The rain stops, the water recedes, and the instinct in Fort Myers is to get back to normal as fast as possible — flip the breakers, run the taps, flush the toilets. Plumbing rarely gets the same second look that roofs and windows get after a storm, but a system that sat under standing water, lost pressure, or went without power for days doesn’t always come back online safely just because the storm has passed. Some of these problems are cosmetic annoyances if ignored; a couple of them are genuine health and property risks.
Before you treat your plumbing as fully restored, work through what actually needs checking — from the well to the sewer line.
What to Check Before You Use Water Again
- Reopen the main valve slowly. If you shut off the main or the well pump ahead of the storm, don’t flip everything back on at once. Bring the main back gradually and run cold taps first to clear air and sediment out of the lines, which protects aerators, valves, and any water treatment media downstream.
- Have well water tested, not just looked at. Flooding can push surface runoff, fuel, and bacteria down around a compromised wellhead and into the aquifer your household draws from. Clear-running water is not the same as safe water — test it before you trust it for drinking or cooking.
- Get the water heater inspected if it lost power or sat in floodwater. A tank that was submerged, even briefly, needs a professional look before it goes back into service — electrical components and control valves don’t recover from water intrusion the way the tank shell does.
- Walk the house for new leaks. Saturated soil can shift a slab, and pressure swings during a storm stress pipe joints that were already marginal. Check under sinks, around the water heater, and at the meter for drips that weren’t there before. Our leak repair team runs this down whether the cause is a shifted slab, a stressed joint, or corrosion the storm simply finished off — and a water bill that jumps the month after a storm is one of the more reliable signs something is leaking out of sight.
- Confirm the backflow preventer still works. Storm surge and the pressure loss that comes with a boil-water notice are exactly the conditions backflow prevention devices exist for. A sudden drop in main pressure can pull contaminated water backward into the supply if the assembly has failed, so treat it as one more thing to confirm rather than something you assume passed on its own.
When Drains and Sewer Lines Need a Closer Look
Heavy rain moves more than water through a sewer line. Sediment and sand get pushed along with it, and roots that were holding steady in a cracked or loose joint can shift when the ground around them saturates and settles. If drains are running slower than before the storm, gurgling, or backing up where they didn’t before, a video camera line inspection shows exactly what moved, rather than leaving you to guess with another round of snaking. It’s also the fastest way to confirm a line is clear again after a repair, rather than hoping the problem doesn’t come back.
Photograph anything you find before you fix it. Dated photos of a submerged water heater, a shifted fixture, or a leak that started during the storm make an insurance claim far more straightforward than trying to describe it after the fact.
A Note for Snowbirds and Seasonal Owners
If your SWFL home rode out the storm empty, don’t assume it came through fine just because no one reported a problem. An unattended leak, a submerged water heater, or a wellhead that took on water can sit undiscovered for weeks. Arrange for someone local to walk the property and check the plumbing before you fly back in, or ask us to do it for you.
Post-Storm Plumbing Inspections Across Southwest Florida
West Coast Plumbing & Water Treatment serves Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, Punta Gorda, and communities across Southwest Florida with post-storm plumbing inspections — checking leaks, backflow devices, and sewer lines so you know your system is actually back to normal, not just running again. Free estimates; licensed and insured (FL Lic. CFC 1427865). Call (239) 340-8224 or contact us online.
