A storm week in Woodstock often has a very specific vibe. The sky turns a nasty shade of gray, the rain comes in heavy and in waves, and energy use shoots up as people start taking precautions in case the power goes out, from washing the dishes and doing laundry to getting in a shower before your house is plunged back to the year 1800. And that's often when the drains start acting in a weird manner. It starts with a slow kitchen sink. Then there's a gurgle from the guest bathroom. Before you know it, a floor drain burps up some murky water, and all of this happens right when you need it the least.
Drain backups like this during bouts of heavy rain are common around the suburbs of north Atlanta for a number of specific reasons. Whether they take place inside the house or outside, where saturated ground can overwhelm the municipal systems, the good news is that you can lower the odds of the worst happening to quite a significant degree with just a few simple changes, especially so if you start now before the forecast turns ugly and storm season begins.
Why heavy, sustained rain makes drains start to misbehave
Drain problems are often the byproduct of the accumulation of water, rather than a specific problem. When the ground is already soaked from days of constant rain, every extra bit of water has fewer places to go. What this means is that storm-water will have fewer places to drain off into as it comes down out of the sky. Sometimes in these cases the public sewer system can't even handle the volume of water, although this is dependent on how the drainage system in your local area is set up.
Even if your own home plumbing system is working smoothly, the whole system around it can come under pressure during a heavy period of storms and heavy rain. This can be compounded by what's occurring inside the house when there is a heavy spell of really bad weather. We are inclined to stay at home more, and we cook more, shower more and run more appliances accordingly. All of that extra volume can lead to a situation where a drainage line that was functioning “fine” last week is now suddenly revealed to have a partial clog or some other problem like a root intrusion or a belly in the line. It's a problem that would not become an issue under normal circumstances, as there is some drainage occurring, but add volume and suddenly it's a real concern.
And there's another annoying dimension to this. A lot of backups that occur during periods of heavy rain aren't caused by just one big issue alone. Instead they're the result of a whole bunch of smaller problems that stack up over a period of months or even years. A bit of grease here. Some wipes and coffee grounds there. Before you know it, a week of stormy weather comes along and the whole system is finally overcome because of the cumulative things that have built up.
The first step: Assessing the problem
Not every home in Woodstock will face the same drainage problem. For instance, some neighborhoods are connected to municipal sewers. Others have their own septic tanks. To make things especially complicated, some homes will have a basement with a crawlspace or unit that changes where blocked water shows up first. It all depends on how your home was built.
You can identify what the problem with your drainage system might be depending on how the home is built and what kind of drainage system is involved. For instance, if the lowest drain in the house is something like a basement shower and the problem appears to be originating there, that will often point to the issue being with the main line, rather than it being a single fixture clog like a drainage issue at the outlet for the shower.
If your toilet bubbles or makes a gurgling sound when you run the faucet on the sink, that's another fairly clear sign that the main line drain is causing your problem. On the contrary, if only one sink is draining slowly and everything else in the house seems to be running as normal, then the blockage is usually localized, which is still annoying but ultimately is probably a lot less difficult to solve.
If you have your own septic tank for your house then storm week will bring a different kind of stress. As water builds up over the week, the soil that the water from the tank normally drains out into can become saturated. It then becomes impossible for it to fully absorb what the tank is sending out and water starts to accumulate. This then has a knock-on impact in so far as the drains start to back up because the ground outside can't take the entire load. If the rain doesn't stop, the water keeps building. Annoying, right?
A quick tip: Don't let the kitchen sink become a problem
Whatever kind of drainage system your home has, there are some easy precautions you can take to prevent your house turning into a lake. One is right at your kitchen sink. People tend to want the kitchen sink to double as a trash can, just one with a drain attached. I get it. It's convenient and unfortunately when we started installing garbage disposals into our sinks decades ago, it created the idea that we should use these garbage units the whole time. But this is a terrible idea, especially during storm week.
Storm season is a time to be very strict about what does and doesn't go down the garbage-line. Grease is the biggest enemy here. Because it is a kind of liquid, we tend to view it as being less dangerous than it really is. The reality is that, even if you pour it down with hot water, or with a little dish soap, grease eventually cools down and clings onto the sides and curves of the chute. It then hardens and snags other things that pass down through the unit. During heavy rain, when you might be at home more and using the kitchen sink, that half clog from compacted grease and dirt can suddenly turn into a full-blown problem.
The simple habit in order to fix this is obvious and effective. Don't let grease go down the chute. Wipe down pans with a paper towel before you wash them. If you have a pan with a lot of grease in it, then pour the grease into a container and throw it into the bin once it cools down. For those who want to show an abundance of caution, flush the kitchen line through occasionally with a kettle full of quite hot water. Avoid using boiling water though, especially if you have a fragile old line; it can crack the pipes.
The same applies to other substances like coffee grounds. They won't magically disappear by themselves if you pour them down the sink. They'll clump together with grease and fat and form an unsettling substance in the pipe. Toss them in the trash or compost, not your sink. Your future self will quietly thank you afterwards.
Bathroom drains: There is no such thing as a “flushable” wipe
We live in an age of excessive convenience. The “flushable” wipe surely epitomises this; a wipe that we don't even have to find a bin for. These things are not a drain's friend. If you decide to only change one habit when it comes to your home's drains let it be the decision to stop flushing wipes down the toilet.
In the world of plumbing, the term “flushable” tends to mean that something will “just about leave the bowl,” but which will not travel a full 60 feet through the whole pipe, with all its twists and turns, to the main drain outside. Wipes inevitably twist together and get snagged. Add hairs, soap scum, and other offensive substances, and suddenly you've got yourself a kind of horrific rope stuck in your drain. Heavy rain then pushes that mess into the worst possible spot; a turn in the drain.
Nor is the toilet the only problem area in the bathroom. Clogged hair is the constant culprit when it comes to showers. If your shower frequently drains quite slowly, even during the dry months, then storm season is not the time to ignore it. Otherwise you will end up with a pool of water in your bathroom. Instead use a simple hair catcher and clean the shower trap. I don't mean do this once a month. I mean clean it every few days if one or more people in your household have long hair. It's an unpleasant task that takes ten seconds every few days, but it can prevent a massive problem in the long run.
A storm schedule for your home's drains
When heavy rain is forecast, a lot of people decide to go shopping for some drain cleaner. This is not the right approach. Instead you should be trying to avoid using water.
If possible, avoid running the dishwasher. Definitely do not do this while the laundry is draining, or while someone is showering. Spread these water-intensive activities out so that the drains and drainage areas can deal with the extra water, on top of the rain, more effectively. Give the system time to cycle through all the additional water.
This matters more in homes that have older piping or a history of drainage problems. It's especially relevant if you have a septic-tank system. You don't have to be a drill sergeant about all of this. Just be conscious of avoiding doing five loads of towels while the kids are taking long baths.
The early warning system: Floor drains
If you have a basement or a lower level to your house, the drains, sinks, etc. down there are the ones that will tell you something is wrong first. These are the early warning system and you can use them as such.
During a bout of very heavy rain, pour a little water into one of the drains in the basement to test it.
If you have a sump pump (well done, you're well prepared if you do!), test it before the storm hits. There's no point in testing it during the storm. Pour some water into the pit and make sure it actually starts up and begins moving water out. Finally, if you see a bit of water near a floor drain during heavy rain, don't just assume that it's groundwater. It might well be, but sometimes it will be water backing up from the main line.
Need an Emergency Plumber in Woodstock Ga? We've got you. Contact us today for fast help.
Elevated drains: Gutters and downspouts
We tend to look down rather than up when it comes to drains. But there are drains above ground as well; gutters and downspouts. This is the part of the drainage system that most homeowners overlook. If your gutters overflow and dump out water near the foundation of the house, you're further saturating the ground all around the building. That can contribute to water intrusion. It can also create conditions where old sewer lines start to shift or get stressed. Ultimately it adds to the whole system being overwhelmed.
First, make sure the downspouts are actually draining water away from the house. You don't want it sending it two inches away, nor into a mulch bed that is meant to hold a reasonable amount of water. Away. If there is a lot of standing water residing next to the foundation after it's rained, well then that's a sign that you're collecting stormwater in the very place that you want to avoid it. The solutions are simple. Something as simple as a quick clean-out of the leaves in the gutters can be the difference between a sane storm and an emergency. However, if you do find yourself facing an unexpected plumbing issue during the storm season or heavy rain emergency plumbing services are always just a quick call away.
Main line cleanouts: Know where it is before you need it
The honest truth is that a lot of homeowners in Woodstock simply don't know if they have a main contact, or indeed where it is or whether it's accessible. Then a storm comes through and the drain backs up. Welcome to your worst nightmare – hunting around in wet mulch with a flashlight looking for the cleanout while the house smells faintly of panic and regret.
To avoid this situation, locate your cleanout on a calm day. It's often outside the house near the foundation, sometimes near the driveway or in a landscape bed. It's a good idea to make sure that it hasn't been buried underneath the new shrub you planted a few weeks ago. That will be a pain to locate later.
If you've had main line issues before, a preventative inspection can be worth it in order to avoid a small problem like root intrusion turning into a big one.
Things to avoid
When people notice water backing up, all too often they reach for chemical drain cleaners. Don't do it. These products can be harsh on pipes, and they don't always fix the real issue. Indeed, more often than not they create a nasty situation where they fail to solve the blockage and now you've got standing water mixed in with harsh chemicals.
Another common mistake is to start plunging the plugholes and so forth aggressively. Plunging a toilet that has a simple clog is probably fine. However, if multiple fixtures are proving to be problematic, then plunging them aggressively can actually push the blockage deeper into the drains.
In a situation like this, where more than one drain is slow or you hear gurgling, assume that it is a system issue. Limit further water usage and get professional help sooner rather than later.
Taking the plunge!: When it's time to call a plumber in Woodstock
Here are some clear signs that it's time to take the plunge (pun intended) and ring a plumber:
- If sewage is coming up from a drain in the basement or lowest level of the house.
- If multiple fixtures/units are backing up.
- If you are hearing a gurgling noise every time you run any water.
These are not “wait and see” moments, especially during a storm when rain is coming down fast and water is accumulating.
When you call, tell the plumber whether the problem is isolated to one fixture or is a wider problem; whether water is only backing up during periods of heavy rain; and whether your house is connected to a main-line sewer or has its own septic tank. This ensures the plumber knows what to expect and which equipment to bring.
In Woodstock, or indeed across all of Cherokee County, Plumb N Plumber is the kind of service people look for. They started in 2014 as one guy with a truck and some tools and grew into three teams serving the North Atlanta suburbs on a daily basis, the kind of expansion which does not happen unless customers are satisfied and keep coming back to you.
Need an Emergency Plumber in Woodstock Ga? We've got you. Contact us today for fast help.
For drain cleaning, pipe repair, excavation work, slab leak detection, or just a clear answer about a problem with transparent and fair pricing, they can help. The team includes Matthew LoPiccolo, Master Plumber MP210628, along with Andrew Bridges, Journeyman Plumber JP507671, plus J.T. O'Neill, Taylor Melton, Ben McCullough, and Parker Bonchonsky.
You can reach them by phone, email, or through their contact form. Their headquarters is at 2449 E Cherokee Dr, Woodstock, GA 30188, and they are open Monday through Friday from 08:00 AM to 07:00 PM. They also serve nearby areas like Canton, Marietta, Alpharetta, Milton, Ball Ground, Roswell, East Cobb, Cumming, Lake Lanier, Holly Springs, Hickory Flat, Sixes, and Kennesaw.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Why do drains often back up during stormy weather?
When there is heavy rainfall during storm week the ground becomes saturated. Heavy rain increases the pressure on both municipal sewer systems and also home plumbing if your home has an individual septic tank. This, combined with increased water use inside of homes as people spend more time at home, can exacerbate partial clogs and problems with aging pipes, ultimately leading to drain backups during rainy weather.
How can I identify if a drain backup is a main line issue or just a localized clog?
If multiple fixtures like a basement shower or a floor drain show problems at the same time, then it's most likely a main line issue. Equally, symptoms like toilets bubbling when sinks run also suggest a main line problem. A slow sink with no other issues tends to be a sign of a more localized clog.
What kitchen sink habits help prevent drain backups?
Avoid letting grease go down the drain. Instead wipe pans with paper towels and dispose of cooled grease in the bin. Don't flush coffee grounds down the sink. Flushing the kitchen sink through with hot (but not boiling) water from time to time also helps keep the pipes running clear.
Why should I stop flushing wipes labeled “flushable” during storm week?
This isn't a storm-specific habit. Don't ever flush wipes down the toilet, period! Maybe they'll flush fully; but some won't. And the ones that don't could snag inside pipes, especially when combined with hair and soap scum. This creates blockages that worsen during increased water use during periods of heavy rain.
What bathroom drain maintenance habits reduce backups?
Use hair catchers in your showers and clean them every few days to prevent hair from building up in the pipes. Hair will create huge problems over time. Don't let it build up in the pipes.
How does water usage help prevent drain backups during heavy rain?
Spreading out major water uses, like running the dishwasher, laundry, or taking long showers, prevents your drainage system from overloading. Reducing the input of water gives the pipes time to drain between uses, reducing the risk of water backing up when the system is already under pressure from the rainy conditions.
