Purchasing a house requires a lot of consideration in terms of whether the property and its location will suit your lifestyle. But one aspect of location that should be considered is if the property resides in a flood zone. The Sydney Flood Map is an important resource for new home buyers to determine if a property could be affected by a flood in the future.
While floods in Sydney may be considered a rare event, no property is immune to flooding. In fact, Sydney has experienced 35 floods since 1910. Four of these were classed as extreme. The flooding was caused by severe rain weather events and the backup of storm water, resulting in flash flooding. Property development and infrastructure can have a big impact on the way water will flow and congregate on the land. This can be detrimental to properties as the water can inundate and flood them quickly.
If you are a property investor or are looking to purchase a new family home, the Sydney Flood Map will be a very important document to check. And while it can give some reassurance for properties not residing in a flood zone, floods can occur at any time. In fact, floods are a future event that can precede any previous flood level records from the past. This same phenomenon happened in Brisbane when comparing the damage from the 1974 flood with the destruction caused by the 2011 flood.
How does a flood affect the plumbing and drainage to a property in a flood zone?
If you do decide to purchase a home in a flood zone, it will be crucial to check the storm water arrangements around the property.
Some checks should include:
- Is there adequate storm water drainage to remove rain water during a heavy rain event?
- Are there enough down pipes?
- Are there enough grated pits?
- Are the gutters in good condition and well maintained?
- How many rainwater tanks are installed at the property, and can excess tank water be diverted back to the stormwater system?
Your Sydney plumber can inspect these plumbing aspects of your home and offer solutions to ensure you have adequate storm water drainage.
Flooding can also cause ground movement which in turn can cause cracks in sewerage and water pipes. Often these issues don’t surface until the floods have receded and the ground dries. The contraction of the soil from being wet to dry can affect the alignment of underground pipes. There is little that can be done to prevent this, but it is an issue to be aware of if purchasing a home in a flood zone.
If you are purchasing a house in Sydney, ensure you check the SES interactive flood risk map before making an offer. If your property has been affected by flooding before, Gladesville Plumbing are happy to inspect your home to offer storm water drainage solutions or fix leaking water pipes and cracked sewer pipes.
