There’s a lot of mystery around storm drains. They can be a bit of a puzzle. Inherently they’re mysterious because a large part of storm drain systems exist underground. You can’t see them. And when things go wrong, it’s not always readily apparent. Most people wouldn’t notice an early detection sign if they stared right at it. And then there are the concerns around liabilityWho do I go to for answers?  Do I hire an engineer, use government specifications, get an opinion from a contractor specialist?. So many questions. They’re puzzles I tell you. See? Mysterious.

So if you’re someone who now has the responsibility of having a storm drained repaired, you might feel like you’re sitting in the hot seat. Where do you even begin? Never fear, awareness can make all the difference. With answers to a few critical questions, you’ll be in a much better position to take care of a situation the right way.

How can you tell if a storm drain needs repairing? 

The early signs can be subtle, but usually the first sign is a sinkhole where water infiltrates into the failed area needing repair. The water washes the soil or pavement into the piping.  Other types of failures could cause the storm drain to clog and backup water.

What cost is associated with storm drain repair? 

The cost could be as little as lining the pipe or as much as digging up the old pipe and repairing or replacing.

Wait, what? What’s “lining the pipe”?

There’s a process for underground storm and sewer drains where a rubber bladder lining is more or less pasted to the inside walls of a drainage pipe. A machine pushes the liner into the pipe. The flexible casting of the liner allows it to adhere to pipe walls and repair the pipe from the inside. It’s pretty cool. In these cases, the pipe has most likely been eaten away by something flowing through it. Most likely a chemical or acid that corroded or deteriorated the pipe.

Who do you call to schedule a repair? 

The owners of the piping systems, both private and public are usually the first to recognize the problem.  Private owners could contact a contractor to analyze the problem or hire an engineer. Many public owners either have engineers on staff or hire them to analyze the problem and design a solution.

For storm drain repair however, hiring an independent engineer can be an added layer of cost. They also tend to be better suited for long term projects than emergency needs like repair because engineers generally don’t have the machinery and materials in-house to fix the problem. They subcontract to companies who specialize in that type of work.

Here’s the thing, most companies that specialize in storm drain repair … already have qualified storm drain engineers on staff included as part of your fee. These companies also have the gear and man-power to address your situation fast. Because sometimes you can’t afford to wait.

How to prevent future damage? 

Usually the damage was from improper installation, either construction or engineering, so make sure you work with trusted partners who have great reputations when installing new pipes. Other times a pipe just reaches the end of its lifecycle. When this happens, working with a company who handles both installation and engineering is the best way to solve the problem fast!

So now that you know what you need to know about having that storm drain repaired, you can feel better prepared to take the next right action towards getting it fixed.