If recent weather events have shown us anything, it’s that no one is immune from flooding. We’ve been working with flood victims for the past two months and the impact it’s had on their businesses have been far-reaching. Some had to close for a few weeks to clean up, lots have lost equipment and tools, some are facing months of shut-down, and all of them have had their productivity affected.
It’s actually hard to imagine how some of these businesses flooded when you see them – they don’t look like they’re in an area that would be impacted. You just can’t tell! Which is why drain maintenance is so important.
How you can you mitigate the risk of flooding at your commercial property:
- Keep it clean
Don’t put anything down your drains except water. Not grease, not fat, and certainly not wipes! Even if it is a liquid, it doesn’t take long for that to harden and build layer upon layer until eventually you’ve got a blockage or a very constrained drain size. - Clear your stormwater drain lids
It doesn’t take long for grates and lids to get covered in leaves, twigs, dirt and other debris. Drains need to be kept clean and free of anything that can stop water from going through. If it can’t drain, it’s not a drain – it’s a liability! - Clean out your stormwater sump
You might be surprised how much gravel, dirt and other debris travels along a surface and ends up in your stormwater sump. The purpose of a stormwater sump is to collect this stuff before it hits stormwater drains and ends up either out at sea or clogging up your pipes. However, sumps aren’t limitless – there’s only so much debris it can collect. You need to clean out your sumps 2-3 times a year and specifically after any particularly bad weather that might have rushed gravel and debris back in. - Get the camera down there
What you want is for excess water to flow freely into your drain, leaving the dirt and rubble in your newly cleaned stormwater sump, leaving the water to gush down your stormwater pipes and away from your property. What you don’t want is for it to hit a blockage in the pipe, which will stop it in its tracks and possibly cause backflow. You also don’t want it reaching broken pipes, causing it to seep heavily into the surrounding areas, causing further problems. This is why we recommend having a yearly CCTV check of the drains on your commercial property. The purpose of sending a camera down is to look at the pipe condition and to warn you of any breakages or blockages. It’s far cheaper to do this proactively than after it’s already done damage! - Flush the pipes
If there’s a blockage (possibly from vegetation, tree branches, grease or even giant rocks), we can flush it out with our high-pressure hose. It’s incredible how much can build up in a drainpipe over time, from little dirt particles and gravel to missing hair-ties and litter.
In a nutshell, we recommend yearly drain maintenance to minimise the risk of flooding at your commercial property. Get our HydroVac team in yearly to clean out your stormwater sumps, check the condition of your drains, and flush your drains to clean them out.
Please contact us if you’d like to schedule this service in. We’d rather see you for preventative maintenance than for emergency work post a storm, trust us!