When is the last time you had your storm drains inspected? The storm drains on your commercial or residential property are what funnel rainwater and melted snow and ice from your property into the Chicago storm drains. Unfortunately, storm drains on private and commercial property can become clogged with numerous different types of debris, including ice melt, dirt, mud, twigs, plastic bags and trash. If they become clogged due to the debris, your property could experience a flood from backed-up stormwater.
How Storm Drains Work
Storm drains contain an inlet, usually a grated entrance where stormwater is allowed to flow into the system from the street or sidewalk. A few feet below the grate resides a catch basin or sump. This is an area that is designed to catch debris while allowing water to pass through. The water continues through the storm drain pipes until it reaches the water treatment center.
Hazards of Spring Rain and Snow Melt
With spring on the way, it is important to visually inspect your storm drains. As the weather warms, your storm drains will see an increase in water flow from the melting snow and the spring rain. If the drain grates and/or catch basins are clogged or full of debris, the water will not flow down the drain and into the city storm drain system. Instead, the clogged storm drain will result in water backing-up onto your property, flooding your private roads and parking lots.
If there is a significant amount of ice melt and/or salt in your storm drain system, it can cause pipe corrosion. With a clog or a slow-moving storm drainage system, the salt and ice melt sit in the pipes and chemically react with the metal, causing rust and corrosion that can lead to cracks and holes in the pipes. This can exasperate the problem by creating areas where debris settles and gathers more debris. When this occurs, it is important to initiate a storm drain repair as soon as possible.
Importance of Spring Storm Drain Inspections
As the weather starts to warm, it is important to have your storm drain inspected and cleaned to prevent catastrophic flooding on your property from a clogged storm drain. A storm drain inspection involves removing the grate and any debris stuck in the grates as well as visually inspecting the catch basic for debris. If there is debris in the catch basin, it will be removed. Next, a camera is sent down the storm drain to check for debris and cracks and holes in the pipes. If the pipe is corroded, clogged or damaged, repairs will be needed in order to restore water flow and structural integrity.
Storm Drain Repair with Nu Flow, Serving Chicago
Here at Nu Flow, our pipe lining technicians can inspect your storm drains and identify areas of corrosion as well as clogs via a camera inspection. If we find that you have a clogged storm drain or areas of excessive corrosion, we can evaluate the pipes to determine if they can be repaired using an epoxy liner and provide you with an estimate for trenchless storm pipe repair. This is part of our building pipe assessment service, which can help you determine if pipe lining is a viable repair method for your interior and exterior plumbing pipes.
If you decide to use an epoxy liner for your storm drain repair, the process begins with a thorough hydrojetting of the pipes to be lined. Once they are properly prepared, a pipe liner will be inserted into the plumbing pipes and left to cure. The pipe liner seals leaks and cracks within the pipe and restores the structural integrity without digging up your landscaping.
To learn more about the pipe lining process for storm drain repairs, call us at 815-790-9000.
