3 Major Contributors To Water Pooling Around The House

Everyone likes the idea of having a pool at their house, but not one unplanned or from rainwater, thank you very much. Water pooling around the walls of your house or on your land can be one of the more destructive issues a household has to deal with, because while most homes are very water-resistant, they’re not always waterproof from every single angle. Water pooling can seep into your foundations and land, causing damage and even rot if you’re not careful. Still water also brings its own health hazards, even if some can evaporate.

Some houses don’t have to worry much about this, like in drier climates. Others, like in those in wet areas, at the bottom of hills, or humid places do. If water runoff isn’t managed well, pooling will inevitably take place.

In this post, we’ll look at some of the main contributors to water pooling around the household, so you can put protections in place and limit the threat to your home. With that in mind, please consider some of the following advice:

Photo by Binyamin Mellish

Blocked Gutters

Your gutters have one job, and that’s to channel water away from your house in a controlled manner. When they get clogged up with leaves, debris, or just years of accumulated and pretty gross gunk, that water has nowhere to go except over the sides and straight down to your foundation.

This creates exactly the kind of pooling situation you want to avoid, as the water cascades down in concentrated streams, saturating the soil right next to your house walls. Leave it long enough and this will easily lead to foundation issues, basement flooding, or structural problems that cost thousands to fix.

If you notice such issues, a professional gutter cleaning service can keep your system flowing properly, and they could be saving you a huge amount of cash from your future budget.

Improper Garden Drainage

We all want beautiful landscaping, but if it’s improperly done, it can accidentally create water traps if drainage wasn’t considered during the design phase. It’s easy to see that gardens with poor soil composition, incorrect grading, or plants that require heavy watering can become soggy messes which never quite dry out.

It’s also true that clay soils are notorious for holding onto water, and that makes muddy patches that stay wet for a prolonged period. On top of that, flower beds positioned too close to your house without proper drainage systems can also direct water toward your foundation.

The solution often means improving soil composition, adding drainage tiles, or repositioning landscaping entirely. Sometimes you can implement slopes that guide water away from any areas or sort out a rain garden to help drainage, but an expert opinion is always going to be a good place to turn fist.

Incapable Flood Defenses

Not all homes need flood protection, but those in areas prone to heavy rainfall or seasonal flooding should have systems in place. You’ll find that if your drainage ditches aren’t working, if you have missing French drains, or poorly designed grading, it can easily leave your property vulnerable to water pools.

Now, the usual flood defenses like sandbags or temporary barriers might help during extreme weather, but they’re not long term solutions. Permanent drainage solutions like the aforementioned grading, landscaping, and underground drainage systems provide much better protection. You may also need to work with your local council to advocate for better flood barriers.

With thisa dvice, you’ll be sure to avoid major water pooling around the house.