Whoever has experienced drainage problems like a flooded basement and damage to the foundation and interior of their home, must surely understand the importance of proper drainage. Water must be properly directed away from the foundation of your home.
As more building is going on in your area, there is a reduction in the number of porous lands. The implication of this can be linked to drainage problems for even the most developed properties, as traditional water flow patterns are interrupted. A good number of homeowners have started experiencing this and are now wondering which one is better between trench drain vs french drain.
That said, grading around your home to prevent the build-up of water around the foundation is one step in forming proper drainage. But there are some effective tactics that can help to divert water to other areas of your landscape. In this article are, therefore, ways you can drain excess water and keep your yard, irrespective of the quantity of rain.
4 Ways to Solve Landscape Drainage Problems
Swales
A swale is an old-fashioned drainage system designed to catch rainwater and hold it, giving room for the water to drain into the soil slowly. Swales were utilized for thousands of years, but have been cast aside in modern times in favor of concrete-lined sewers for the disposition of rainwater.
In custom landscaping, you can make a swale by carving out a linear depression in the ground, approximately one to two feet deep. Then bank the sides so the swale can look like a half-pipe, the type used by snowboarders and other extreme sports.
Drainage swales are pitched areas lined with grass or stone designed to guide water away from your property or to an area well away from the foundation. Water is not meant to stand for more than 24 hours, except in extreme rain. Drainage swales prevent standing water, which can result in mosquitoes and other issues.
With grass swales, turf should be healthy because the root system keeps the integrity of the swale. Whether you have a stone or grass swale, ensure you keep them free of debris in order not to impede the flow of water.
Additionally, you can plant trees and bushes along the borders of the swale, as they tend to absorb some of the water. The width of the swale should also be overhung with the branches of the trees planted along its sides, which helps to stop the evaporation of the water.
Rain Garden
A rain garden is another way to enhance landscaping drainage and prevent rainfall from running into the sewer system. A rain garden that is located in the problem areas of your property can be the solution when a creek or underground spring is the problem.
First, the area will require excavation and substituted with gravel or engineered soil mix to allow the slow absorption of water. You can build the garden with the center below ground level and slope the rest of the garden upwards toward the border of the bed.
After that, you can consider planting the most water-tolerant plants in the center, such as hostas, ferns, and colorful perennials, including those that prefer slightly darker conditions in the area just outside the center and plants that can withstand drought near the borders.
Your rainwater garden should be situated at least 10 feet from your house and a minimum of 50 feet from slopes more than 15 degrees or your septic system.
Moreover, you can dig a 2-foot-deep hole and fill it with a foot of water. After that, time the duration required to drain, then divide the number of inches of water you began with by the number of hours it took to drain. This will evaluate the number of inches per hour it will take your rain garden to drain.
Anything above .5 inches per hour is good, but significantly lower than that means it is not a good site for a rain garden.
Furthermore, from your downspout and gutter system underground, run a drainage pipe to the rain garden. Afterward, you can plant.
Divert Rain Spouts
This is the most basic and essential tactic to safeguard your property from water damage. Rain spouts originate in the rain gutters and transport rainwater from the gutters, down the spouts, and onto the ground next to the house. Bad yard drainage can result in water backing up into the basement or flooding the walkways beside the house.
You can divert the rain spouts’ terminus into an underground storm drain pipe, which will also divert the rainwater away from the house and enhance landscape drainage. It can be linked to emptying into a rain garden, drainage pit, or a swale, particularly designed to avoid flooding the land or your basement.
Draining Driveways
This can be described as a fancy, decorative version of a trench drain, that is, an underground pipe placed in an area where rainwater collects, being installed in your driveway to catch excess rainwater.
It is usually installed across the whole width of the driveway right next to the garage, and it can be fitted with a decorative metal grate appropriate for aesthetic purposes. The grate is essential to keep leaves and debris out of the drain.
If your driveway happens to be below the surrounding grade or is seriously flooded with almost every rainfall, the installation of many surface drains along its length will be able to eliminate the excess water and drastically improve the capacity of your landscaping’s drainage.
Moreover, a permeable driveway can handle rainwater runoff. Permeable pavements are designed to give room for the passage of water right through to the soil below. Other options include individual pavers, which are permeable, gravel or grass pavers.
Get a Professional
Certainly, one of the easiest ways to fix your landscape drainage problems is to employ a landscape drainage expert. A trained and experienced landscape expert knows the exact corrective drainage measures that will work best for your particular water flow pattern. They will also be able to assess the entire scope of your drainage issues and develop an overall design.
