Serving Oldsmar
Wind-Driven Rain Intrusion Oldsmar, FL
Wind pushes rain sideways through window frames, stucco and the base of the wall. The roof can hold and the house still take water. The walls on the side the wind came from are traced first, at windows, sliders, the base of the wall and the soffits. Block that took on water is dried from inside the closed building rather than left to the outdoor air.
Say where the water came from when you call
Often needed alongside
- Humidity & Moisture Drying
When the outdoor air is wetter than the building, opening windows adds water. Drying means a closed building and conditioned air.
- Storm Surge & Tidal Flooding
Surge and tidal water rise from the ground up and carry salt and silt with them. Anything porous they soaked is treated as contaminated.
Frequently asked questions
How well does the ground under an Oldsmar slab drain?
Slowly, in most of the city. Oldsmar's conservation data lists four soil associations, one named for the city itself, and describes nearly level sands that are mostly poorly or very poorly drained, some with a layer weakly cemented by organic matter within 40 inches of the surface. Summer rain held above that layer stays against a slab's edge, so the base of an outside wall is the first place to check.
Where does runoff go from the streets beside Mobbly Bayou?
Into the bayou, an area of channels and tidal saltwater marshes north of Mobbly Bay. The sub-basins on its northeast side generally have no stormwater ponds, so runoff travels through shallow ditches and through culverts under the roads that the tide reaches.
Are there homes in Oldsmar with septic systems above ground?
Yes. The city's 2023 background report counts 48 homes in the southeastern part of the city, on one-acre estate lots, that use above-ground sand filter septic tanks. Their raised sand beds take the summer's rain along with each household's water, so after a stormy July a slow tub or toilet in one of those homes is worth tracing back to the bed outside.
For the figures behind these answers, see Oldsmar.