When water starts acting badly around the house, signs of a drainage problem may be conspicuous or subtle. The damage that results, however, can be expensive to remedy. Water flows almost anywhere it’s allowed to flow, so taking proactive preventive steps at the first sign of a drainage problem is always preferable to repairing the consequences after it occurs.
Here are a few signs that drainage is becoming an issue around or inside your home:
Overflowing Gutters
Water shed by a residential roof during a heavy winter rainstorm can be as much as 700 gallons. A gutter clogged by leaves can cause overflowing water to cascade down the exterior wall. Exterior siding isn’t designed to resist continuous inundation. Water soon infiltrates the siding and even leaks into wall voids inside the house. An overflowing gutter also pounds the ground directly below, driving water deep into the soil where it may undermine the foundation or seep into the basement.
Short Downspouts
Gutter discharge through a too-short downspout is absorbed by the soil next to the house and may cause foundation or structural issues. Newly constructed homes often come with downspouts that dump water directly on the ground below. For optimum protection against drainage problems, the ground span of the downspout should be extended to discharge water at least three to five feet from the exterior wall.
Poor Grading
Rainfall that tends to pool close to the perimeter of the house can also penetrate the foundation and/or infiltrate the basement. The landscape immediately next to the house should be graded so water flows away from the foundation and into the yard, instead of forming pools next to the exterior wall.
Perpetually Soggy Areas
Parts of the lawn that simply never dry out are usually low spots. Building up the area with additional soil, and/or installing an underground “french drain” to carry water to the edge of the property, ensures consistent drainage and speeds drying.
If a drainage problems is becoming hard to ignore, take action now. Contact the pros at Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Company about better options.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Yuma, Arizona about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about drainage problems and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 928-723-3183.
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