Live conditions across Greater Columbus, read for your plumbing
Heavy rain and flooding are what drive drain, sewer and sump-pump problems here. This page turns the current forecast into what it actually means for your basement, your sewer line and your buried water service — plus what to do about it before it becomes a call.
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Conditions from Open-Meteo, updated on load. Guidance is general — it can't account for concealed conditions in your own system.
What it means for your system
Current impact in Columbus
Reading current conditions…
Seasonal playbooks
What to do, before you need us
Heavy Rain & Flooding
The operator's number-one demand driver. Saturated ground pushes water toward the lowest opening it can find — often a basement floor drain.
Do now
Test the sump pump before the rain arrives: lift the float by hand and confirm it kicks on and discharges
Clear the discharge line outlet so it isn't buried under mulch, leaves, snow or ice
Move stored boxes and valuables off the basement floor and onto shelving or pallets
If water rises around a floor drain, stop running washing machines and dishwashers — you're adding to a line that's already backing up
Never step into standing water in a basement with live outlets or gas appliances nearby
Sump pump repair and replacement, main sewer cleaning, and camera inspection to find why the line backed up rather than just clearing it once.
Central Ohio cold snaps put unheated crawl spaces, garages and exterior walls at risk. Water expands as it freezes, and the split usually shows up on the thaw.
Do now
Disconnect and drain garden hoses; cover outdoor spigots
Open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls so warm air reaches the supply lines
Let a pencil-thin trickle run from the fixture furthest from the meter on the coldest nights
Know where the main shutoff is before you need it — and make sure it actually turns
If a fixture stops producing water in a freeze, treat it as a frozen line and shut off the main before it thaws
Pipe repair, repiping, and water heater service when a freeze exposes a weak run of pipe.
Repeated soaking rain on ground that never fully dries is when root intrusion and older clay or cast-iron lines finally give up.
Do now
Note whether more than one fixture is slow at the same time — that usually points at the main line, not the fixture
Listen for gurgling in a floor drain or toilet when a washing machine drains
Keep an eye on yard low spots that stay soggy long after the rain stops
Photograph any backup before cleanup — it helps with both diagnosis and insurance
Sewer camera inspection to see the actual pipe condition, hydro jetting for roots and buildup, and trenchless or spot repair when the line itself has failed.
Heavy rain saturates the ground and raises the volume reaching your sewer lateral at the same moment every other home on the street is doing the same. If the line is already restricted by roots, scale, a belly or an offset joint, that extra volume is what pushes water back up through the lowest opening in the house — usually a basement floor drain. Clearing the blockage restores flow, but a camera inspection is what tells you whether the pipe itself is the reason it happened.
Test it before you need it. Lift the float by hand and confirm the pump starts, moves water, and shuts off cleanly, then walk outside and check that the discharge is actually flowing and not buried under mulch, snow or ice. A pump that runs but can't discharge is the same as no pump at all. DrainMaster's standard replacement of an accessible one-third-horsepower sump pump starts at $785, which covers removing the accessible lid, disconnecting and replacing the pump and check valve, reconnecting to the existing discharge, and testing operation.
Yes — phones are answered after hours. Call and we'll schedule the earliest available technician. A $125 after-hours emergency dispatch fee applies in addition to the service and repair charges.
Stop adding water to the system — pause laundry, dishwashers and showers, since anything draining upstairs has to go through the same line that is already backing up. Keep people and pets out of standing water if there are live outlets or gas appliances nearby. Photograph the water line before you clean up. Then call, so a technician can clear the line and, where conditions suggest an underlying problem, recommend a camera inspection to understand the cause.
Often, yes. Disconnect garden hoses, open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls so household heat reaches the supply lines, and let a thin trickle run overnight from the fixture furthest from the meter. Locate your main shutoff and confirm it turns before you need it. If a fixture stops producing water during a freeze, shut off the main — most damage happens on the thaw, when the split in the pipe starts flowing again.
Yes. DrainMaster runs its own four-person excavation team and handles conventional sewer and water-line excavation, with directional boring available as an installation method when the site calls for it. We also pull the required plumbing and excavation permits when a job requires permitting.
Current City of Columbus policy prohibits repair of lead and galvanized water service lines — those lines must be fully replaced with compliant material. So a spot repair is not an option on a galvanized service line inside the city. A standard residential water-line replacement starts at $4,500 for a typical three-quarter-inch line under 100 feet installed by conventional excavation under normal conditions.
Water where it shouldn't be?
Phones are answered after hours. Call and we'll get the earliest available technician headed your way.
