The winter season of Australia is drawing to a close, but that does not mean that the weather has become any more forgiving. With the season comes torrential rain and category four cyclones – conditions that can be hazardous for your home. If you live in an area where storms are likely, it may be time to take precautions to protect your plumbing system before disaster strikes.
According to plumber Sydney owner Justin Rizk, the Australian monsoon season typically runs from November to April. Storms and heavy rain can cause damage to your home if it’s not prepared for the incoming weather conditions. Plumbing problems caused by leaks, broken drains and blocked up pipes can be costly and time-consuming to repair.
Here are some handy tips you can use to prepare your plumbing for the storms of any year.
Check for broken gutters and downpipes
Make sure that the guttering system around your home is intact to avoid overflowing from heavy rainwater, because if it doesn’t have a proper outlet then expect water buildups in your foundation level leading to foundation cracks and possible flooding inside your house.
Check indoor taps around the house
Of course, having a lot of outdoor faucets fiddling with them from time to time will do well to be aware of any dripping faucets. It would be best to check the indoor taps as well since leaks can build up even here if left unused for a long time especially overnight or when you go away on vacation.
Check your hot water system
Hot water systems are also prone to leaking, so it’s best that you keep an eye out or monitor its temperature occasionally during storm season or you can schedule this for every month of the year to avoid having a disaster come winter time where all your hot water will be used up because of faulty heating elements affecting your cold water pipes which might freeze up, burst and damage the entire infrastructure of your home.
Check around outdoor taps too
Although you have done enough with checking your indoor faucets, you should also check the hot and cold water taps around the exterior of your home just to be sure. Since these outdoor taps are attached to hoses that go inside the house, it would be best to have them checked every once in a while by flushing them with clean water to make sure there are no traces of dirt or possible contaminants.
Have your main shut off valves inspected regularly
Make sure you know where the main shut-off valve is located so you can turn it off during any disaster before water damage happens if ever. The access area must always be well maintained especially under sinks and behind toilets which accumulate dirt over time that may contaminate water turning into health hazards.
Be aware of plumbing noise
Thunderous noises coming from the water pipes can signal to leak especially if you hear it during relatively calmer weather conditions. If this happens, try tightening all accessible pipe connections by hand but not too tight because you might cause damage to your plumbing system. You should get help if the noise persists even after you have tightened it properly.
Check for discoloured grout around tiles and tile joints
Sometimes leaks might go undetected because they develop in areas where there is no direct access like underneath sinks or behind walls where you hardly see anything unlike in the bathroom where leakage usually develops leaving visible signs on surfaces like peeling paint or swelled up floorboards beneath the tiles (which should raise suspicion by its appearance). If there is any discolouration of grout or peeling paint, don’t hesitate to call in the help of a professional plumber who will be able to look into the problem and determine if it’s indeed coming from your plumbing system.
Check all accessible pipes for corrosion or rust
Rusty looking rusty pipes are sure signs that water contains high levels of iron which is corrosive enough to eat away at your copper pipes especially when oxygen combines with this chemical turning it into an even more harmful acid capable of etching metal. Once the surface is breached, contaminants can get inside contaminating drinking water so try getting rid of these chemicals before they corrode your plumbing system.
