Actions To Take If Flooding Hits and Your Drains Are Affected

Your drains and sewers are important to the effective running of your home and a potential flood can put all of that at risk. While they are robust systems, they can often have their weaknesses and flooding all but defeats the average drain. In this article we will be giving you some helpful tips for when a flood hits your drains.

Before
The best way to help your drains is to be ready for a flood. You can find out vital information about when and where floods are due to hit by getting regular updates from television and radio, the MET office also has weather warnings in advanced to help you stay ahead of the bad weather.
If you’re in an area frequently hit by floods then you will no doubt have already spotted which areas of your home and your drainage system are most vulnerable. The first thing to do is to protect your home as best you can with sandbags and barriers, if you know you have a cellar which floods easily then consider having it sealed to give you one less problem to deal with in the aftermath of a flood.

During
It can be a troubling and horrific time for anyone to see their home battered by Mother Nature and overcome with flood water. The last thing you are thinking about is your drains and there is little you will be able to do in the event of a major flood anyway, but if the water levels are low and aren’t getting inside the house you could keep an eye out for potential blockages to your drains and sewers outside.

After
There are different kinds of drains on and around your property, so the first thing to do after a flood if you suspect problems is to establish whose responsibility it is to rectify the issue. Sewers outside of your property are the responsibility of the water and sewage company, if there is any damage caused by flooding then you should alert them to the problem as soon as possible.
Your own private drains are your responsibility, and if the water isn’t clearing away in the aftermath of the flood then there could be a more deep seated problem lurking. Blockages can easily occur in floods when there is too much water in the system, causing damage below ground. Debris is also easily carried in a flood and although an object might enter somewhere else in the system it could become lodged in your drains which become blocked as a result; leaves, branches and litter could all be washed into your drain to accumulate.
If you live by the coast or the sea then the Environment Agency are responsible for any damage caused to local drains and should be contacted immediately.

Even if you suspect a problem with your domestic drains you may not know what the actual cause is once the flood water clears, the best thing to do is to contact the professionals who will be able to carry out a survey and recommend solutions to any problems which are spotted. Here at 1st Call Drain Clearance & Technical Services we offer a range of emergency drain services to help those in need once a flood has hit, simply contact us today for more details.