information or to request a bid.
We offer a one-year warranty on all parts and labor excluding washers.
We are also experts in Kitchen plumbing, basement plumbing, bathroom plumbing and tankless water heater installation.
Give us a call at 314-645-6350 or fill out the contact form here to request a bid.