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Drainage and Foundation Repairs go hand in hand.
The summer heat and dry conditions are finally over! Homeowners survived the worst drought in the history of the State of Texas which produced incredibly dry, cracked soil. All it is needed is water to make things better and bring balance back into the soil.
Unfortunately, very rain-heavy storms are rolling in dumping several inches of water per hour. The much needed water is causing flash floods, flooding in low lying areas and standing water in areas with poor drainage.
The expansive soils present especially in North Texas, will respond to that much moisture in a mirror fashion do the summer dry weather by swelling up and causing the home's foundation to be lifted and possible cracked.
There are some things the homeowner can do to protect the residence's foundations:
- Before the storm, inspect gutters for blockages caused by birds nest, leafs and tennis balls
- Evaluate your gutters and downspouts. It is very critical to capture and control the water coming down from the roof. A 2,000 sq. ft. roof can dump more than 1,000 gallons of water around the perimeter of the foundation, if not properly controlled with gutters and dispersed correctly with the downspouts. The diameter of the downspouts is critical in order to have enough capacity to evacuate the water collected by the gutters. Normally a standard 2"x3" downspout can remove about 180 gal/min. Sometime, depending on the roof size and slope, commercial size downspouts are needed to remove more than 400 gal/min. If during a storm the homeowner notices that the water is not draining properly, they should have a professional evaluate the situation and recommend the best corrective actions.
- After a strong storm is over, homeowners should go around the house and inspection for standing water within 7-10 feet from the foundation. If water is present in large quantities too close to the foundation, actions should be taken to improve the drainage. Some examples are:
- French Drains. Allows for an under ground perforated pipe to drain water is slope condition allow it.
- Pumps. They are needed to remove water from low lying areas when natural gravity can not be used due to contour of ground.
- Grading. By adding or removing soil, sometime the ground can be sloped away from the foundation far enough away to keep the water from causing foundation repairs.
Once the rainy season start, homeowners should have a foundation repair company do an inspection of the residence perimeter and the current drain system situation. This evaluation is needed to determine if any modifications are needed to prevent foundation repairs.
For more information about drainage system in regards to foundation repairs, contact Premier Foundation Repair Inc at 3767 Forest Ln, Dallas, TX 75244
(972) 417-0823
