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Professional Drainage Pointers That Will Save You Money In The Future

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You often check your indoor drains, making sure that they are clear, clean, and working properly. So let me ask you, why would you not give the same amount of thought to your outdoor drainage? 

It can be easy to forget that your property doesn’t take care of rainwater on its own. With some planning beforehand, you can avoid thousands of dollars worth of water damage to your foundation, siding, and landscaping. 

By planning ahead and identifying drainage issues early, you’ll have fewer issues with water in and around your home. 

Signs of Poor Drainage

If you take some time to go and inspect your property, it can be relatively easy to determine whether or not you have areas of poor drainage. 

Low spots in your lawns and gardens can collect water from rain and sprinklers. These areas will fill up, causing your grass and plants growing to drown. If your drainage problem is really bad you can see standing water. 

Other signs to look for include a chronically wet home exterior and water staining. 

Poor Drainage Problems

One of the most common drainage problems is downspout runoff. Having all the water from your roof filter into one focused spot next to your house is going to cause sitting water. 

Sitting water, also known as stagnant water, means motionless water, not flowing in a stream or current. This can seep into your home’s foundation and cause major damage. The worst-case scenario of sitting water is that your foundation cracks. 

This can cause uneven home settling, where over time the home sinks into the ground due to shifts in the soil beneath it, mold, and mildew. To fix a cracked foundation can cost you tens of thousands of dollars depending on how extensive the damage is.

The Ideal Drainage System

A rule that drainage experts advise every homeowner should attempt to stick by is a 3-meter rule: with any drainage system, redirect water, if possible, 3 meters away from your house. 

Often any less than this is not enough, especially if there is a big rainstorm. However, the minimum distance is around 1.5 meters. 

It is also recommended that drainage pipes are angled downward and away from the house.

The best-choice drainage systems are passive or gravity-driven. This is because both of these systems rely on gravity to drain the water away. Compared to a pump drain system where eventually, your pump is going to fail, and it is almost guaranteed that it will fail during a storm, not when it’s bright and sunny out. 

A simple task you can do to help a system work effectively is to fill in the lower spots around the property. That way, the majority of the runoff will be taken care of by the drainage system instead of collecting in pools around your property. 

An ideal thing about drainage solutions is that as a homeowner, you can do a lot of the work on your own – you just need to be willing to do a little bit of digging. If you decide to install a large-scale system in your yard, then it is recommended that you hire a drainlayer. It will be better in the long run.

However, for anything that requires a concrete saw you should ideally leave for a contractor. Whether that be getting under a walkway or into the foundation, it is best to leave the heavy-duty structural jobs to the professionals. 

Making sure that your property is outfitted for efficient water drainage should not be dismissed by homeowners. You will save money, improve your property’s chances against storms, and help prevent irreparable or costly damage to the structure of your home. 

Taking some time to identify and solve the issues will make sure you don’t have emergencies in the future.