What to Expect: A Quick Guide in French Drain System Installation and Repair in Armonk and Mount Kisco NY Areas

December 5, 2020 Halstead Media Group

If you are having trouble with standing water after a rainstorm in your Armonk and Mount Kisco, NY, area landscape, then an excavation expert can remedy that problem for you with a French drain. Here is a quick guide on what to expect.

Issues From Standing Water

Your home's foundation is thick and sturdy, but water will always find a way to infiltrate the smallest areas and then seep into others. Water that is standing around your foundation can soak into the wood of the structure as well as the sheetrock and basement areas. Once the moisture has invaded your home, this can become a breeding ground for mold, mildew, and fungus that can bring respiratory and other health problems with it.

With the exception of aquatic plants, no plant was meant to sit in water all the time, especially those making the foundation of your home look so pretty. When they do sit in water for a prolonged period, the roots will eventually rot, and the plants will die.

How a French Drain Helps

How it helps: A French drain is a system buried around the perimeter of your foundation. Once there, you cannot see it, but it works to remove the water that spills from your gutters and water that stays after a storm to cause problems in your home.

The drain collects the water as it slowly seeps into the ground. But instead of seeping into your foundation and basement, the water is diverted to a better place. The beauty of the entire drain system is that it will be working even when you cannot see it happening.

How it works: A French drain consists of a trench dug around the exterior of your foundation. At this time, an excavation expert can assess whether your foundation was treated with a moisture sealant and remedy that problem while installing the drain.

Once the trench is dug, they will lay gravel at the bottom to add extra drainage options, and then a pipe with small holes on the top is applied in the opening. This pipe is what will collect water from the surface to take it away from your home. They may add more gravel to the sides of the pipe, and then it will be covered with dirt.

The pipe will follow an underground path to your property's location, where it can slowly seep back into the ground but will create no problems.

How an excavation specialist protects your home: If you are worried that the excavation and disruption will create problems in your landscape, rest assured that they are very careful with the existing plants and trees and work to keep them undisturbed. Not only that, but they take extra care when digging around the foundation of your home to maintain the integrity of the structure.

Because they are experienced at what they do, an excavation specialist can install a French drain for water collection and return your landscape to its former beauty without damage. Once the French drain is buried, and the pipe is diverting the standing water, you will no longer have to worry about the issues that standing water can bring to your home.