FAQ
How Can I Tell If I Have Lawn Drainage Issues?
If you notice a pool of water (big or small) in the spring or anytime after a moderate to heavy rainfall or perhaps you have an excessive soggy lawn that prevents you and your family from using the yard, chances are you need to install lawn drainage. Give Lawn Drainage London a call.
–
Why Do I Have Standing Water on my Property
Puddles of water or a soggy yard is likely due to a high percentage of clay in your soil and/or low-lying areas on your property. During moderate to heavy rain, low-lying areas (or valleys) collect water. If your soil has a high percentage of clay in it, it can also suffer from poor drainage resulting in lingering surface water.
–
What Damage Can Standing Water Do To My Yard
Standing water can be a major deterrent from the enjoyment of your yard. When there is excessive water it can not only impede your family from playing in the yard and entertaining, but it can also kill the grass, causing the roots of the turf to rot if it sits too long. This also applies to trees and shrubs that are vulnerable to root rot.
–
Can Standing Water Cause Erosion
If water moves too quickly through any parts of your lawn, you may be dealing with erosion. If it’s significant enough, erosion can affect plant and turf growth.
Standing water here and there may not seem like a big problem at first. But water that goes where it shouldn’t is always something to investigate, especially around your house. Take note of when and where you notice puddling water. This information will help Lawn Drainage London determine potential solutions.
–
What Damage Can Standing Water Do To My Home
Standing water can cause a wide variety of problems, the most damaging and costly being the damage it can cause to your home’s foundation.
Rain water collecting and pooling around the foundation of a home can compromise the concrete as it is porous. Over time, the water can seep into the concrete foundation breaking down the concrete and causing the foundation to crack, which will in turn cause foundations to shift and your home to become unsettled. Cracks in the ceiling or wall in the inside of the home can be a symptom of a foundation affected by standing water.
In the winter, if water seeps into the concrete, freezes and then expands it can push the concrete outward causing the foundation to swell resulting in seams in the walls and ceiling.
Aside from the effect standing water can have on concrete or cement foundations, this standing water around the exterior of the home can also soften the soil beneath the foundation and cause the entire home to sink. Of course, this sinking issue is a gradual one, but over time can cause a great number of problems. Pipes can break from the pressure of a changing landscape, and the value of the home can decrease exponentially if any sort of water damage is noticed on the foundation.
The dangers of water standing or pooling up around the foundation of a home may not be easy to spot, and they may be gradual issues. But over time, standing water can greatly damage and devalue a home.
–
Can Standing Water Cause Health Concerns?
Standing water is an appealing breeding ground and watering hole for many unwelcome species and organisms that can cause illness in humans and animals, including:
- Mosquitoes: Standing water attracts mosquitoes as they lay their eggs in water to hatch. If the standing water in your yard remains for two days or more, you’re providing a nice breeding ground for mosquitoes and other insects that could become a nuisance.
- Rodents: Rats and possums can spread disease through waste or biting and scratching as they use the water for nesting or watering holes.
- Pathogens: Bacteria (such as E. coli), viruses, and parasites in the water can sicken humans and animals.
- Mold: A mold infestation in the water can cause respiratory issues in humans and animals.
- Algae: Some types of algae blooms in standing water can produce toxins that sicken people and animals.
–
How Can Lawn Drainage London Help?
By addressing the issue early, before major damage is caused. Lawn Drainage London, your yard drainage contractors, will assess your yard and provide you with a solution to your concerns. The key to preventing water damage is to address it early, before it becomes an even more costly expense.
–
What is a French Drain?
A French Drain consists of a trench dug in the ground and filled with perforated pipe and covered with several layers of gravel. It can be finished aesthetically in a few different ways (sod or river rock for example).
French drain systems work because gravity causes the water to flow through the path of least resistance – down.
The French Drain (or drainage tile) drives ground water away from your yard and foundation, managing water at the ground level.
By drawing water in from the saturated ground, the French Drain system reduces standing water in the yard, making your yard enjoyable and protecting your foundation from water damage.