Weathering Summer Storms: NDS’s Dr. Drainage Offers Steps for Homeowners to Take Before and After to Prevent Water Damage
Woodland Hills, Calif. (PRWEB) June 15, 2017 -- Storms during the summer are typically fast and fierce, often arriving with little warning, and they can deliver a deluge of water that can damage homes, yards, landscaping and gardens.
“Summer storms often arrive quickly and with little warning, which makes it important for homeowners to proactively check for potential drainage problems and actual ones,” said Ryan Larsen, a civil engineer and technical services manager at NDS, Inc. He is also known as “Dr. Drainage” in NDS’s YouTube instructional video series about how to properly use and install stormwater management and drainage products. “Taking action to fix potential drainage problems before a storm hits and to mitigate minor damage after a storm will head off larger, more expensive water problems that can emerge as the summer wears on.”
The financial costs of a drainage problem can be significant:
• Drying a basement of water ranges from $1,000-$10,000, according to the U.S. National Flood Insurance Program
• Repairing damage to a home’s foundation can range anywhere from $3,500 to $25,000, according to the National Association of Realtors
• Replacing a landscape washed away from heavy rains averages $7,500 and can run as high as $30,000, according to HomeAdvisor
To help make sure drainage issues are top of mind for homeowners during the summer, Dr. Drainage recommends making several checks on a weekly basis:
• Clean out gutters and downspouts: Inspect your gutters and remove any debris that has collected; this ensures that water can properly flow through the gutters, and away from your roof and home, and reduces the chances of buildup and clogging once a storm hits
• Inspect your yard for obstructions: Remove any ground level branches, leaves, trash or other debris from your yard that can become obstructions to storm water drainage systems and cause flooding; as general practice, it’s best to never dump anything down storm drains—sweep grass clippings, fertilizer and soil onto your lawn so they don’t get washed into storm drains—and pick up pet waste to help reduce bacterial and nutrient pollution
• Abide by the 10-foot rule: If water isn’t carried far enough away from your house, it can collect against your home’s foundation wall or footing and compromise its integrity, and could seep into your basement or crawl space; make sure downspouts from gutters carry water at least 10 feet away from your home; if they don’t, pick up a downspout extension pipe at your local hardware or home improvement store and install it
• Clear street drains of debris: It’s a good idea to check for debris that may be blocking stormwater drains in the street adjacent to your house because you’ll better protect your property from overflowing streets and flooded lawns that can cause seepage back into your basement and other low-lying areas
For fixing known drainage problems, Dr. Drainage recommends three common solutions that can be purchased at home improvement and hardware stores:
• Catch basin: Designed to trap sediment, debris, contaminants and pollutants so that they cannot enter drainage pipes, catch basins are installed beneath downspouts; catch basins easily connect to underground drain age pipes where the water can drain to a safe location
• Pop-up emitter: When connected to the end of an underground drainage pipe, a pop-up emitter allows water to be diverted and released to safe areas away from structures and poor drainage areas; its pop-up top allows water to be released when full while staying closed when empty to keep rodents and debris out of the system
• French drain: A trench filled with gravel, rock or a gravel-free alternative containing a perforated pipe, a French drain directs stormwater away from a specific area, blocks the passage of excess debris, and collects water over the entire length of the drain instead of one particular spot
For more information about these drainage solutions, and/or to learn how to select and install solutions for fixing the 8 most common homeowner drainage problems, visit NDS’s Home Drainage Center.
About NDS Inc.:
NDS is a leading manufacturer of stormwater management, efficient landscape irrigation, and water flow management products and solutions for both residential and commercial markets. Headquartered in Woodland Hills, Calif., NDS’s products are sold at major retailers and wholesalers throughout the U.S., and online at http://www.ndspro.com.
Michiko Morales, Gabriel Marketing Group, http://www.gabrielmarketing.com, +1 571-455-9996, [email protected]
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