Water flows away from my Vienna house
Quickly… I decided to republish this post since we have had a record-setting year for rain here in Vienna. July started out hot and dry, and then it rained dropping 14-inches of rain. We have reached our annual rain total by the end of August 2018… so it’s been really wet.
Original post
Last Sunday I spent the afternoon showing homes to some clients in Centreville while it rained really hard… all afternoon. We saw plenty of backyards resembling small ponds and gutter downspouts shooting water right next to a home’s foundation. And, this morning, one of my Vienna, VA neighbors told me about the water in his basement after last night’s inch of rain.
A few years ago a friend told me that, in a total panic, she called the Wet Basement Guys during a hurricane because water was seeping into her basement. They asked her if she had extensions on her downspouts?
“No?” she responded.
It’s not Seattle, it’s Vienna, VA
You see, the Wet Basement Guys were so insanely busy that they were giving away an insider secret when it comes to keeping rainwater out of your house. It was the fact that those ugly black tubes really do work when place properly at your downspouts sloping downhill (gravity will help you) and extended away from your home will solve most rainwater problems.
Spray paint green
Last weekend’s rain set a record at Dulles Airport, and the rain forecast for today may add another 3″ of rain to the swollen ground. A week like this can cause a dry basement to get wet for the first time, and once water finds an easy path to follow then the basement will get wet again.
Ignore your downspouts and you’ll pay the price!
When it isn’t raining, consider designing a rainwater management system that will benefit your lawn or garden.
NDS Pop-up
Next time you are at Home Depot take a look at the NDS Drainage tools that they sell. They have simple pop-up drains and ideas to help you bury this black pipes so you are protected from sudden downpours and doing your part to limit runoff. Think of it as a Green Idea.
Home inspectors always look at the grade around your home, and if they do not see a slope away from the structure will recommend adding soil (not mulch) for added protection.
Before you get your next heavy rain, plan to add some simple downspout extensions to move the water away from your house.
Are your black drainpipes draining or are they clogged?
One last thing.
If you already have drainpipes then take a look where they are draining to an open area. Too often I see these pipes buried under dirt or a pile of mulch.
When I can’t find an exit or end of a drainpipe, I often pour a watering can of water to see where it shows up. If you can’t find that water then replace the entire pipe.
Good luck.
