Here at Swartz Restoration & Emergency Services, our hope is that you never experience any sort of water damage.
Most often, water damage occurs inside the home from something inside the home.
Yet there are possible sources of water damage that come from outside the home.

This article is about Water Damage Prevention outside your home.

Landscaping Tips for Outside Prevention

As we look at the outside of our homes and businesses, there are some things we can do to help ensure that water damage doesn’t originate outside and move inside.
It begins with our landscaping, and there are two main rules we will follow.

Two Main Rules

Slope Away –

When it comes to the ground around the foundation of your home, the best tip to keep in mind is Slope Away.
Water moves toward two specific types of areas: the driest and the lowest.
If the ground around the home is slightly higher than the level of the yard, rain water will be drawn away from the base of your home.
The opposite is also true.

If the ground around the home is slightly lower than the level of the yard, rain water will be drawn toward the base of your home.

And THAT could result in water damage, especially if the second rule is clogged.

Drain Away –

Home builders don’t simply build your house.
They also think about how to protect it from water damage.

Foundations and basements are built with drainage in mind.
Tiles are buried beside or slightly below the base of the foundation, and those tiles slope away from the home to drain away toward the neighborhood’s storm drain.
In the country, the drain tiles lead toward ditches and county tiles that direct water toward creeks and rivers.

When those drains are functioning properly, all of the rain water is able to drain away from your home, keeping your home safe from water damage.

However, trees have these things called roots, which seek out water so the tree can continue to thrive.
When a trees roots are near a drain line, they have been known to enter and clog up the drain tile.
When that happens, it doesn’t allow the water to drain away from your home any longer.
Instead, it builds up and backs up and sits, until it finds those two things it always looks for: drier and lower.

If the water sits long enough, backing up and rising higher and higher, it may eventually find a hole in your foundation or a crack in the wall, and seep into your home.
That’s when water damage begins from outside your home.

Water Use Outside your Home

When using water outside your home, it’s best to keep the water as far from your foundation as possible.
When water is able to run down along your foundation, it seeks out the driest, lowest spots.
If there is a crack in your foundation, water will enter it and begin to saturate your home.

Hoses and sprinklers –

Pay attention to your hoses and sprinklers.
Don’t let them spray the side of your house, especially for long periods of time, because all of the water is simply running straight down along your foundation.
If a hose is left running long enough near the foundation, it could cause water to pool up and flow into the home when it’s above the threshold of a wall or door.
We have seen that happen before!

Downspouts and Drains –

It’s wise to clean out your gutters and downspouts to ensure the rain water is able to flow away from your home so that it doesn’t get inside and cause water damage.
If you notice water in the drains NOT flowing away, then there may be a clog in the drains.
If you wait too long, you may experience water damage as it backs up.
If your sump pump is unable to keep up, then it will overflow and definitely cause some water damage.

Again, our hope is that you never experience water damage in your home or business.

We hope this article has sparked some new ideas for your water damage prevention strategy for your property.
If, however, you do ever experience water damage in your home or business, please give us a call immediately at 419-331-1024.

We are the professionals who will help you to Dryout, Cleanup and Rebuild after water damage emergencies.