Drainage Problems in Yard
More then half of all home owners have drainage problems in their backyards, and there are really only two options once this occurs: sell your house or deal with it. Flooding problems in the backyard not only can kill the grass, it can damage your property's resale value. If the drainage problems are occurring near the foundation of the house, the house itself can suffer water damage or corrosion.
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Determine the Flooding
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The first thing to do when trying to solve the drainage problems in your backyard is to identify where the flooding is actually occurring. This is usually not too difficult if you investigate where the water is pooling every time it rains. Usually there is some depression in the yard or the grass where the water can't naturally flow out of or won't absorb into the ground. Once these areas are identified, you can investigate different ways to change this.
Where the Water Will Drain
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Next you should determine where the water which is pooling in your backyard will drain. It's doubtful your backyard is a fishbowl, only allowing it to drain to the middle, so unless this is the case, you can usually find a way to dig out and smooth down a part of the yard where the water is naturally pooling so that the water can flow away from the backyard and off your property. Make sure you're not draining the water into another problem area, like your neighbor's property. You can usually dig all of these areas up and smooth them down pretty easily with shovels and proper leveling of the soil.
Draining Techniques
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There are a number of simple techniques and things you can install to drain the backyard quickly and efficiently. By building subtle slopes of soil against the base of your home, a protective slope will be formed to keep water from pooling against the foundation of the house, protecting it for a time from water damage. However, this should be checked regularly as the soil will be worn away after a number of rains. A French drainage system, which entails putting PVC pipe drains into ditches in your backyard, can also be installed to drain the yard, though this is rather time intensive and can be expensive, especially if you hire someone to do it for you.
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