Waking up to a house soaking in water is not what any homeowner would wish for. Despite being an avertable problem, most people still struggle with this menace.
If the water continuously gets into your house, be sure of two things. First, there will be severe damages to your house, and second, you won’t escape the costly repair.
How to Get Rain Water Away From House
Rainwater can make a real nuisance of itself, especially if you don’t realize it sooner. That is why it is important to take immediate action when things start to seem out of the norm.
Below are some great pointers for you on how to get rainwater away from the house.
1. Clean the gutters
Clogged gutters are definitely not what you want for your house. The blockage causes rainwater to spill and then cascade down the outside wall.
If your finishing wasn’t perfectly done, the water could get absorbed into the walls, causing the paint to peel off and weaken the foundation. If you realize that the gutters appear as though they are sagging, it could be that accumulated leaves and dirt are weighing them down.
If they are rusty and broken, you need to repair them as soon as possible with better-quality gutters.
2. Foundation Grading
The foundation of your house is what is keeping everything together. Rainwater tends to destroy the foundation, making the house weak.
It is paramount to keep the water away by raising the slope around your house. Simply dig some soil from close by and have it around the sides of your house to create the slope.
If the plan is still underway, advise the architects to consider the slope for a more permanent solution.
3. Roof Repair and Maintenance
A house is not a house without proper roofing infrastructure. However, you could be having the best roof in town, but without routine repair and maintenance, it eventually loses its purpose.
Roof leakages can cause rainwater to soak up the ceiling and penetrate into electric cables, which may cause an electric short circuit.
Worse still, you could be sleeping, and drops from the leaking roof fall right onto your bed. Who wants to sleep on a wet bed? But routine repair and maintenance could better save you from this disaster and give your roof a longer life.
4. Diverting Water from the Downspouts
If you are wondering whether installing the gutters and downspouts completely solves the water problem, well, you have another one coming your way.
When water flows down the gutter, it spouts close to the foundation of the house. The foundation absorbs the water into the walls causing damage.
You must divert water away from the foundation by installing downspout extensions.
Check out this downspout extension:
5. Installing French Drains
Having French drains installed along the driveway or in front of the house can help keep water away.
Homes located on slopes can benefit from this method since water will no longer flow to the house but into the drains. French drains use perforated pipes covered with porous rocks such as gravel and crushed stones to help filtration and keep the pipes in place.
6. Clean the Compound off Debris
If you have a tree near your yard, you may want to sweep around your compound every day. The falling leaves get into the exterior drains clogging them during rainy seasons.
When drains clog, water doesn’t flow as required, eventually getting into your patio or porch or even the foundation.
Routing Water Away From House
Routing water away from your house basically involves getting water to flow away from your house. This could be rainwater from the roof, runoff water from nearby buildings, or even water from the ground.
It is not an unusual phenomenon for water to try to get its way into the house. In most cases, it does, and the effects are often detrimental. Take a look at how a homeowner can reroute water away from home.
1. Creating Barriers
You’ve seen movies and documentaries showcasing how water sweeps everything along its path while trailing a slope. It is not fiction. In fact, on a much lower scale, that’s exactly how it happens. To prevent such from unfolding, it would be best to create barriers.
In most cases, the soil around your house gets water to your foundation, eroding and weakening the infrastructure. Therefore, building a slope 3 feet away from the house using non-porous soil or stones can help. Also, ensure that for every foot of the slope that you extend, make it an inch higher.
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2. Dry Wells
If you have experienced flooding, you know how it can be frustrating to deal with pools of water in your front and back yard. Often this happens even without flooding.
Rainwater accumulates around your home and sometimes finds its way into your house. Dry wells make it possible for the ground to sup excess water from the ground surface.
They are cylindrical wells usually filled with sand and gravel or sometimes crushed stone. The stones and gravels make it possible for the water to be absorbed back into the ground.
3. Constructing Swales
You can construct a small swale yourself. However, you might need a pro on board to help with earth moving. Swales are shallow ditches filled with fast-draining soil and rocks.
It would be best to get a landscaping contractor to design a swale for you. The contractor may include plants that draw up the water along the slopes of the swale.
They are good because they naturally filter the water as it gets absorbed into the ground.
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4. Trench Drains
Trench drains remain one of the most plausible methods any homeowner would use to reroute water away from the house. If you live in a heavily paved neighborhood, it means that most of the water doesn’t get back to the ground.
Constructing trench drains around your house is the most viable solution for this problem. Usually, they are channels designed with concrete and grates, but mostly filters to prevent the drains from blockage or clogging.
Landscaping to Keep Water Away From the House
Most people love landscaping because it keeps their outdoor beautiful. In most cases, it is a competition whose yard looks more welcoming than the other.
But to others, landscaping is just a way of keeping water away from the house. Proper landscaping involves ensuring the outdoor slope does not let water into the house.
A house with poor grading means that water can easily get to the foundation weakening the house and putting all the inhabitants at risk.
But proper landscaping goes beyond having everything at ground level.
Good landscaping should ensure that the drainage system is up to the best standards. A landscaper can encompass a swale, a depression that captures stormwater and filters it into the ground to improve the drainage system.
Additionally, you can have French drains around your house to catch water flowing down the slope.
How to Prevent Rain Water from Entering Your House
Your house is at risk of severe damages if you allow rainwater to enter. The costs of repair are way too high, so it is important to prevent this from happening.
More so, you put your family at the risk of walls collapsing or getting infections from the mold. Here are some of the ways to prevent water from getting into your house.
1. Install Window and Door seals
Your windows and doors are often the sources of water leakages. In most cases, the wind blows water to your house exterior, and with poorly maintained windows and doors, water penetrates the inside of the house.
Worn-out seals should be replaced with weatherproof seals to keep the water out.
Check out these weatherproof seals:
2. Redirecting Runoff water
Runoff water can prove to be a headache once it gets its way into your house. The most affected are houses that sit down a slope.
The best way to redirect runoff water away from your home is by installing French drains. Better still, you can have a professional help you in designing trench drains around your house.
3. Routine Repair and Maintenance for Exterior Finish
If you have been dealing with mold or peeling paints around your house, but no worthy solution comes your way, it could be that water is leaking into your home.
Often check for damages such as wood rot or warping. Extensive damage could weaken the entire house, therefore always conduct routine inspections to catch the problem early enough.
4. Roof and Gutter Maintenance
A good roof and a proper gutter system work best in preventing rainwater from entering the house. Always check to ensure there is no clogging in the gutter system.
Have a professional inspect your roof for holes and breakages that may leak rainwater into the house.
FAQs How to Get Rain Water Away From House
How do you get rid of excess water?
Proper landscaping can help you get rid of excess water. For instance, you can have a swale which is a depression into the ground that accumulates rainwater and then absorbs it into the ground.
Also, you can have a drainage system that leads the water to the lawn.
Does sand absorb water?
Because of the characteristically large particles of sand, it absorbs very little water, unlike other soil types such as clay and loam.
Increasing the amount of sand in a particular area also reduces the amount of water that can be retained.
How long does it take for the yard to dry?
After a heavy cloudburst, it can take the yard about 2-3 days for it to dry. However, it also depends on the type of soil present in your yard.
If it encompasses more sand soil than loam soul, then it may take fewer days to dry. Sand has very low water retention capabilities.
Your house must be given the attention it deserves mainly because that’s where your family and loved ones reside. Taking care of the house involves keeping the rainwater away.
To do this, you need to ensure that the landscaping is done properly, the gutters are clean, and the downspouts direct water away from the foundation.
Have a proper drainage system around your house, such as installing French drains and constructing trench drains to redirect stormwater.
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