While Raleigh tends to receive less rain than other places in North Carolina, homeowners still have to deal with yard flooding. Even small pools of standing water can have profound effects upon your property. Let’s examine why this is can lead to a serious yard drainage issue. Also, what can be done to reduce or eliminate a potential yard drainage issue because of standing water in your yard.
Why is Standing Water a Yard Drainage Issue?
Many people fail to realize that the ground acts like a sponge when it rains. The majority of precipitation should be absorbed within the soil, which is then used to supply water to vegetation and refill underground deposits of water.
When the ground becomes saturated, water stops being absorbed by the ground. This is what causes large puddles and other formations of standing water to form in your yard when it rains.
The problem with standing water is that it can cause numerous issues.
It can:
- Provide a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other unfriendly creatures.
- Make a mess, especially if you have children or a desire to work in your yard.
- Produce a stagnant smell if the water remains too long.
- Encourage flooding inside of your home.
- Cause sewage systems to flood.
- Cause foundation changes in both pier-and-beam and slab foundations.
- Drown healthy vegetation like grass.
- Encourage the growth of hazardous mosses and mold.
These problems can cause anything from minor annoyances to serious structural damage and health concerns.
What Can You Do to Fix Drainage Issues?
The solution to a yard drainage issue is to add a system for draining your yard. There are as many ways to solve drainage issues as there are ways for a yard to drain, which in turn means that a unique approach is required to effectively keep your yard drained.
A small yard with moderate drainage issues may require the installation of a french or trench drain. These can reroute where the water sits and distribute it beneath the ground, which in turn allows for the water to be safely distributed by nature.
Larger drainage issues may require the use of more active solutions like sump pumps. These are particularly useful for larger yards that may flood after rain storms. They can eliminate the need for water to sit for days or weeks before it evaporates, which in turn helps reduce the negative things that flooding can cause.
Another solution for drainage issues is to ensure that water drains properly onto the yard. Gutters and downspouts should be designed to distribute the water that drains from your roof in an effective way.
While just one of these solutions can help with yard drainage issues, the ideal solution requires a combination of two or more of these solutions. Having your gutters drain into a french drain, for example, can ensure that water moves away from your home’s foundation.
Can Dealing with Drainage Issues Add Waterproofing to Your Home?
Dealing with yard drainage issues is one of the most important parts of reducing the amount of water that enters your home or affects your foundation. Your soil can help shield your home from water by taking advantage of that sponge-like effect.
While dealing with a single water problem, a yard drainage issue, it may not completely waterproof your home, it can help substantially. Combine this with other techniques like crack injections and foundation repair, and the problem of invasive water tends to disappear.
Don’t Let Water Ruin Your Home
While water is a necessary part of life, it’s not something that you want standing in your yard. It can cause a plethora of issues with your home’s structure and your health.
If you’re searching for a cost-effective way to deal with yard drainage or water invasion issues, then contact us today. Raleigh Waterproofing, Inc. utilizes cutting-edge technology and techniques to ensure that water stays exactly where it belongs, – which is outside of your home.