Does your home have poor drainage?
If you’ve spotted a few puddles around the yard, there could be trouble brewing. Standing water can kill your lawn, breed mosquitoes, damage your foundation, and even lead to indoor flooding during extreme weather. And, it doesn’t look good, either!
Read on to learn about five warning signs that you have water drainage issues and what to do about it!
- Standing Water
If you’ve noticed that parts of your yard catch and keep water, and you aren’t overwatering there, you’ve definitely got a yard water drainage issue. This could be due to an issue with your irrigation or sprinkler system, or it could just be that one part of your yard is draining improperly.
In either case, you’ll want to get professional help right away, as these pools can serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes carrying potentially lethal infections like West Nile virus and encephalitis.
- Bald Patches
Overwatered grass or turf with too much moisture will eventually thin, allowing the dirt below to show through. If you’ve noticed this type of balding, take a closer look – you could have a less obvious issue with standing water.
- Strange Smells
Is there something foul in the air around your house? Off odors can be caused by backed up storm water drainage – or, worse yet, backed up plumbing.
Pay attention to where you notice the smells. Do you see any standing water or feel moist soil in your yard?
If you have a visible storm water drainage system nearby, visually check it for clogs. Even organic debris like rotting leaves can stink terribly and lead to big issues in a sudden rainstorm.
- Low Areas
In addition to damaging your grass and leaving puddles around the yard, standing water can eventually create low areas. These craters are slowly eroded and a potential sign of issues buried deeper in your yard.
If you’ve noticed that any area around your house has started to sink, you absolutely need help installing a professional water drainage system.
- Cracks in Your Foundation
Major moisture around your home can cause its foundation to settle and shift, creating cracks.
Have you noticed issues inside your home, like crown molding or doorframes separating and shifting? If so, head outside and thoroughly inspect your foundation. You might be surprised by what you find!
This type of structural damage should be considered an emergency. Contact a highly qualified local contractor like Hydro Dynamics as soon as possible to avoid even more severe damage. They’ll apply state of the art water drainage solutions to draw moisture away from your home quickly, and prevent future settling.
Water Drainage Solutions
With this article as your guide, it’s time to perform a detailed inspection. Do you see signs of poor water drainage around your house? If so, you should act quickly and get professional help!
Did you find this post informative? Check out the rest of Unfolded Magazine’s home improvement articles for even more hot tips, tricks, and hacks!
