Learning how to keep water away from your house’s foundation is important because it allows you to protect your home from erosion in addition to mold and mildew. It makes your house more durable and stable in the long run.
One way to keep water away from your house’s foundation is to install a French drain. This is an irrigation system that directs water collected from the ground near the house, to a safe place where it can be disposed of. This system uses PVC pipes that are perforated or corrugated. The pipes are placed under gravel with soil above it.
Here is how this system is meant to work:
Rainwater is being collected on the surface of the ground near the house.
It drips to the underlayer of gravel and drips into a geotextile fabric that covers the pipes.
All water is then poured onto the pipes thanks to the perforations and is then directed to the drainage holes.
French drains however need to be installed correctly following the right angles for the water to actually get moving into the system. As such, contact your local contractor to do the job, and do not attempt to do it yourself.
French drains are typically used in houses with surrounding gardens and lawns.
Another system that will keep water away from your house’s foundation is the gutters and downspouts one. This system redirects water that would otherwise be dripping from the roof and the facade to pipes and potholes on the ground. These are insulated from the structure of the house and will keep your facade as well as your foundation dry from any water coming from the roof.
Make sure to drain your downspout properly in order for this system to work. You can even choose downspout extensions to relocate water further away from the house. In most cases, downspouts are rerouted to an underground drainage system that collects lam water on a drain pipe on the street.
Last thing you can try to keep your water away from your house’s foundation is to install a swale. This is a pit in the landscape that collects natural water safely. Contact us at RH Renovation NYC for more information on how to protect the foundations of your home and how to improve the stability of your house in the process. Get a cost estimate for free on whatever home improvement project you are considering starting.
