If you groan every time it rains because water collects in your basement or around the foundation of your Bedford, NH, home, consider installing a French drain system. This type of drain can help to eliminate the water trouble that plagues your landscape when a storm comes.
What Is a French Drain?
A French drain is a pipe that has small holes to collect the ground water surrounding your home and lawn. After the hole is dug, gravel fills the bottom and the pipe is laid on top. More gravel covers the pipe and then the drain is covered with soil so that it can’t be seen.
The pipe collects the excess water that, if not contained, would fill your basement and seep into the crawl space to cause stressful and expensive problems for you. Once the water fills the pipe, it is funneled to a part of the landscape that is able to absorb the water without causing damage.
Related: 4 Kid-Friendly Landscaping Ideas for Your Backyard in Amherst, NH
How Does a French Drain Work?
A landscape service will come in and bring equipment to dig a trench around the entire house near the foundation as this is where the water collects and stands, then seeps through the ground and into the walls and floors of your basement or crawlspace. The pipe has holes large enough to collect the water but not large enough to get clogged with dirt.
The gravel that fills the bottom of the trench is also designed to help divert water away from your home’s foundation. Once the pipe is laid, it is covered with a shallow layer of gravel to keep dirt from filling the small pipe holes.
In the process of digging, the trench is extended to a lower part of the landscape so that the water will flow in that direction and away from the house. This can be toward some woods, toward a storm drain in the road, or just in a better part of the landscape to carry the water away.
Once the drain is complete, it is covered with soil and could be topped with plants and flowers so that you will never even know it is there except for the lack of moisture in your basement.
The Advantages of a French Drain
A French drain is an excellent option for several reasons in eliminating water problems that plague your home. Since it has no moving parts, it is unlikely ever to stop working. Once it is installed, the water collects and flows to a better part of the landscape. This type of drain can last indefinitely.
Related: Prevent Damage to Your Foundation With a French Drain in Peterborough, NH
Who Can Help You with a French Drain?
When searching for a service to help you remove the water from the foundation of your home, look for a landscape service with experience in excavation, too. In this way, you have found a landscape company that can not only design the perfect French drain for your unique property, but also a company that can design plantings to complement your home’s exterior once the drain is complete.
When you find a service that is passionate about creating the best outdoor living spaces, your Bedford, NH, backyard and basement water problems will be gone for good.
