The drainage systems in our homes are responsible for getting rid of any extra water on surfaces, whether that be our bathroom floor or our backyard. Thus, water can flow freely! But what happens if our drainage systems aren’t doing their job? For one thing, stagnant water will accumulate. This can lead to flooding, water damage, leaking, bad odors, mosquitos, soil erosion, health problems and more. From this list alone, we can see how critical drainage systems are for us to live comfortably and stress-free.
Unfortunately, drainage systems are not immune to damage and failure. They CAN fail, which is why you should always look for warning signs. These warning signs can include mildew, water stains and water deposits. Once you spot them, you should always reach out to an expert before things grow into a full-fledged problem.
This week’s featured blog post takes us to a home in Richardson, Texas. The homeowner was dealing with drainage issues, and they asked for our help because they didn’t want to deal with issues like erosion and water damage in the future! Let’s see how we handled it.
Discovering Drainage Problems After a Foundation Inspection in Richardson
Our Richardson client had just moved into their house. A new house is always an exciting experience, but they were dismayed upon noticing some very small cracks and separations pop up in the sheetrock. No matter how small, cracks like these could be a sign of an even bigger problem. Because they did not want to miss anything serious, they called our team of experts.
The PermaTech team conducted a foundation inspection to get to the root of the problem. We determined that the measurements and the damage was tolerable and were not a cause for alarm at this point. However, we noted that there were other maintenance issues. One problem was the drainage on the right side of their house. The client agreed that there was an issue, and they wanted it solved because they had plans of extending their patio. Drainage problems would mess with that!
Designing and Installing a French Drain to Address Drainage Issues
We designed a french drain to address their drainage issues. This was the best type of drain for their unique situation because of how consistent the neighbor’s slope was towards their house all along the path. A surface drain with catch basins would not have sufficed, because then we would have needed to regrade a lot of the ground to the side into those catch basins for the drain to be effective. The french drain would be able to collect water along its entire length without any regrading done.
Our crew chose to install an 18-inch french drain based on the expected volume of water. We first dug a ditch to its required depth.
Next, we lined it with a soil separator fabric (the white fabric), which will keep the dirt out of the gravel.
We then placed gravel with a perforated 4-inch drain pipe.
Lastly, we bore a hole under the sidewalk to the street.
There is air space between each piece of gravel, into which water will get sucked. Once the ditch fills up with water, water will drain into the holes of the perforated pipe. The pipe then carries the water towards the street. Then, water will discharge directly to the street out of the hole we bore. How we installed this drainage system makes it easier to clean and less prone to clogging. Plus, water will move a lot quicker compared to using just a pop-up drain.
All of this took only one day to install. The homeowner will wait for 90 days before extending their patio. This will give time for the drain to work with rain storms while allowing the area to settle to the changes we made. Our team will also perform another inspection free of charge before their patio extension, to make sure the area is ready for the work.
At PermaTech Foundation Repair, you will always get trustworthy services that can solve all your drainage problems. We’ll be more than happy to stop by, evaluate it, and determine the best solution. If you need foundation repair, we’re here to help. Call or text us at 214-326-0718 today. We’ll get the job done for you on time, on budget.
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