Catch Basin Maintenance Tips

A catch basin is a section of the sewer system around your home that is supposed to catch mulch and debris. Typically, catch basins are located a little bit away from the property, such as on the yard’s perimeter or near the curb. Ideally, the maintenance will be handled by the ordinance in which you live. However, this isn’t always the case, and some people take it upon themselves to handle this maintenance themselves. Here are some catch basin maintenance tips…

Dangers of blocked catch basin

The reason that some people want to manage the catch basin near their homes themselves is that a blocked catch basin can lead to flooding on a property. While many suburban homes won’t likely experience devastating flooding, and blocked catch basin in a wet area with standing or running bodies of water can lead to floods that get into a home and cause severe property damage.

Don’t put waste into the catch basin

First of all, never, ever, ever use your catch basin as a way to dispose of any sort of waste, whether it be garbage or natural waste like damp leaves or animal fecal waste. There are two main reasons for this. First, doing this increases the odds that your catch basin floods, which means you’ll be dealing with all of that waste in a much nastier way. Second, if that waste moves cleanly through the catch drain, it will end up in other bodies of water in the area, which isn’t very environmentally friendly.

Keep grating clear

If you live a wet area that requires a catch drain, then it is inevitable that your catch drain is going to get buildup of debris, mulch, and wet leaves that are going to clog the grating on top of drain. If this happens, then the water that needs to be drained is going to flood your property, instead. To counteract this, simply keep an eye on your catch drain during months when the weather is especially active, and unblock the grating whenever necessary.