Economical Approach to Foundation Drainage

Foundation drainage is basically a way to keep water drained from your home foundation. This is something that is important for several different reasons. It is a good idea to know why this is helpful and what you can do to get the most out of foundation drainage.

Importance

One of the biggest reasons that foundation drainage is important is because you will want as much of your land to stay dry. This is especially true if you happen to have living space that is prone to flooding. Waterproofing is something else that you will need to worry about that you can do to help keep your land dry. Soils also will need a foundation so that they can stay at a moisture level that is consistent. A moisture level that is consistent will help to keep settlement from happening, differential movement or heave. Foundation drainage is also required through building codes.

Requirements

The requirements through building codes state that foundation drainage is necessary. If you live in an area with poor draining soils, you will need to think about foundation drainage. You will need to look at the international residential code so that you will be able to see a list of the drains that will work. It is important that you view this list so that you can get a drain that will match your financial as well as your residential needs.

Moisture

When it comes to subsurface moisture, there are 2 different zones. There is saturation zone and aeration zone. The saturation zone is anything that is below the water table. The water table is the level that water rises to in a well. A saturation zone is not often an issue when working with residential construction. Soil moisture is typically what the problem is.

Surface Drainage

When you want to control the soil moisture that is beneath your foundation, then controlling the surface water is very important. The ground surface itself will need to slope away from your home somewhere between ½ an inch to a full inch for about 10 feet. A compacted backfill that is not done well will create an issue with the slope of the surface.

Types of Drainage

You will find that gutters are inexpensive and can do a lot for your drainage issue. You will be able to discharge any sloping surfaces that are about 10 feet from your foundation. Wherever this isn’t possible, you will find that downspouts will need to be discharged into catch basins.

Trees

You are going to need to keep in mind that trees will need to be planted no closer to your foundation than what their eventual height will be. This is necessary so that the tree roots will not be able to fill in the perimeter drains. It will also prevent the tree from taking all of the water out of your soil, this will prevent settlement. It is a good idea that whenever you are planting trees that you know how tall they will eventually be so that you will know how far back to plant them.