How to Improve Drainage in Your Garden or Driveway
Standing water after rain can cause considerable problems for properties. Water isn’t supposed to pool around a building; it’s supposed to drain away from the building so it doesn’t cause any damage. And beyond the inconvenience of muddy puddles or grass that takes days to dry out, standing water can cause serious damage to foundations and the structure of your home. This means you need to be taking practical steps to remedy the issue as soon as you can.
These steps can help you get things back to how they should be.
Test How Quickly Water Drains from Soil
Before you make any changes, you need to understand how your soil is currently handling the water it’s exposed to. A quick and easy way to do this is to dig a hole about 30cm deep and the same in width, then fill it with water. Once you have done this, you need to time how long it takes to drain. If the water disappears in a few hours, then your soil drains reasonably well. If it’s still sitting there after this time, then you have an issue you need to resolve. The problem is likely due to compacted or heavy soil. But knowing if this is the problem can help determine your next actions.
Add Organic Matter to Heavy or Compacted Soil
If your soil test indicates a problem with your soil, then you need to help it drain properly to resolve the issues. Heavy clay soils in particular can hold water and become waterlogged easily.
Digging in organic matter such as compost, well-rotted manure, and leaf mould can help break up compacted soil over time and improve its structure too.
Doing this will create more space within the soil for water to move through it, not just sit on it. It’s not a fast process; it’s a gradual one you need to keep up with regularly. It’ll likely take a few seasons to resolve or even see a noticeable difference, but it’s one of the most effective long-term fixes for garden beds with persistent drainage issues.
Install a Trench Drain Along Patios or Driveways
When you have hard surfaces around your property with nowhere for water to move to, chances are the water will run off into your lawn or flower beds, or it’ll pool at the lowest point. One fix for this issue is to have a trench drain. A trench drain is a long, narrow channel set in the ground. It’s usually covered by a metal or plastic grate, which collects surface water and redirects it away to a drainage system or soakaway.
You’ll typically find trench drains installed alongside driveways or patios, specifically where they meet a garage, house wall, or boundary, as these are areas where water can typically accumulate.
Replace Solid Paving with Permeable Surfaces
If you have solid paving such as concrete or traditional block paving, it might be the case here that it’s not allowing water to soak through, giving it nowhere to run off to. This means the rainfall has to find somewhere else to go.
Permeable paving, on the other hand, is designed with gaps or a porous structure that allows water to filter through to the ground beneath it.
You can buy permeable block paving, gravel, or choose resin-bound surfaces. Even replacing a small part of a driveway with a permeable alternative can reduce the amount of surface water that needs to be managed elsewhere. And if you have areas where the water is running towards the house, then this reduces the volume that reaches that point.
Clear and Extend Downpipes Away From Walls
Your downpipes are supposed to carry water away from the building. However, if they’re clogged, damaged, or not installed correctly, they are potentially contributing to your standing water issues.
You need to make sure you’re checking them on a regular basis and removing anything that is blocking the gutters or downpipes so they can function correctly.
From here, you need to direct water from the property. If they’re not long enough for the building or they’re not able to efficiently direct water, you need to look at replacing or extending the downpipes so they can perform the job, they’re supposed to to protect your home from water damage..
If you replace the downpipe as its not able to direct the water correctly, make sure you add an extension or connect it to a drainage system that can handle the runoff so it’s not pooling around your foundation.
