Storm Drains Can Clog Quickly!

5/3/2022 (Permalink)

A SERVPRO technician is pictured standing in a flooded parking lot. A clogged storm drain was the culprit of this water issue!

When the rain gets heavy, standing water can build where it shouldn't!

We have had record calls from homeowners and businesses this past year about standing water in their parking lots, and overflowed storm drains.

Many times this can happen due to debris being built up in the drain filter. Cleaning it out is hard physical labor, but regularly necessary. 

Also, sometimes storm drains simply cannot keep up with heavy rainfalls and downpours. If you notice a storm drain in your town that is flooded and not draining properly, you can reach out to your local public works department at the city and report the problem.

If the storm drain is located on your private property you are responsible for servicing the storm drain yourself. Most likely it is a build up of debris in the upper portion of the drain filter, but sometimes it is a failure of the line that runs underground. the later is a much more significant cost to fix.

Plumbers have specialty equipment to clear drains. SERVPRO has provided such services, but if the problem is more than a clogged drain filter, a plumber and excavator company will most likely be needed. 

You can check your storm drains with a flashlight periodically when they are free of standing water and see if you can spy any clogging or build-up of leaves and rubbish that is preventing the drain from working optimally.

SERVPRO unclogged our own parking lot storm drain this past year, it was due to leaves and branches and dirt build-up. Often times it can clog very suddenly. So best to inspect seasonally if possible.