Drain the rain away…

As we enter the rainy season here in Seattle, your home (like mine!) may experience too much water…

Water flooding your yard, or especially entering your basement, is really scary and overwhelming. You think, how can I possibly move this water somewhere else, or even soak it up because it just keeps coming. It’s a little like bailing the ocean. After dealing with water problems in several houses, I can honestly say it’s much less scary now, and yes, still annoying. French drains can be your best friend, both inside your home (a story for another day) and outside.

This is a system that uses gravity to divert water away from your home or yard, along with water’s natural tendency to follow the path of least resistance. The typical French drain consists of two main parts – the drain field, where excess water enters the pipes, and the drain exit which is the lowest point and where water leaves the system. Essentially, it’s a gravel-filled trench lined with a perforated pipe, providing an easy channel for water to flow through, leading it away from your home.

In the fall of 2016, Seattle experienced record-breaking rains – and my home experienced a flooded patio and basement. Drainage experts installed 150’ of new French drains around the home and patio perimeter, and tied my gutters into a solid pipe system to make sure roof run-off was not adding water to the problem. The hand-dug project took about a week (too tight to get any machinery behind my home), and was covered over in red lava rock instead of plain gravel.

French drains are effective and low-maintenance, but not NO maintenance. Every year or so, you need to move some gravel and see if run-off dirt is clogging it, making it harder for the water to reach the perforated pipe. If so, you need to remove the stones, wash the dirt from them, and replace them around the pipe. If you have drainage issues, feel free to contact me for my experiences, contractor recommendations, or just to commiserate!