fbpx

How to Prevent Roof Water Runoff from Pooling

If you’re having a tough time with roof water runoff pooling in your yard, POM Waterproofing is here to help. We know how frustrating it can be to have your yard looking like a swamp because of improper runoff management. So, let us help you with these simple solutions to prevent roof water runoff from pooling.

Gutter to French Drain Connection

Even with gutters that work how they’re supposed to, you can end up with roof water runoff pooling. Many gutters are installed so that they offload roof water runoff into a tray beside the house. The problem is, this method of dispersing water into the yard doesn’t end well if there’s a lot of rain in the area.

Instead of letting water pool in your yard, you should rely on a connection between your gutter and a French drain. 

French Drain Installation

To prevent yard flooding from roof water runoff, you’re going to want something called a French drain. These drains are elongated traps for water – like a gutter that’s installed in the ground. These drains are frequently used to prevent yard flooding as well as garage flooding. They can be installed at the bottom of a sloped driveway or yard. Or, in this case, they can cut through a yard that has a low point that tends to flood.

French drains are typically covered in a grate, gravel, or garden rocks. Water will flow past these coverings and collect in the drain. The water is then redirected away from the house, keeping the soil around your home from becoming saturated. If you connect the end of your runoff gutter to your French drain, the drain will take away roof water runoff as well as any excess water in the yard.

Prevent Pooling Without a French Drain

If your yard doesn’t have any pooling issues aside from what comes from the runoff gutter, you may not need a French drain. While French drains have a similar installation process to a redirection drain, they are visible from the surface. So, if you would prefer not to see garden stones or gravel where a French drain is installed, we can install a subterranean redirection drain instead.

A redirection drain, while not an official name, is simply a pipe that will redirect water away from the house. For example, if there is a rain ditch near your home, we can install a pipe that connects the end of your runoff gutter to the rain ditch. Then, any roof water runoff will simply run, underground, to that rain ditch, completely skipping your yard.

Professional Drain Installation in Toronto

If you need a redirection drain or French drain installed to prevent pooling in your yard, call us at POM Waterproofing. We look forward to getting your yard back to working order and looking its best.

What to Do About Basement Wall Cracks

If your basement walls have cracks in them, it’s not unusual for them to be leaking water. However, even small amounts of water leaking in can cause huge issues. After a short while, your damp basement will develop mold, bacteria, and pests. So, what can you do to fix basement wall cracks? The answer may be more complicated than you hoped.

Find the Source

The first thing to do is find the source of the leak. If you’re looking for repair solutions, you probably already know where the water is coming from. If a basement window isn’t doing a great job of keeping out water, window well waterproofing will solve the problem. This process is fairly simple. We install something you could call a tray, which catches any water collecting in the window well. The water is then redirected away from the house.

However, if your basement leak is caused by basement wall cracks, there’s a bit more to be done.

Don’t Fill Cracks

When people experience leaky basement wall cracks, their first instinct is typically to fill the cracks in. However, you should never try to fill in basement wall cracks from the inside. 

Because water leaks in from the outside, filling the cracks from the inside traps water within the walls. The water will then expand and contract with the weather. This will cause a lot more damage to your walls than if you’d left them.

Determine Severity

Next up, you need to figure out how severe the problem is. During the worst weather of the year, is the leaking simply causing moisture on the inside of the walls, or is it running down them and pooling on the floor? If the worst the weather can do is give you a little moisture on your interior basement walls, you probably just need damp proofing. However, if it’s enough to pool, even in tiny rivulettes or puddles, you’ll want to go the waterproofing route. 

Both methods involve accessing the basement walls from the outside, which means digging a trench along the side of the house. However, they each offer a different level of protection.

Basement Damp Proofing

When damp proofing, the real culprit is the cracks in the wall, allowing regular ground moisture in. So, when hiring POM Waterproofing to damp proof your basement walls, we fix cracks from the outside and then coat the exterior of your basement walls. The crack repair will build the integrity of the walls back up while the coating will keep moisture from getting in or forming new ones. 

Basement Waterproofing

When waterproofing, the culprit is the amount of water trying to get at your basement walls. A high level of ground water will cause damage to otherwise intact walls. This happens when rain collects along the basement wall and erodes the stone.

When we waterproof your basement walls, we do the same process as damp proofing, but take it a step further. Once the wall has been smoothed and coated, we apply a solid membrane and adhere it to the wall. This membrane provides a solid barrier between ground water and your basement. Then, we install a track that collects and redirects ground water that finds its way to the membrane. The water will then be redirected away from the house, ensuring it doesn’t just pool against the membrane.

Give us a call today if you’re interested in protecting your home from invasive water.