How to Protect Your Home from Common Water Drainage Problems and Avoid Costly Repairs

Installing and maintaining proper drainage systems is key to avoiding costly water damage and keeping your home safe, especially during rain and storm.

The Importance of Proper Water Drainage

Without proper drainage, water can collect in your yard, damaging your home’s foundation, ruining your landscaping, and attracting insects and other pests. Signs that you may have drainage problems include:

• Standing water in your yard
• Soil erosion and run-off
• Water stains in your basement
• Sloping floors
• Warped walls

You will need to identify the problem area quickly in order to make the right repairs and prevent future damage. You can also schedule a professional home inspection to learn more about your home and get maintenance and repair tips.

Five Common Drainage Problems and How to Prevent Them

Here are several strategies for identifying and remedying issues before they lead to huge repair bills.

Incorrect Grading Around Your Home

The level or sloping of the land around a home is known as grading. Improper grading can cause surface depressions that trap water, or worse, lead it to flow towards the home. This can damage the lawn and attract mold, mosquitoes, termites, and other pests.

Re-sloping portions of your yard can help redirect the flow of water away from your home. If re-grading doesn’t improve the issue on its own, installing a French drain or dry well can help disperse the water over a larger area.

Downspout Issues

Downspouts should be installed so that they direct water to flow away from your home. If you see water puddling directly beneath a downspout after a rainstorm, it is either too short or was installed improperly. Over time this pooling water can seep into your home’s foundation, leading to foundation cracks or basement flooding.

If your downspouts are draining too close to your foundation, extensions can be installed to help prevent pooling water, soil erosion, and tripping hazards.

Improper Landscaping

The setup of your garden, placement of patios and walkways, and other DIY home improvement projects can inadvertently cause water drainage issues. When planting a garden, make sure to slope the topsoil and mulch away from your home. Lining your garden beds with rocks or gravel can also help divert water towards a drain or another area of the yard.

If you are adding a new patio, or anything else with a large, solid surface, consult landscaping experts for proper instillation. Add catch basins or drains to control water drainage and help avoid issues from pooling water or surrounding soil erosion.

Blocked Gutters

Cleaning your gutters regularly is an important part of maintaining proper water drainage around your home. Clogged gutters can overflow, causing water to spill over into your yard and pool near your home’s foundation.

In addition to regular cleaning, installing mesh gutter covers can help prevent leaves, sticks, and other debris from piling up and blocking the flow of water away from your home.

Broken or Obstructed Sewer Pipes

When water is improperly routed from your gutters, the soil erosion can affect your foundation’s stability. Minor sinking or dislocation of a concrete slab can lead to broken water pipes, contaminated drinking water, and plumbing safety hazards. Roots can also invade and obstruct pipes, causing additional drainage issues.

A sewer scope inspection can identify damage to your pipes, blockages, and other problems. It also can expose potential problem areas before they develop into serious issues.

Having a professional inspector check your home for issues can help identify drainage problems. In fact, drainage issues are one of the most common problems found during home inspections. For more information, contact a WIN Home Inspection expert today.