April Showers Need Drainage Solutions

As we all know, when it rains, it pours in Louisiana. The extra water can cause erosion, fungus, or just sit and kill areas of grass. Bugs like the extra water as well. If you have problems with too much water, then you need a proper way to drain it from your yard. 

If you have gutters on your roof, the water needs somewhere to go. Most gutters take all of the water from your roof and spill it out on one spot that is usually really wet all the time. The rain from the entire square footage of your roof funneled to a few spots. The correct drainage solution is to use an underground piping system that removes the water from your property. Another environmentally friendly option is to use a store it in a rain barrel which you can use to water your lawn and landscape later during a drought.

Areas on your property that hold water can be a pain. They make it too wet to cut the grass and a mess to walk through. These wet areas cause grass and shrubs to die if the water sits for too long. An excellent solution is to install a French drain. This is done by digging a trench, installing a pipe with holes in it, then backfilling the trench with crushed stone. This provides a solid, even surface and a path for the water to leave. You have probably seen these without even knowing it since they blend in so well with their surroundings. French drains are one of your best choices for drainage.

If you have a hard surface that holds water, installing a drain and pipe is your best choice. When hard surface are put down, they are angles toward the area you want the water to runoff toward. Over time, concrete and tile tend to settle and change the angle they drain. Installing a few drains that pipe the water away from the area underground will get your hardscapes drier, quicker.

The lay of your property should have been graded when your home was built. There should be a smooth and gentle slope from your home toward the area you want the water to move toward when it rains. If the water pools toward your home’s foundation, then you have either a grading or swale issue. Adding a swale can direct the water to one area more quickly. Think of a swale as a very small ditch in your grass. Swales are better used in large fields or in places where you would not mind the ground being uneven. A good grade will move the water where you want, without sacrificing the ground's evenness. Correctly grading your land is hard and is best done with heavy equipment by a professional. If you need have a drainage problem that needs a drainage solution, contact GreenSeasons.