Drainage issues can cause damage to your home, its foundation, and the overall property they sit on. The problems associated with drainage issues can also often cost quite a lot to deal with if left unchecked. Still, drainage issues aren’t always apparent to some homeowners. Read on to learn about a few of the tell-tale signs that you may have a drainage issue in your home.
Cracks Appear in Your Home’s Foundation
Foundation cracks can develop specifically because of drainage issues. Smaller cracks can occur during the building process and they can also develop naturally over time from your home aging and settling. These smaller cracks rarely represent a cause for concern.
If you notice large or growing cracks, you should assume you have a serious issue. Call a professional to diagnose the situation sooner than later.
Water Flows over the Edge of Your Gutters
When runoff falls into your gutters, it’s supposed to continue to your downspouts. If you see water falling over the edge of the gutters instead, then your gutters aren’t doing what they’re supposed to do.
Even without the rain, you can tell you have overflowing gutters by the vertical streaks of dirt or mud on the side of the gutters or going down your siding.
This type of drainage issue typically indicates you have far too much debris clogging your gutters. You may also have improperly sized or pitched gutters that need adjusting, realigning, or replacement.
Runoff from Downspouts Pool around Your Home
Runoff that exits your downspouts should carry water away from your home. If the downspouts leave the water too close to your home, it can puddle around your foundation.
Water sitting around your home in this way can cause an incredible number of issues, ranging from annoying to very serious. For example, the water can seep into or flood your basement. If the water seeps down into the ground around your foundation, it will build up pressure that can cause foundation cracks.
Even if the water does nothing else, it can sit and grow stagnant over some time. That standing water can become a breeding ground for all types of pests, especially mosquitoes. Beyond all these potential problems, you might also have to deal with mold and bacteria.
One way to easily deal with downspouts that leave water too close to your home is by adding downspout extensions. The extensions can carry water further out or otherwise redirect the flow so that the runoff travels away from the home, rather than toward it.
Water Stains Appear in the Basement
Water stains or other types of water damage in the basement can come from several sources. However, they often occur because of a drainage issue. You can sometimes tell the source of the water damage depending on its location in your basement.
Staining higher up can come from the runoff cascading over the edge of your gutters or the runoff left to pool from your downspouts. Water stains lower to the floor can indicate groundwater issues or a faulty sump pump.
Other signs of water damage in the basement include peeling paint, flaking concrete, mildew, and mold. Proper basement waterproofing can often help protect your basement from improper exterior drainage.
Water Moves toward Your House, Not Away
If you notice water moving toward your home instead of away, you will need to figure out why and rectify the situation. Take a look at your landscaping. You may have a case of bad grading or features that look good but aren’t conducive to good draining.
Soil issues, such as erosion, can also create a situation where water flows toward instead of away from your home. In some cases, you may need to have a new drainage plan implemented to fix the situation.
Sometimes the water can flow toward your home from higher elevations or from a neighbor’s property. You can also have surface water coming onto your property from the road, your driveway, or any other area that sits higher up than your home’s yard.
In such cases, contact a professional drainage service to help figure out a way to divert the flow away from your home. You can also sometimes mitigate this issue with landscaping. However, make sure you utilize an experienced landscaping service that will ensure you don’t develop new grading issues while trying to fix the ones you already have.
Many of these drainage issues come as a package deal. One issue can cause another and they call can feed off each other to create a lot of expensive damage. Many other types of drainage issues exist as well.
If you see signs of drainage problems, know you have drainage problems, or just want to make sure you have a healthy drainage system, contact Straight Line Construction immediately.
