How To Solve Water Drainage Problems
There are a few telltale signs that something is not quite right with your water drainage. It’s important to address this problem as soon as you spot it to save yourself the headache and more serious consequences later. The best way to prevent these problems in the first place is to hire professional site prep experts before construction begins. We know that doesn’t always happen, and can still assist you with fixing drainage issues.
Water drainage issues can lead to the destruction of cherished plants and flower beds, a swamp-like yard of bugs and unhappiness, and further potential structural damage.
So, if you spot water collecting in basement areas, ice build-up around foundations, large areas that puddles are persistent, dead grass, or erosion, your drainage most likely needs some attention.
Common Water Drainage Problems and Solutions
Overflowing Gutters
A harmless game of tennis can end up with a ball being squarely lodged into the gutter. Although the extent of this misfortune may appear to just be the loss of a good tennis ball, it can lead to worse outcomes for your water drainage. More likely, the problem is with leaves and other debris clogging up your gutters.
Clogged gutters can cause standing water, which attracts bugs and is a breeding ground for bacteria. They can also lead to water push-back in the direction of your front door if you are not careful!
One way to identify if this is the issue you are experiencing is to stand outside the next time it rains and assess how your gutters are managing. Water gushing over the sides or forming pools close to the spout is a telltale sign of a clogged gutter.
To avoid such outcomes, try to clean and clear out your gutters regularly to avoid the build-up of leaf debris.
Problems with Grading
Grading issues are another common cause of poor drainage and occur when slopes are too steep. Pooling water can result in poor drainage due to the gradient level.
This type of problem is tough to navigate. To know how serious the grading issue is, we would advise contacting a grading professional to take a look at the problem.
Neighbor Run-off
Grading is an important part of landscaping decisions. One of the less obvious causes of water drainage issues occurs through soil erosion from higher elevations. Sometimes, however, it might be out of your control. For instance, you might have a neighbor up the hill.
Although not easily preventable, it is manageable. The next time there is a day of heavy rain, observe how the water flows into your property. This will inform your next step on where to build a swale or something to redirect the water flow to a catch basin or dry well.
Rethink Home Improvements
While your recently finished landscaping might be a source of pride, it could also be a part of the reason you have water drainage problems. A simple pathway sloping towards the front door or bare soil vegetation could be the source of some water troubles.
To solve this problem, we suggest you ensure the grade of plant beds leads in any direction but your home!
Growing Roots
Tree roots are stronger than our pipe systems and might be the reason for your water drainage issues. This occurs when roots infiltrate pipes due to the draw of their damp, watery insides. This can lead to blocked pipes where the roots take over and you may need a root cutting service to clean these out.
To avoid this problem in the future, cover the pipes in filter fabric to avoid any nearby roots poking through. In addition, you might want to get crafty and use some glue on the pipe joints to prevent any roots from entering the pipe.
Soil Drainage
Three of the possible soil types you can spot range between silt, clay, and sand. A mix of muddy areas in your garden one day combined with dry spells on other days is a clue that your soil is the issue. Similarly, if moss begins to grow or grass quality deteriorates, you might have an overly saturated garden of soil.
Soil improvement can occur through the use of coarse aggregates like sand, organic matter, or pea gravel. For anyone with a natural affinity for gardening, wet plants are also a way to remove water buildup in the yard because they thrive in moisture. Examples of such plants include Lily of the Valley, Iris, Sweet Woodruff, among others.
To avoid flooding, re-grading your property is another way out of this. Swales are also handy low spots that can redirect water. You could opt for either rocky or grassy swales so that they blend in with your property rather than the glaring white pipes.
Final Thoughts
We know that water drainage is an intimidating and costly problem. Luckily, CF Excavating has a team of readily-available, highly-trained experts to answer any of your questions should you run into water drainage problems while setting up your building site.
