Drainage Problems and Solutions To Fix Them
Having a drainage problem is a difficult thing to go through. If the problem is in the lawn or garden, it can lead to poor grass quality, declining health of landscape plants, and even as a breeding area for mosquitoes. Worse yet, if the drainage problem is related to the home foundation, it can create moisture and mold in the house and cause thousands of dollars of damage to property.
Solving drainage problems usually comes down to a few simple rules. Water always runs downhill and water will always find the easiest way to get to where it is going. The key to solving drainage problems usually comes in facilitating those two rule.
There is no one magical way to solve most drainage problems. The solution usually involves a combination of the following methods.
Grading For Results
Making sure water can move away from a house or out of a low area is a good starting point. Remember the rules above; water always travels downhill. Creating slope away from a home makes sure that water moves away from it. Adding quality soil against the foundation can solve this. It may be necessary to temporarily lift and set aside existing plants, or, an opportunity to re-landscape the foundation. Making sure patios and other hardscape surface also slope away from the house is also important.
Downspout Pipes
There is a lot of water that is shed off a roof in a rainstorm. It is funneled into the gutters and then down the downspouts. Connecting underground pipes to the downspouts and daylighting them far from the foundation prevents a lot of water from ever coming in contact with the foundation. A little caution; water flow out of the pipe can cause erosion or even accidently flood your neighbor’s property. Use good judgement when deciding where the pipe will exit and consider using a pop-up emitter to help dissipate the outflow.
French Drains and Flow Wells
Sometimes there is just nowhere for the water to go. Low areas and depressions present a unique challenge to solving a drainage problem. The solution is to remove the water from the surface and help the water soak into the ground. French Drains and Flow-Wells are essentially gravel trenches or pits constructed just under the surface to act as holding areas for excess water. The water soaks through the ground surface into these areas until it can permeate further into the ground.
Create A Dry Stream
Sometimes you just have to go with the flow and the best solution is to just help what is happening naturally. Water always finds its path down a hill and along the way it can cause erosion and rutting. One of the best ways, and possibly most attractive, is to create a dry stream. A dry stream is created by using gravels, rocks and boulders to line the path that water follows. Occasionally some excavation is necessary to make this path more efficient. A dry stream is also an opportunity to introduce interesting plants into the landscape.
Allentuck Landscaping Co. is Your Residential Landscape Company
Phone: 301-515-1900 Email: info@allentucklandscaping.com
At Allentuck Landscaping Company, our mission is to create beautiful environments for people to enjoy. We see landscaping as a way to improve people’s lives.
The Allentuck Landscaping Company team has been a leading landscape company in Montgomery County, Maryland for over 28 years with our turnkey approach to landscape design, installation, construction and maintenance. Most companies try to serve many types of customers at the same time; homeowners, shopping centers, office buildings and the list goes on. At Allentuck Landscaping Co., we focus on one customer, you, the homeowner. We have a singular focus on bringing you the best landscape practices, the best customer service, and the best value for your home.
Services Provide – Master Landscape Plans, Complete Maintenance Programs, Plantings, Patios, Walkways, Retaining Walls, Water Features, Outdoor Lighting, Outdoor Kitchens, Trellises & Pergolas, Irrigation Systems, Drainage Solutions, Grading & Sodding. Fire Pits & Fire Places, Spring Clean Ups, Decks, Fences, Mosquito & Tick Control, Deer Control.
Areas Served – Chevy Chase, Bethesda, Potomac, Rockville, North Potomac, Darnestown, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Damascus, Boyds, Clarksburg, Ijamsville, Urbana, Frederick in Maryland and Washington DC.