Inspect home groundwater drainage systems every 6 months
It is a great idea to make a habit of assessing the groundwater drainage health of your home at least every 6 months. Time passes quickly, and problems not discovered become greater groundwater drainage problems if unnoticed for a long time. Make a point to do a check list of due diligence with respect to your homes drainage systems. You can save yourself much money by doing this. A little bit of time inspecting with eyes that are trained to see problems may prevent future groundwater drainage problems.
1. Clean your gutters every 6 months minimum.
2. Look at the gutters to determine if they are sagging or have bent over. Check to see they are not rusted and leaking. Are there any gutter spikes starting to protrude from the gutter where it attaches to the board that is nailed to the ends of your roof rafters?
3. Look at the rain drain discharges where the gutters and downspouts are plumbed. Are there any of the downspouts that do not appear to be all the way inside the rain drain discharge pipe?
4. Look at the base of the rain drain discharge where the pipe goes into the ground. Is there any evidence of water overflowing the rain drain discharge? Is there a hole on the back side of the rain drain discharge where the water overflows between the discharge and the foundation wall? 5. Check the window wells and ingress-egress windows, are they covered and do not have water standing in them? Does the grade of the foundation in that area look like it still slopes away from the foundation?
6. Look at the foundation grade all the way around the home to assure that water is still flowing away from the foundation when it rains. Do not dig it up near the foundation, leave a compacted splash block to run water away from the foundation wall.
7. Check to make sure that groundwater is not running into foundation vents that are below grade to the level of the soil.
8. Are your french drains still free of debris and leaves on the surface? Here’s hoping that your garden workers did not cover the exposed rock on your hand excavated french drains with barkdust or dirt. Check it out, and rake or pull it away if they did. The weed cloth underneath the top layer of rock within the french drain will usually protect it from being clogged if this is done periodically.
9. Look for a horizontal line depressed in the earth directly under the edge of the gutter system to see if the gutters are overflowing for one reason or another. Are your french drains installed under the leading edge of the gutter system to collect water overflowing the gutters? You could have plugged gutters, plugged rain drain discharges, and gutters that are pulling away from the roof due to popped gutter spikes or the weight of debris in the gutter system.
If you do this check list at least once every 6 months, you will be ahead of the game with respect to your drainage needs.