It’s the Rainy Season – Are your Outdoor Drains Ready to Handle it?

We all know the saying, “April showers bring May flowers.”

But, those April showers can also bring flooding, especially if your outdoor drains aren’t ready to handle rainy spring weather.

How to Prevent Clogs

One of the best ways to prevent flooding on your property is to stop your drains from clogging to begin with.

Some of the best methods to keep drains clear are:

1. Install grates over outdoor drains. You can purchase grates at most home improvement stores and they are usually easy to install.
2. Keep debris out of the yard and away from the drains. Keep your yard raked of leaves in the fall and grass clippings in the spring and summer. This keeps debris from washing down your drains and creating a clog.
3. Consider drainage relocation. If you have a drain that isn’t clogged but doesn’t seem to be draining properly, it may not be located in the proper place and should be relocated.

Recognizing an Issue

Your Brooklyn plumbers at Petri Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Drain Cleaning want your home and yard to stay safe from flooding, standing water and backed-up debris by helping you recognize the symptoms of a clogged outdoor drainage system.

1. Unpleasant odors. If you notice a foul or musty smell emitting from one or all of your outdoor drains, it could be blocked, allowing debris to rot.
2. Slow drainage. When a blockage is building, it will slow the water flow through the drain, causing it to drain slowly.
3. Gurgling noises. Even if the water is draining fairly well, a building blockage can also cause the drain to make gurgling noises as the water swirls around the clog.
4. Raised water levels. If your yard isn’t yet flooding but the water is still standing, chances are your outdoor drain is blocked.

If you see or smell any of these signs, you should call an expert plumber right away before the drains clog completely. Clogged drains can cause flooding in your yard, or worse, your house. Outdoor drains are often hidden deep within your yard and may not be easy to find.

Help from the Brooklyn Drain Cleaning Experts

At Petri, we’ve been unstopping drains for more than 100 years. If you think you have a clogged drain or think you may need to relocate your outdoor drain to a more ideal location, give our Brooklyn drain cleaning experts a call to schedule an appointment!