Everywhere has a rainy season, and with heavy rains inevitably comes the risk of floods. Flooding can come unexpectedly, sometimes slowly over a period of several days of off and on rains. But, sometimes, it can come on suddenly and without warning. Even if you cannot see it, the water building up in your yard can flood, causing severe damage to your home and foundation. So, no matter where you live, it is important to prepare your yard for the risk of flooding.
Why Does Yard Flooding Occur?
Most homes have some form of infrastructure in place to prevent excess water from building up. In many cases, this includes gutters to redirect water away from the home, French drains, and sump pumps. However, these measures may not be enough, or they can degrade, leading to damaging floods. If you notice water pooling in the crack between your home’s foundation or excessively soggy soil after rain showers, then it may be time to check your existing drainage systems and consider upgrading.
How To Prevent Yard Flooding
Preventing yard flooding can be difficult and time-consuming, but remember that it is still much simpler than repairing the damages caused by flooding. So, let’s look at a few techniques you can use to prevent the next flood from occurring.
Regrade Your Yard
The “grade” of your yard is its incline. Your home’s yard should have an incline that helps to carry water away from it, and without at least some slope, water will simply sit there and build up. For optimal drainage, your home’s yard should have at least a slope of 2%. Regrading your home’s yard can be a difficult process of measuring out the highest and lowest point and removing and adding topsoil to ensure the level carries water where it should go. In most cases, this will require a professional to help.
Install a Dry Well
Surface water is not the only concern. Even once water is absorbed into the soil, it can be a major concern. Even once water is underground, it can flood and cause a lot of damage. Fortunately, there is something you can do about it, install a dry well. A dry well is a tank installed underneath your yard with a series of perforated pipes that allow it to collect water and slowly release it back into the soil to prevent flooding.
Grow a Rain Garden
Plants are an amazing way to naturally prevent flooding. Their roots not only absorb water helping to remove some of the problems, but their roots also burrow into the soil, helping to stabilize and compact soil. This is one of the easiest ways to prevent yard flooding and one that a homeowner can easily do on their own.
Install a Sump Pump
A sump pump is similar in principle to a dry well in that it uses a tank to collect groundwater. However, unlike a dry well, it uses a powered pump to then force the water away from your home’s foundation. These are often placed in the basements of homes at risk of flooding.
Final Thoughts
Yard flooding can pose a severe risk to your home and foundation. If your yard is showing signs of possible flooding, it is important to act quickly to prevent costly damage down the line.
Contact Us
If your home has suffered water damage, don’t hesitate to call Restore Pro. Our restoration professionals have more than two decades of experience helping home, and business owners restore property damaged by water and mold. Call us at 1-800-847-0114 and connect with us on Facebook.
