Stormwater Flooding: What to Do Right Now
Stay out of floodwater, clear grates only if safe, and know who to call.
$0 CALLOUT FEE IN BUSINESS HOURS | FREE QUOTES | SAME DAY SERVICE
NOW SERVICING NORTH SYDNEY
WE ARE AVAILABLE
- 35+ Years of Combined Experience
- Yes, a Real Plumber Reads These Messages Too
- The Kettle Is Always On at Head Office
- $0 Call Out Fees
- Every Job Photographed, Every Price Upfront
- We Answer the Phone. Revolutionary, We Know.
- Trusted by 15,000+ Sydney Families
- No Call Centres. You Get a Human in Sydney
- Your Neighbours Probably Have Our Fridge Magnet
- Onsite in 30 Minutes Guaranteed
- Boots Off at the Door. Every Single Time.
- 2,800+ Google Reviews and Counting
- In the community For the community
THE SHORT ANSWER
In short
Stay out of moving water and never drive through it. If water is entering from outside in a storm, or your roof is damaged, call the NSW SES on 132 500, or 000 if anyone is trapped or in danger. Clear leaves from grates and gutters only if it is safe. When the storm passes, call us to clear blocked stormwater drains, gutters and downpipes.
DO THIS FIRST
Do this first
1
Stay safe
Keep out of floodwater and away from fallen powerlines: at least 8 metres.
2
Call the right people
SES on 132 500 for storm or flood damage; 000 if anyone is trapped or in danger.
4
Protect your home
Lift belongings; keep water away from electrics.
5
Then call us
For blocked stormwater drains, gutters and downpipes.
SOURCES
Where this advice comes from
WHAT IS HAPPENING
How rain is meant to leave your property
Rain on your roof runs into gutters and downpipes, then through underground stormwater pipes to a pit, the kerb or the council drain. Rain on paths, driveways and lawns runs to grated pits and surface drains. It is a separate system from the sewer, and it only works when every part of it is clear and big enough for the rain that falls.
When it fails, the cause is usually a blockage or a pipe that can’t keep up. Leaves, silt and roots build up in pits and pipes over months, then one storm sends more water than the narrowed pipe can carry, and it backs up out of the pits or over the gutters. A gutter that overflows on the house side can send water back under the eaves into the roof space and down inside the walls, which the NSW SES warns about (NSW SES).
A flood, in the insurance sense, is something different: water from a river, creek, lake, reservoir, canal or dam breaking its banks. In a widespread flood, no drain can help, and the priority is getting out of the water’s way and following the SES (NSW SES: during a flood).
IS IT URGENT?
How serious is it?
| What you can see | How urgent | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Anyone trapped, or water rising fast in the house from outside | Call 000 | Get to higher ground; don’t enter floodwater |
| Storm damage to the roof, or water entering from outside during a storm | Call the SES | NSW SES on 132 500 |
| Fallen powerlines, or water near the switchboard | Keep clear | At least 8 metres away; Ausgrid on 13 13 88 or Endeavour Energy on 131 003 |
| Water backing up from a blocked yard pit or downpipe into the house | Emergency: call us now | Clear the grate only if it is safe, then call us |
| A downpipe overflowing at the top, or gutters spilling in light rain | Urgent: before the next storm | A blocked downpipe or gutter: book a clear |
| Water pooling in the yard during rain but draining away after | Book it | Undersized or partly blocked drains: book a CCTV inspection |
DO NOT
Don’t make it worse
- Don’t walk or drive through floodwater
- Don’t open the sewer gully or inspection openings to drain stormwater: it causes sewage overflows
- Don’t touch electrical equipment if you are standing in water
- Don’t climb onto the roof or a ladder during a storm, in wind or on wet tiles
- Don’t sweep or hose mud and debris into the stormwater pits after the storm: it settles in the pipe and causes the next flood
WHY IT HAPPENED
Why stormwater backs up
We have completed 348 blocked stormwater jobs and 34 blocked downpipe jobs since 2019. On stormwater jobs, the causes recorded most often were: tree roots in the drain line (43 jobs), silt and debris build-up (31 jobs), broken or displaced pipe section (11 jobs).
| Likely cause | Tell-tale signs | The usual fix |
|---|---|---|
| Tree roots | Pits back up in every big storm, and drain slowly afterwards | The Jet Blaster, a CCTV look, then repair or relining |
| Silt and debris | Grates covered in mud after rain, pits full of sludge | Clean out the pits and jet the pipes |
| Broken or collapsed pipe | Sinkholes or soggy patches along the line of the pipe | Locate on CCTV; dig and repair, or reline |
| Blocked downpipe or gutter | Water pouring over the gutter at one corner | Clear the downpipe and gutter (gutters and downpipes) |
| Undersized or poorly graded drains | Floods in heavy rain even when everything is clear | Upgrade the pipe or add a pit: a planned job, not an emergency |
FROM OUR JOB RECORDS
A real job: blocked stormwater drain
In August 2026, at a strata building in Mosman, we were called to a blocked stormwater drain. The cause our plumber recorded: silt and debris build-up. The outcome: drain cleared.
Silt is the quiet cause. It washes off gardens, driveways and building sites, settles in pits and pipes between storms, and nobody notices until heavy rain arrives. A regular clean-out of pits, especially before storm season, keeps it from building up.
WHEN WE ARRIVE
What we do when we get there
1
Find the blockage
We open the pits and trace the line to the point where the water stops flowing.
2
Clear it
Pits cleaned out and pipes jetted with the Jet Blaster.
3
Camera the line
CCTV to see whether roots, silt or a broken pipe caused it.
4
Gutters and downpipes
Blocked downpipes cleared, and the gutters checked where they overflowed.
5
Fixed price for repairs
A broken or undersized pipe gets a fixed price and a plan, not a guess.
WHAT IT COSTS
What clearing stormwater drains costs
Half of our 293 priced blocked stormwater jobs since 2019 cost between $660 and $2,062, including GST, with a median of $1,122.
Half of our 34 priced blocked downpipe jobs since 2019 cost between $470 and $1,650, including GST, with a median of $852.
Long runs, deep pits, roots and the need for a camera push it toward the upper end.
$0 call-out Monday to Friday, 7:00am to 5:00pm. After hours a call-out fee of $199 to $399 applies, confirmed by text before we dispatch.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE
Who is responsible?
Stormwater pipes and pits on your property are the owner’s to maintain; council looks after kerbs, street pits and public drains, and Sydney Water some larger stormwater channels. In strata, stormwater below ground, the roof and the gutters are usually common property (strata: who pays).
Tenants: flooding or serious flood damage, and serious storm damage, are on the NSW urgent repairs list, so the landlord arranges the repair (tenants: what to do).
INSURANCE
Storm, flood and your policy
Storm cover usually includes rain run-off and overflowing gutters and drains; flood cover, for water from rivers, creeks, dams and the like, is defined separately and may be excluded (Moneysmart).
Damage caused by gutters or drains that were blocked through poor maintenance can be questioned, so keep receipts for gutter cleaning and drain work. After the storm, photograph the water line, the blocked pit and the damage. How to make a claim
NEXT TIME
Prevent it next time
- Clean gutters, downpipes and drains before storm season
- Make sure downpipes run to stormwater, never the sewer
- Check the roof for loose tiles, sheets and screws
- Lift the pit grates each autumn and scoop out the silt
- Fit leaf guards on gutters under trees, and keep mulch and soil away from pit grates
QUESTIONS
Stormwater questions
WHAT TO DO RIGHT NOW
Other plumbing emergencies
MORE HELP
Emergency help
24/7 EMERGENCY PLUMBERS
Plumbing emergency? Call us now
A licensed plumber onsite in 30 minutes, guaranteed, any hour. We make it safe first, then give you a fixed price before any repair.
Onsite in 30 minutes, guaranteed
Open 24/7, 365 days
Licensed NSW 285594C
4.9 from 3,000+ reviews