Do You Have A Drainage Problem?
You may have a drainage problem around your home if the basement is wet, the yard is flooded periodically, water ponds on your lawn for long periods after rain, or trees and other plants grow poorly.There is a difference in the way you handle excess water, depending on whether the problem is with surface water or subsurface water. In some cases, both surface and subsurface drainage
systems will be needed in order to solve the problem.
Signs You Need Better Drainage
Wet Spots
The most obvious sign is areas of the yard that are chronically soggy and spongy to the touch. There will be many reasons why some spots in your yard will retain water more than others. The culprit might be the type of soil, or the lay of the land. In either case, puddles will stay in your yard for days after it rains, and might never really dry completely.
Top Soil That Is On The Move
Water that doesn’t go in to the ground winds up washing over the ground. This pushes your mulch, top soil, silt and bark in piles and gulleys. It may plaster your walkway with a pattern of silt, and it will probably bunch up mulch at the lowest point of your yard. Not only does this interfere with the design of the garden, but it indicates just how far the water goes when it is on the rise.
Erosion
Excess water causes soil to develop fissures and drop away. It might even cause holes to suddenly appear in your yard. (Probably you won’t get what is technically called a sink hole, but the yard can definitely become pitted.) Whatever the extent of erosion, it can imperil foundations, raised garden beds, and any decorative ponds or statuary you might have.
Ponds Developing Under Downspouts and Gutters
This is a particularly bad sign. If water is collecting and staying right under your downspout or gutter, it is leaking under your house and undermining the foundation. It will wear away dirt that is protecting the concrete of your basement and generally expose more wall than is good for the house. The problem here may be clogged gutters or undersized downspouts, but water should be directed away from the house anyway.
Preventative Checking
When you first get a house and consider landscaping, it is a good idea to check for the prerequisites for drainage problems. Look for hard clay soils; they won’t drain well and won’t be much good for growing things. You will also want to look at the topography of your yard. If there are low spots, where the ground dips down, water will collect there. You might need a topographical map, as even seemingly flat yards can have dips in it.
Check for a high water-table, too. It is tempting to think that you are safe from that if you are on a hill, but groundwater can get caught in pockets well above sea-level by pooling on impermeable rock.
If you spot these problems before the rainy season, you have a head start on the solution and won’t have to suffer any consequences. If you didn’t notice the problem until a storm hit and opened your eyes, don’t fret. There is still time to fix the yard before the extra water does any damage to your property. Just contact us, and we will provide you with the drainage solution.
Benefits of having a good drainage system
It prevents water accumulation
This is the most important use of a good drainage system; it allows the free flow of water and in most cases prevents accumulation that can lead to flooding. Drainage systems also prevent the accumulation of stagnant water, which can encourage mosquitoes to breed.
It reduces the occurrence of soil erosion
Accumulated water over time can lead to soil degradation which brings about a muddy ground surface which in turn will result in soil erosion. But with an effective drainage system you don’t have to worry about the washing away of your garden’s top soil and help maintain the balanced moisture too.
It guarantees a healthy living if properly managed
The regular maintenance of the drainage system is very important as it will continuously wave any possible blockage that may be caused by eroded sediments or not properly disposed waste. Contact us today for a free quote.
