Maintaining a comfortable and dry living space goes beyond just regular tidying up. If you haven’t yet waterproofed your home, it’s crucial to evaluate the options available, especially ahead of any seasonal weather that could bring heavy rain.
Underground downspouts, an optimal solution for homes that face light to medium flooding annually, integrate seamlessly with your lawn’s aesthetic while working diligently to keep your home dry.
This page explains underground downspouts and the solutions that help prevent basement flooding.
Foundation repair experts install downspouts beneath the ground in your yard. They function similarly to conventional downspouts, directing water away from your home’s perimeter and into the local sewer system or onto your lawn.
Opting for underground downspouts can enhance the efficacy of your waterproofing and the aesthetics of your yard. These downspouts, which are easy to conceal, protect your home without becoming a visual distraction.
However, similar to gutters or above-ground downspouts, underground downspouts are also susceptible to clogs, and they can be more challenging to clean. This might deter some homeowners from installing them despite their benefits.
Furthermore, while underground downspouts are fantastic for homes experiencing mild to medium flooding during seasonal changes, those who frequently encounter substantial standing water in their basements might need to seek a more robust waterproofing solution.
On a positive note, underground downspouts can work in concert with other waterproofing solutions, providing an extra layer of protection for high-risk homes. Some of the waterproofing options that complement underground downspouts include:
If you believe underground downspouts could be the best waterproofing solution for your home, contact JES Foundation Repair to schedule a no-cost inspection and consultation. Depending on your home’s size and the extent of the required work, this process typically takes one to three days.
The installation process usually involves:
As mentioned, underground downspouts can clog just like gutters or standard downspouts. However, these can be trickier to clean, and a clog could lead to flooding and debris accumulation in your basement.
You’ll know it’s time to clean your downspouts when you notice excessive moisture in your home, overfull gutters, or water pooling around the trench lines where your pipes are buried.
Don’t let the East Coast weather damage your basement. Contact JES and schedule a free inspection to safeguard your foundation and basement. At JES Foundation Repair, our experienced professionals protect and preserve your home with comprehensive waterproofing solutions.
Your foundation is the bedrock of your home—literally. Whether you have a concrete slab or brick and mortar beneath your family room, you need that stabilizer in place if you want to keep your home in one piece.
As such, you’ll want to take steps to ensure that your home stays as stable as possible while you’re still living in it. That is where foundation drainage comes into play. Most materials used to make up home foundations do not naturally drain. These materials also tend to react poorly when exposed to excess moisture or groundwater.
The presence of water near your foundation can cause the molecules in your building materials to rapidly expand and contract. In doing so, your foundation can come under significant stress because of this hydrostatic pressure. In order to cope with that stress, the materials you have supporting your home might crack, thereby allowing even more moisture into your space.
A cracked or leaking foundation is a foundation that not only may begin to sink into the ground but that might also put other structural supports within your home at risk. For example, a damaged foundation can allow enough moisture into your home to cause your floor joists to start decaying. This means that you might find yourself contending with a sinking floor on top of the damage already done to your foundation.
Unfortunately, it isn’t always easy to tell when your foundation has suffered from damage. You can work with a professional, however, to walk through your home and look for any signs of damage that might be concerning. Some of the clearest signs of moisture-based foundation damage include:
In short, enabling foundation drainage means that you can protect your home from significant damage later down the line. Some of the best tools to use when trying to ensure that your foundation drains consistently include interior drains and internal sump pumps.
You can improve foundation drainage by keeping gutters and downspouts clear, grading the yard so water flows away from the home, and addressing any existing foundation damage. Interior drainage systems, sump pumps, and other waterproofing solutions may also help manage water around the foundation. A free, professional inspection can determine the best repairs for your home’s drainage issues.
At JES Foundation Repair, we recommend that all our clients interested in a perimeter drain use BasementGutter™. It’s a perimeter drain for basements that is designed to drain groundwater from the surrounding foundation and capture moisture seepage from the walls. BasementGutter™ is similar to French drains except that it’s a lot less expensive and a more efficient drainage system because it’s located indoors. With exterior drainage, excavation is required, which is what shoots the price for French drains way up. Interior drains, however, don’t have such an extensive installation process.
The drain pipe is placed inside a small trench that runs along the perimeter of the basement. This trench is right against the basement walls so that the drain has an easier time collecting groundwater from the wall-floor joint. This area is the one most susceptible to flooding when a foundation is experiencing hydrostatic pressure, so its placement is used to optimize the drainage system’s performance. The drain can be connected to your basement’s sump pump so that all the water collected can be reliably pumped out.
The drain is designed to resist clogging, which is a big problem with exterior drainage systems. You won’t have to worry about whether or not the drain is doing its job during a storm because it’s capable of handling a lot of water without getting backed up. A lack of clogging also means less maintenance work and expensive repairs, so a money-conscious homeowner would love this particular drainage system. BasementGutter™ is only available through JES Foundation Repair, so if you’re interested, give us a call for a free inspection.
Groundworks Editorial Team
