Experienced Foundation Repair Specialists
home drainage systems M Taylor Enterprise

Is Your Home Drainage System Effective?

Every home has a drainage system. Some are effective and keep the water away from the foundation. Others, however, are ineffective and causing great damage to the home foundation. 

There are several tried-and-true methods to ensure proper water drainage around your home. These tips should stop ponds from forming and keep home foundation damaging water away. 

  1. Here are several tips on installing a proper water drainage system, so your home is protected during any season of the year. Find out where the excess water is originating. Poor drainage will eventually form ponds around your home. This occurs when there is no place for the excess water to drain into. Maryland gets an average of 44 inches a year of precipitation, with most of the rain occurring during July and August. We get an average of 20 inches of snow. *** So, we have almost sixty-four (64) inches of snow/rain yearly. That is a fair amount of water. Additionally, a damaged or broken pipe may flood your yard.
  2. Survey the land closest to your home. See how it is laid out by finding the high and low parts of your yard. The drains will have to be placed at the lowest sections of your yard. If there is a low point, one needs to be dug. The water will drain then and no ponds will be created. You can also level the high sections of your yard.
  3. Prepare the soil for drainage. Central Maryland has clay soil. Clay becomes tough and solid over time which makes it perfect for excess water runoff. It’s also harder to dig up, as you have probably found out.
  4. Determine Your Drain Layout. In order to reroute the water drainage from getting into your home and into the foundation, you may need to install one of the following: French Drain, gravel trench, drainage pipe, or an open ditch. You may not be sure which one is the best (and least costly). You may need to install one in the front and back yard, depending on the number of acres that you have. If you are not sure, consult a home foundation and water drainage, expert. (See #5.)
  5. Get an Expert Involved. Even though you have done the surveying of your land and home, you are probably not an expert in installing home drainage systems. Now is the time to find an experienced, home foundation repair and home drainage contractor in the Central Maryland area. You may even need to get several bids on the work before you make a decision.

This is a good time of year, if you live in Central Maryland, to check the land around your home. If you are concerned with what you have found, call a home foundation repair expert in your area. 

M Taylor Enterprise can inspect your home foundation to see if you have any basement waterproofing issues. Call our home foundation and structural repair experts in Maryland at (301) 649-3406 or matt@mtaylorenterprise.com. We will do a free consultation, make recommendations then do any needed repairs done quickly and efficiently. We serve the Montgomery County, parts of Prince Georges and Howard Counties.

*** For more information on Maryland precipitation, visit the state website.  

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