Locally Owned, Proudly Servicing New Jersey Since 1984
Drainage Solutions
Signs of Drainage Problems
Standing water creates wet spots in yards and is a nuisance and eyesore. Submerged sections of lawns prevent homeowners from maintaining a well-manicured yard and risk dead patches of grassland.
Wet spots near a house can cause leaks into the basement. Excess or stagnant water build-up near homes will soak into the ground, collecting against basements, crawlspace walls, and foundations. Basement and crawlspace drainage is essential in controlling the water content in those rooms. Water damage causes basement and crawl space flooding, mildew growth, mold, or foundation settling and cracking. The best prevention method is to collect and pipe the water away from your house or garage before damage occurs.
At Howard Paving & Excavating, we pride ourselves on finding the best drainage solution for your property. We always consider grading topsoil or dirt to direct water away from the house. Grading is a cost-effective solution, but only when applicable. Whether installing dry wells, French drains, or connecting downspout PVC pipes to direct rainwater. We guarantee to advise you on the best resolution for your property. We also service emergency water lines and sewer repairs.
What Causes Drainage Problems?
The most common cause of wet spots and drainage problems is improper installation and piping of gutters or downspouts. Rain gutters collect water from the entire surface area of your roof, then channel it through downspouts and deposit it in a targeted area. Such areas are sewers, french drains, or underground pipes.
Yard grading and driveway slopes are detrimental in preventing standing water. Proper driveway drainage combats the natural slope of the land. Storm and melting ice water can flow onto your property and remain stagnant without adequate drainage. The natural lay of yards carries water from neighboring properties, the roofs of building structures, or even landscape watering equipment. Assessing the flow of water to guide it away from your home or garage is essential.
Types of Drainage Solutions
Trench drains or channel drains are linear surface drainage applications that remove water from areas susceptible to flooding. Trench drains rely on gravity to move water to refrain from pooling. Trench drain systems remove excess water and prevent floods indoors in areas such as garages, pools, and showers. Outdoor applications for trench drains are typical on driveways, docks, and many places of business that need to remove water or other liquid waste.
French drains reroute water flow from low or pooling areas on a property. French drains consist of a trench dug at a slope to direct water to the desired direction, usually towards the street gutter or storm drain. The installer will place a few inches of crushed stone in the trench along with a drilled PVC pipe. PVC is preferred because it lasts longer than its counterparts, and PVC is serviceable with a plumber’s snake in the event of a clog. We suggest an optional landscaping fabric installed between the stone and pipe to deter weeds. The final step is filling the trench with gravel to grade. Dirt is spread along the trench to conceal the stone, but the stone will be visible due to the shallow trench that is a french drain.
Curtain drains are similar to French drains, but curtain drain trenches sit about three feet below ground level with a broader width at about one and a half feet and have a downward slope to carry excess water. Curtain drains are necessary when the landscape is not easily modified to promote the gravitational pull needed for a French drain. The trenching may be invasive for the property’s landscaping, but the finished product can be covered with soil to hide the trench. Covering the trench with dirt allows the drain to sit concealed, providing the same yard space as before.
Footing drains move water away from foundations to conserve the moisture content of lower-level rooms such as basements, crawlspaces, and garages. Footing drains consist of a drainpipe installed in a gravel trench, which sits outside the footings below the bottom of the concrete slab or interior floor. Drainpipes sit at a slope carrying water to a designated area, such as a dry well, storm sewer, or a sump pump.
Catch basins or drainage inlets, also called storm drains or curbside drains, catch surface runoff water and place them in a designated direction using a grated top sitting above piping, culverts, and ditches. Catch basins are found on roads and streets and serve the same purpose for low areas of yards and parking lots. They are commonly used in landscaping drainage systems and can be found in multiple sizes and materials suiting many purposes.
Sub-Surface drains consist of placing pipes at a slope beneath the soil surface. Excess water is removed quickly from the upper layers of the soil profile in the root zone. Sub-surface drains promote healthy grass, plants, and harvests.
Downspout drains direct excess water into a French drain using a buried downspout. The water is carried away from the building or structure to a designated area. Gutters carry rainwater or melted snow water from the roof to downspouts along the side of the building. If the landscape does not have enough slope to permit movement of non-capillary water, buried downspouts feeding into a French drain are necessary to ensure a healthy grass root zone, promote planting or harvesting, and control water pooling.
Dry wells carry surface water underground to dissipate into lower levels of soil. Dry wells are usually 30 to 70 feet deep and 3 feet wide at the surface. As gravity naturally diverts the water to the lowest point of the yard, a dry well provides runoff water with a place to collect and absorb into the soil. Dry wells contain excess wastewater from appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers, sinks, and baths.
Seepage pits are similar to dry wells managing the waste of gray water. Seepage pits can receive blackwater and clarified effluent from septic systems. Essentially they are holes that may vary in size and are filled with a factory-built unit consisting of perforated sides. Seepage pits alone are not considered efficient for septic wastewater disposal.
Our Guarantee
Howard Paving guarantees the work our experts produce. Our team members work efficiently without sacrificing precision. You will find our prices are reasonable and competitive with other New Jersey contractor service providers. Exterior property work often requires heavy machinery and hours of tedious labor. Some softscape, hardscape, and landscape work requires meticulous attention to detail that only our expert pavers, stone layers, operators can provide. Call us to help you with the heavy work. We are here to help you with your project, even if it is just part of the job! Customer satisfaction is our priority.
Howard paving is licensed, fully insured, and bonded. If your business, home, or industrial establishment requires professional paving or excavation services, contact us for your free estimate or schedule an expert consultation with one of our specialists. Howard Paving and Excavating serves the state of New Jersey in the following counties and their respective townships: Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Somerset County, Union County, and Mercer County. We hope to hear from you and help you throughout your construction project.