I purchased this home recently and when it rained, this happened. This is as soon as I step out onto my driveway. Would sand bags help in this case? I would love to fix it in the most cost effective way possible.
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1Can you show us a more zoomed-out pic of that area? It looks to me like you have drainage issues beyond just the concrete path judging by the look of the grass area next to it.– brhansCommented Jan 6, 2021 at 16:26
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2Well you cannot stop the rain but you can deal with the water. This is all about grading and drainage. You need to check your downspouts and make sure they are draining AWAY from the property. If your driveway is graded such that water flows into this area, there is little you can do but fix the grade.– jwh20Commented Jan 6, 2021 at 16:52
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If you allow this to continue, it could damage the lower part of the framing behind the brick.– Jim StewartCommented Jan 6, 2021 at 22:23
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1I can't tell where that straight-down shot is relative to the larger view.– isherwoodCommented Jan 8, 2021 at 19:53
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1Looks like you could be getting significant runoff from your neighbor. Do you have room along the edge of the concrete apron (the left side in your second pic) to dig a shallow trench and make a swale or french drain to keep the runoff off your driveway?– SteveShCommented Jan 8, 2021 at 21:51
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1 Answer
You have two ways to get rid of it.
- Pump the water away.
This will allow you to move the water to a higher elevation where it can drain away naturally. See sump pumps.
- Create a drain for the water.
You'll need to determine the best place for water to go. This depends on what is even further from your house. It looks like in the pictures that the driveway goes slightly uphill away from where the water is pooling and towards the road. If that is the case, trying to get the water to go that way will be hard.
Seemingly more likely, you could have it drain through the back yard. In order to do that, you'll either need to grade the dirt, or add another path for water to flow.
Grading the dirt: Since you have a low spot next to the drive way, you'll need to pull some from where you intend water to flow into the lower area. Water will flow down hill, and you'll need to make that hill for it to flow down, even if the hill is barely noticeable.
Adding another path: In this case, you'll dig a trench from the lowest point next to the drive way to either the edge of your property or a point where it will run off easily. You can use field tile (corrugated pipe) to run it in. If you use perforated pipe, you can put some rock on top and around it to let water in. You'll need a path for the water that's sitting to get into the pipe. Also, you'll want to run any downspouts in the area into that pipe to have them drain off too. Here is a description of how to install corrugated pipe.
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+1. OP is SoL on "cost effective". Needs a drain tile into a sewer. Preferably all the way across the garage door and then some.– MazuraCommented Jan 9, 2021 at 2:36
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@Mazura - yes but your drain tile can't run uphill. This is a pretty big undertaking. This answer sugar coats the issue - that the slope of this driveway is borderline ridiculous. What's worse is that they saw the issue and poured the garage door threshold higher so it didn't leak in... wow. This is a big big job to fix this. Pump it where? I mean if the house doesn't have water damage, don't introduce this water somewhere else.....– DMooreCommented Jan 9, 2021 at 8:41
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That's why I started with profanity. Bust up where the tile goes. Dig a hole next to foundation and core a hole through the footing. Bust up the slab in the basement and find the nearest sewer. That's assuming you're allowed, or even want to allow runoff water into it, adding the possibility to flood the house. I add manual diverters or shut offs for that event, but you have to be there, and aware it's happening.– MazuraCommented Jan 9, 2021 at 17:20
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@DMoore, pump it to somewhere where it can drain. I assume the road doesn't drain down the driveway, so that would be an ok place. Note pumping isn't preferred, especially if it might freeze. I noted that out the backyard might be a potential fix, but I can't say for certain without more information of the layout and how it might affect other houses.– BenCommented Jan 10, 2021 at 16:36
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@Ben - pumping water outdoors is complicated, prone to issues and not normal. The problem should be addressed. Even if we say "cost is an issue" you are possibly having them pay a lot of money for something that may never work right or fail quickly.– DMooreCommented Jan 10, 2021 at 23:39