When it rains, your driveway does not absorb the water like your yard does and instead allows the water to pool or travel to lower ground. Depending on how your driveway is sloped, this water can cause flooding in your garage, yard, and even inside your home. Driveway drainage issues are common, but luckily for homeowners there are multiple solutions available to remedy this damaging problem.
Drainage Problem: Puddles in the Driveway
If your driveway wasn’t laid properly to begin with, you may notice weak spots or sunken areas of asphalt. With enough rainfall, these low spots will allow water to collect and pool. In the colder months, the water will freeze and expand, allowing the sunken areas to spread and grow larger, further damaging your driveway.
Solution: A few small low spots can typically be fixed by having them professionally filled or having small site drains installed to keep water from collecting. However, if the sunken areas are larger, the driveway may have to be removed and a new one will need to be properly installed in order to correct and prevent this issue.
Drainage Problem: Standing Water in the Yard
When your driveway is sloped incorrectly or isn’t set up to allow for proper drainage, water can move towards lower spots in your yard and pool there after heavy rainstorms. Not only does this standing water make for an unsightly lawn, but it can also kill the grass and attract mosquitos.
Solution: Drains for your yard are available that can be installed to capture and store standing water in the low spots of your yard. With these devices, the water will slowly percolate back into the ground and keep your grass from flooding. A more long-term solution, however, would be to regrade your driveway so that water drains to an area away from the landscape.
Drainage Problem: Flooding in the Garage or Inside the Home
Having a driveway that slopes down towards your home or garage can be a big issue when it rains. The water has nowhere to travel but towards your home and once inside can cause mold, mildew, and damaged floors.
Solution: A driveway drain can be installed at the top of your driveway nearest to the home. This trench drain is long and narrow, and extends from one side of your driveway to the other, helping to ensure that all excess water is caught by the drain, rather than allowed to flow into your home.
1855-GOT-PAVING is your best resource for driveway repair in Maryland. Contact us today for more information on the paving services we offer.
