You should definitely not ignore your house’s storm drain. The resource is essential for any homeowner who is planning or remodeling their home as it prevents water damage to the house by directing rainwater away from the foundation and basement.
They also help avoid erosion and other forms of damage that can occur to your property when there is too much rainwater, which allows it to pool and accumulate on the ground. In other words, it frees you from an unnecessary water damage headache.
The best residential storm drains are necessarily made of gutters, downspouts, drains, dry wells, and a rain garden. Read on to know more about the topic!
What is a Storm Drain?
A house storm drain, also known as residential stormwater drainage system, is a network of pipes and channels designed to collect and carry rainwater. They remove exceeding stormwater runoff from streets, driveways, sidewalks, and other areas that do not allow water to drain.
It carries water away from your property to a nearby source – a river, lake, or ocean. The purpose of a storm drain is to prevent flooding and water damage by redirecting rainwater away from the house and into nature.
A house storm drain system typically consists of gutters, downspouts, and underground pipes that connect to a storm sewer or discharge point.
4 Steps to Follow to Have an Efficient House Storm Drain
There is no mystery around an efficient house storm drain. You only need to plan following these steps to make sure that it will work. The ideal residential stormwater drainage solutions should – at least – include: gutters, downspouts, drains, dry wells, and a rain garden.
1. Build Good Gutters and Downspouts and Keep Them Clean
Everything is connected in the house structure. A well-built and maintained roof will keep your home safe from the heaviest rain, but, of course, it needs to send water somewhere. That is where the gutters appear. Water will run along and down the roof until the gutters.
These resources are placed around the edges of the roofline and collect water to send it down a pipe. That is the downspout. This one is responsible for delivering water to the surface level, but it is not that simple, as water should be directed at least 10 feet away from the house to avoid damage.
Leading water to the surface of your yard is just one of the reasons for gutter cleaning.
2. Set Drains in your Yard
The surface level is not the end of the story. You should never stop at the downspout part of the system and take it as done! If you leave the water to collect and puddle, it will very quickly turn into problems in your house’s foundation.
Although it can cause that much damage, you can easily predict the water’s path around your property. It always flows downwards, never through waterproof surfaces and invariably through the bigger space it finds. So, remember to think about stormwater drains in the backyard.
A channel drain is a simple, cheap, and resistant strategy that fills all the needs. Install it where water usually accumulates – near the downspout – and connect it to the closest natural stream, and you will be sure to have no more pooling areas.
A French drain, on the other hand, is more focused on solving underground water issues. Foundations and basements water problems are susceptible to happen when water accumulates in subsurface areas. For this drain, follow these simple steps:
- dig a trench;
- cover it with gravel;
- set a perforated pipe in it; and
- coat the pipe with a sort of filtration membrane to avoid clogging.
It is essential to dig it in a slightly sloped angle to make it even easier for water to flow.
3. Buy and Install Dry Wells
This step is not mandatory, but extremely helpful. Consider installing a dry well to assist with water drainage. It is not expensive to have it bought and installed, but you can do it yourself with a bucket, a few pipes, gravel, and cloth.
4. Consider Installing Rain Gardens
Also optional, rain gardens are designed to capture and manage stormwater runoff by allowing water to infiltrate into the ground.
The soil should be a mix designed to be highly porous and able to absorb large amounts of water quickly. The plants in the rain garden have deep roots that help to hold the soil in place and absorb water, which reduces the volume and velocity of the runoff.
They can also filter and cleanse the water, and allow it to slowly return to the environment. Plus, it can be personalized in the way you most enjoy!
Dealing with rainwater runoff can be quite tricky. Call our gutter and drain pros to help you plan and install this house storm drain with the least trouble possible. (Or be prepared to call the water damage service soon)...
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