Hurricane Season Plumbing Checklist for Louisiana Homes
Most storm plumbing damage is preventable, and almost all of the prevention is cheaper before June than after August.
Know your shut-offs — all three
Water main. At the meter or where the line enters the house. Tag it. Make sure the valve actually turns; old gate valves seize, and discovering that during a storm is the wrong time.
Gas. At the meter. You need a wrench that fits, stored somewhere you can find in the dark. Only shut gas off if you smell it or are told to — restoring it requires the utility.
Water heater. Both the cold inlet valve and the fuel or power supply.
Walk every adult in the house through all three. Once, in daylight.
Backwater valve
If storm surge or heavy rain has ever pushed sewage into your house, a backwater valve is the single highest-value thing on this list. It closes automatically when flow reverses, so a surcharged street main cannot come inside.
Check that an existing one moves freely before the season. Sediment binds the flapper.
Sump pump, tested under load
Do not just listen to the motor run. Fill the pit with a hose and watch it clear.
Then check the three failure points people miss:
- The float is not resting against the basin wall
- The discharge line is not blocked or crushed outside
- There is a battery backup, because storms take the power with them
Sump pump service before the season costs a fraction of a flooded floor during it.
Water heater
Strap it. A tank that shifts breaks its gas line or its water connections, and a full 50 gallon tank is heavy enough to do serious damage if it moves.
Also check that the drip pan drains somewhere useful and that the T&P discharge line is clear.
Store water properly
Fill bathtubs for flushing, and store drinking water separately in food-grade containers. A clean tub is not a drinking water container.
If you know a boil advisory is likely, fill before the storm rather than after.
After the storm
Do not drink or cook with tap water until the parish clears the advisory. Boil advisories after flooding are routine.
Watch for these, all of which mean call:
- Sewage smell or slow drains — the main may be blocked or surcharged
- Discolored water that does not clear after several minutes
- A water heater that was submerged, even briefly. Do not relight it. Gas controls and electrical components that have been underwater get replaced, not dried out.
- Loss of pressure, which can mean a broken service line
We stay open
We staff through storm season and dispatch as soon as roads allow. Call (833) 435-9778, and for emergency response we prioritise no-water and sewage-in-the-house calls first.