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Boring Home Ownership Stuff...

More Boring Home Ownership Stuff:  Storm Sewer vs. Sanitary Sewer

2/19/2019

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When a rain gutter/downspout and sometimes a sump pump send their discharge below grade to a pipe, it may appear that rainwater is draining into a sanitary sewer, but it really isn’t. In municipal areas with sewer systems, gutter (rainwater) discharge is normally routed into a storm sewer. This storm piping routes water to rivers and streams and is separate from the sanitary sewer system.  Connecting your sump to a basement sink or floor drain sends your stormwater to sewer system, is against the rules.

Municipal systems include a sanitary sewer system that routes toilet, shower and sink water to a sewage treatment plant. The flow of storm and sanitary sewer systems would never be combined unless a really old system is in place or there are problems with the system. In the old days before good sewage treatment, homes had combined sewers – but that is not common today.

When you live out in the country, your gutters may discharge below grade and be directed underground to the side of a hill or a lower spot. Rural areas don’t have storm sewers.
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Look at the curb and gutter in front of your house. If you see grates there, rainwater flows into a storm sewer system below the street.  If you sump pump is connected to drain line in the wall, it is most likely storm water.

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More Boring Home Ownership Stuff:  Exterior Caulking.  Don't forget the Backer Rod.

2/2/2019

2 Comments

 
​Gaps along your walkways/patios/stoops and home including where driveway meets garage should always be caulked with a polyurethane to prevent water penetration.  What most people forget is the backer rod and waste their caulk, filling in large area with caulk.  What is backer rod?   So you filled that wide gap in the exterior trim with the best caulk you could buy, and the next year it had pulled away from one surface, leaving a large gap. Or you tried to fill a wider gap, and the caulk just fell in the hole. What went wrong? No backer rod. 
 
Before filling a large gap with caulk, bridge the wide opening with a stiff foam backer rod. The backer rod is wide enough, so friction holds it just below the gap’s surface. The rod supports the caulk applied in an hourglass shape with a height-to-width ratio of about 1:2. 
 
Why? Caulk needs to expand and contract as surfaces move. The hourglass shape allows the caulk to bond to only two surfaces; the narrower section easily expands and contracts with movement. Caulk should never completely fill a space. It should never be applied to three sides or an unbridgeably wide gap, or it will quickly fail. Caulk can’t expand and contract when it is pulled in three directions or when the cross-section is too thick. 
 
You will find backer rods in larger paint and hardware stores. It is sold in lengths like rope, and it comes in various diameters. Choose a diameter that is wider than the gap to be filled, and force the rod into place with a blunt tool or putty knife. 
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    Our blog is to further educate and empower you to help you to keep your home safe and well maintained.

    Amelia's Home Inspection offers the highest quality Home Inspection services in Greater Milwaukee, Wisconsin at an affordable price. A home inspection provides an analysis of potential fire hazards, home safety and health risks to your family. 

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