Drainage - A Play in 2 Parts

 Hey y'all, and welcome to my weekly Toad Talk!  

This week we're going to talk about drainage.   It's going to be a biggie, because proper drainage is extremely important to keep your lawn and flower beds healthy.  

Part 1 - Drainage Off The House

Here, we are going to start at the top.  First thing we need to do is clear all the sticks, leaves, and loose roof gravel from the nooks and valleys of our roof.   This debris prevents water from flowing properly, and causes it to pool in the nooks and crannies.   That doesn't sound so bad, right?   WRONG.   Built-up water causes the water to wick up inside your shingles, which will cause major roof leaks and even worse, rotting of the roof.  

Next, we need to clean out the flats of the gutters - again, removing all sticks, leaf matter, and debris from roof gravel.   Clean out the downspout elbows also, as we are washing out our gutters.  This prevents gutter overflow, which can backflow into your soffit and facia, causing rot or mold inside the the soffit, which can eventually grow into your interior walls.  

Y'all - it's extremely important to keep your gutters clean.  

Keeping your gutters clean prevents 90% of facia rot, rafter tail rot, soffit mold, and edgeline roof leaks, all which can add up to be very expensive repairs.  

Next, let's move on to our lower downspouts.  We want to insure that they are also clean of all debris.  We want our draining to be extended at least 4' off of our house, to prevent crawlspace flooding.   Even a small amount of water that gets inside your crawlspace can cause mold and mildew to grow inside the crawlspace.  It could permeate inside your home, making for respiratory issues for you and your family.  

Irrigated flowerbeds should also have proper weep holes if you have hardscapes, or sloped off the house if not edged.  

Y'all, standing water is never good.  Just these few steps to start can save you thousands in repairs and mold mitigation around your house.

Thanks for reading, and always remember!  Nothing grows without water!   ... just keep it outside.  😉