With the smell of spring in the air and the heat of summer on its way, many homeowners are planning their summer lawn care projects. But before you are knee deep in fresh soil and flower petals, make sure that outdoor drainage problems do not turn beautiful flowerbeds into muddy swimming pools. One of the most common outdoor drainage issues is standing water. Not only is standing water unpleasant to look at, but it can kill grass and the vegetation. Furthermore, many insects, mosquitoes in particular, are attracted to standing water.
Other problems that can crop up over time include:
- Water pooling around and damaging the integrity of a home’s foundation
- Water damage to basement floors or walls, either from seepage or increased moisture in the basement
- Driveway and sidewalk damage
- Storm water damage
Common Causes of Poor Drainage
The most common causes of these are a lack of a drainage system, natural conditions, and existing imperfections in cement structures. If your lawn is sloped so that water is directed towards the house, a proper drainage system is essential. Without one, water will pool around the base of your house with every rainfall. Even with no slope, you still need to have a proper drainage system to keep water moving through the soil. If there are cracks or holes in your driveway, sidewalk, or foundation, they allow a foothold for water damage. If you live in a cold climate, the water can freeze and destroy foundations and other concrete structures in a short amount of time.
Many people who are aware of the potentials of outdoor drainage problems choose to fix the issue themselves, digging shallow trenches to redirect water. Unfortunately, this is only a temporary fix, and if not done correctly could actually exacerbate the problem.
Outdoor Drainage Solutions
There are two solutions to outdoor and landscape drainage problems: surface drainage and subsurface drainage. Surface drainage makes use of non-porous surfaces that collect and direct water to a predetermined area a safe distance from your home. The benefits to surface drainage systems are that they are simple and inexpensive to install and require very little upkeep.
What surface drainage systems do not do, however, is solve existing problems within the soil. Only subsurface drainage systems can collect water below the surface and channel it away from the home.
The most popular subsurface drain option has long been the French drain, a perforated pipe that is laid underneath gravel so that the water drains into the pipe and is dispersed. The drawback to this system is that French drains can clog. This was one of the reasons behind the development of the product we at Intech Anchoring recommend: the Hydraway Drainage System.
This is a geotextile system guaranteed to not clog and is installed in the problem areas of your home and yard. Hydraway collects water and channels it away from your foundation 70 percent faster than standard systems, due to the geotextile material.
The Hydraway system protects your foundation and relieves hydrostatic pressure. The installation process is minimally invasive and non-disruptive to your foundation. To find out more about Intech Anchoring and how we can help you install a Hydraway system, call 800-223-7015.
