Heavy Rain as a Cause for Plumbing Issues

Although you can inspect your all parts of your plumbing to make sure they’re bulletproof, sometimes forces outside of your controls can cause a multitude of issues in your plumbing system. Believe it or not, something as innocuous as heavy rain can cause plumbing issues. First of all, heavy rain can put a ton of extra pressure on the area surrounding the pipes. When the dirt or sand accumulates water, it will turn into a much heavier mud that can be too much weight for the pipes to comfortably bear. Most modern pipes are built to withstand a lot of pressure, but there’s no guarantees when it comes to inclement weather.

Similarly, as rain hits the ground and softens the hard dirt around your pipes, your pipes can shift out of their normal positions. Sometimes, this can lead to cracks in your piping if the pipes bend in an unnatural or unsustainable way. Also, once the mud solidifies back into dirt, more cracks can occur as the dirt no longer has any give. Cracks in your shifting pipes that are caused by a rainstorm cause a few problems. First of all, there’s the obvious issue of leakages. But cracks in your piping allow surrounding rocks and soil to seep into the pipes, which can cause blockages and even cause water to leak into any underground parts of your home like your basement. Barner Murphy’s here to fix these cracks before they cause bigger plumbing issues.

Speaking of your basement, cracked pipes aren’t the only way for it to flood. If your basement has any windows, living on land with poor drainage can cause water to seep into the basement and cause a host of issues like mold and rotting wood. Heavy rain can affect your septic tank in a similar way to your pipes. Saturated soil around your septic tank can put increased pressure on the tank. But that’s only half the issue. See, your septic tank can empty it’s effluent fluids into the surrounding drain field due to the saturated soil. Combine this inability to regulate fluid level with the additional pressure of the mud, and septic tank wastewater can back up into your house. Warning signs of a septic tank backup include unexplained foul odors, unusually slow flushing, and backed up drains.

If you primarily drink well water, refrain from drinking it until it’s been tested after heavy rainfall. Septic tank backups can cause nasty contamination in well water, so grab some water bottles while you’re waiting for the all-clear. Sometimes, issues with your plumbing aren’t entirely caused by rain on your property. After heavy rain, city sewers can backup which will cause your own sewers to be backed up as well. Unfortunately, there’s no immediate solution when this happens. The best you can do is wait it out. After heavy rain, don’t attempt to fix things yourself as one wrong thing could magnify problems caused by excess water. It’s best to leave plumbing issues to professional like Barner Murphy. In addition, get your septic tank inspected as soon as possible if you think recent rainfall caused it damage.