Making sure that your property is sloped to allow proper drainage can mean the difference between a trouble-free rainy season and a flooded basement a few times a year. Unwanted moisture intrusion -even at a level not serious enough to cause interior flooding - can create insidious problems that will be difficult to completely eliminate, such as weakened structural elements, mold growth, and other damage and health hazards.
Most problems with moisture in basements and crawlspaces are caused by poor site drainage. The ground should slope away from window wells, exterior basement stairs, and other means of egress. The bottom of each of these areas should be sloped to a drain. Each drain should have piping that connects it to a storm water drainage system (if there is one) or that drains to either a discharge at a lower grade or into a sump pit that collects and discharges the water away from the building.
Rain
During the next heavy rainstorm without lightning, grab an umbrella and go outside. Walk around your house and look around at the roof and property. A rainstorm is the perfect time to see how the roof, downspouts and grading are performing. Observe the drainage patterns of your entire property, as well as the property of your neighbor. The ground around your house should slope away from all sides. Downspouts, surface gutters and drains should be directing water away from the foundation.
One important maintenance task is to monitor and maintain the drains and piping. Drains and piping should be open and clear of leaves, earth and debris. A garden hose can be used to check water flow, although its discharge cannot approximate storm conditions.
If your house is located where it rains or where there is snow-melt, your house probably needs a roof drainage system to carry water away from the building in order to prevent leaks into the building, especially if the house includes below-ground areas such as a basement or crawl area.
A very large percentage of basement or crawl space water entry, moisture, leaks, rot, and mold problems all begin at the building roof, with the failure to adequately capture roof runoff and to direct it away from the building.
Eaves Troughs (Gutters) and Downspouts
Your home is the largest investment a family makes; it is important to have your home protected with proper eaves troughing also known as gutters.
- Eaves troughs will direct water to the downspouts and away from your foundation
- Helps to reduce erosion at the foundation
- Helps to prevent leaks in basements and crawlspace
- Helps to protect painted or stained surfaces by reducing exposure to water
- Prevent your driveway of cracking and of sinking down at the garage entrance
- Serious injuries could happen with ice building up in walkways every spring or autumn
- First level shingle wear from water constantly falling in the same area
- Preserve your windows of the second level from water splashing and will wear prevent tear in your shingles.
- Protect your shrubs and flower beds and interlocking pavers
Eaves Troughs Covers
Eaves trough covers are a good idea will prevent your eaves from clogging. Snow, ice, leaves and debris will not clog the eaves troughs.
During summer: When your eaves trough is clogged with leaves and debris, water cannot drain, and will in turn flow toward the home, causing water damage. The gutter covers can prevent leaves and debris from clogging the gutter, reducing water damage.
During winter: The gutter covers allows eaves troughs to function normally. An eaves trough clogged by ice and snow in the winter will not function correctly. During rain and warm weather, water could backup under the shingles and enter the home since it cannot be drained by the rain gutter.
House on a Hillside: Where a house is situated on a hillside, it is more difficult to slope the ground away from the building on all sides. On the high-ground side of the building, the slope of the ground toward the building could be interrupted by a surface drainage system that collects and disposes of rainwater runoff. Swales can be used to direct surface water away from the foundation. There are two general types of surface drainage systems: an open system, consisting of a swale (often referred to as a ditch), sometimes with a culvert at its end to collect and channel water away; and a closed system, consisting of gutters with catch basins.
