AAA Home Drainage

When constructing a french drain groundwater removal system that you count on to pull rainwater away from your foundation, resist the common emotional arguments associated with the desire to cover up the rock left open on the surface.

This method is used for maximum groundwater collection when it rains hard. A common statement I hear is “my kids will toss rocks”, or “I don’t like the look of exposed rock”.
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1. Resist the urge to make berms in front of your foundation. Adding raised beds in front of the foundation walls slow the flow of rainwater away from the foundation. Although they look great in some cases, they trap water next to the foundation area.
2. Do not add deep layers of barkdust next to the foundation. This will soak up water from hard rains, and produce a spongy surface that causes leaking into your basement, crawlspace, or window wells. It many times forms a negative grade that slopes to the foundation as well.

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Home groundwater problems are likely not even on the homeowners radar until they eigther sell the home and get a pest dryrot and structural inspection that indicates their problem, or when the rains come and the water starts pouring into the homes crawlspace or basement.

Don’t be the homeowner that thinks the problem will just go away. If you know you have a groundwater drainage issue now, it will only get worse and more expensive to deal with it in the future.

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Seems like human nature, with respect to home drainage, is not to worry about the long known, and long time existing, home drainage problems until seasonal heavy rains and driving snow sets in.

Homeowners should not be surprised that home drainage expenses increase during these times? Installers working under severe conditions require longer times for the installation of hand excavated french drains. This translates into higher prices for the consumer. Safety issues also come into play. (more…)

If you are experiencing groundwater in your basement or crawlspace, you likely will go through the process of educating yourself on various methods of dealing with groundwater problems and solutions.

The choice of methods is most often based on your objective. Keep pumping the water out, with a guarantee that the company will always keep a working sump pump in place, or prevent the groundwater from entering in the first place. (more…)

This home study course on groundwater removal and home drainage is free of charge. You may use it to your best advantage without anything invested except your time. The effort is well worth the knowledge gained.

A college level text book author, also a client, recently made a request to use some of this information in his newest book on environmental engineering.

Go to school on the subject of groundwater removal, and “green” home drainage solutions. You will be glad you did. (more…)

I hear it all the time. I call it “voo doo” drainage. The homeowner says, “I have recieved a couple of other bids from contractors for my french drain work. One of the drainage contractors suggested that I could just put the french drain into my rain drain discharges venting my gutters. What do you think of that”? Easy answer. Do not do that! (more…)

What should it tell you if you are looking at a home to buy, and the home has a home groundwater problem in the crawlspace or basement, and there is already a sump pump installed? It should tell you that the sump pump isn’t a solution to the problem.

If the groundwater is still entering the crawlspace or basement, would a reasonable mind assume that the sump pump is a solution to the problem, or a bandaid? (more…)

This article is reprinted here-in by AAA Home Drainage, for public information from the Oregon Construction Contractors Newsletter, (CCB), with respect to a subject that I wrote about some months ago. The information is pertinent to all homeowners buying a new home or contracting with a home builder to construct a new home in Oregon. (more…)

The following information is here-in reprinted from the Oregon Contractors Board Newsletter, in the interests of public protection disclosure, and as a courtesy of AAA Home Drainage.

The information is from the CCB newsletter that explains important rights affecting the homeowner taking possession of new construction in Oregon. (more…)