Louisiana’s climate and geography can cause problems for a building’s foundation. When soil becomes too full of moisture, shifting and moving of the ground can be uneven and extreme. These shifts are one of the leading causes of foundation damage to commercial facilities in south Louisiana. Effective drainage systems are the best defense to combat these issues.
Preventative Measures for Drainage Issues
In some cases, measures have already been taken to reduce the risk of water pooling up around the foundation of your business. Your landscaping may be structured with a downward slope and trenches dug into it allowing water to flow into a storm drain, ditch, or nearby reservoir.
Keeping these trenches maintained and free from blockage and debris is one easy step to successfully keeping water far away from your foundation. While this can reduce the amount of water that soaks into the ground, channeling the ground water away from your facility and away from the foundation is important. There are many ways this can be done:
- Extending downspouts- Spouts that drain rain water from your roof pour water into the ground. Extending the pipes at the base can reduce the amount of rain water that soaks into the ground near the foundation.
- Mind holes close to the foundation- Some pets will dig holes very close to the edges of your foundation which will fill with water. Work on training your pet to not dig or make sure that any holes dug closely to the foundation are filled.
- Plant bushes, small trees, or flowerbeds and shrubs around the edge of your foundation- Shallow-rooted plants not only add visual appeal to your yard but will soak up excess moisture in the soil, as well as catch and absorb falling precipitation before it ever touches the ground.
- French drains- These perforated pipes are buried in the ground and used to catch ground water and carry it into another drainage system.
- Place drainage pipes in low-sitting areas of the yard- if you have dips in your yard that seem to catch and hold large amounts of water, installing a drainage pipe is an easy fix to divert the standing water.
If you find that you may have drainage problems on your property, WCK Foundation Repair offers services to help remedy these issues before they cause damage. Our professional repair team has worked in Louisiana’s unique climate to fix and prevent foundation problems.