Effective yard drainage prevents water damage to your home’s foundation, maintains a healthy lawn, and eliminates soggy, unusable outdoor spaces. While many drainage solutions rely on gravity to move water away from your home, these methods aren’t always feasible – especially if the problem area is the lowest spot in your yard or neighborhood. In these cases, installing a dry well may be the ideal solution for managing excess water.
How Does a Dry Well Work?
A dry well is an underground water storage system designed to temporarily store and slowly release excess water into the soil. Think of it as a hidden reservoir that collects water during rainstorms, preventing large puddles from forming on the surface. Instead of letting water pool in low spots, a dry well directs it into a below-ground chamber, where the surrounding soil will absorb it.
This system effectively eliminates standing water, reducing the chances of erosion, foundation damage, and the frustration of a perpetually soggy lawn.
Unlike a rain garden, which dedicates visible space to water management, a dry well operates discreetly beneath the surface, maintaining your lawn’s appearance while still solving drainage problems. You can cover most dry wells with grass or other landscaping elements for a cohesive aesthetic.
Combining a Dry Well With an Outdoor Sump Pump
You may need to add an outdoor sump pump system if you routinely deal with high water volumes and slow-draining soil.
Here are some scenarios where combining a dry well with an outdoor sump pump system might be the best option.
- Limited yard space: If you lack the space for a large dry well, you can install a smaller one with a sump pump to move water away from your home.
- Heavy clay soil: Since clay doesn’t drain well, you can use a sump pump to remove water that the soil can’t absorb quickly enough.
- High water table: The soil can become super saturated when the water table is close to the surface, making it challenging for a dry well to work effectively. Use a sump pump to prevent flooding.
- Runoff: If your dry well collects a massive amount of runoff from your roof, yard, or driveway, the amount of water may exceed its storage capacity. A sump pump can assist by actively moving excess water away from your yard before it becomes problematic.
Additional Yard Drainage Solutions
Consider expanding on your dry well and sump pump system for comprehensive water management.
- French drains: French drains are trenches filled with gravel and a perforated pipe that directs water away from problem areas.
- Gutter extensions: Extending your downspouts underground facilitates downhill drainage of roof water.
- Grading: Correcting the slope around your yard allows water to flow away from your home instead of pooling near your foundation.
Your Drainage and Waterproofing Experts
Installing a dry well can be effective if you often deal with standing water in your yard or drainage issues near your foundation. Combining a dry well with an outdoor sump pump, French drain, gutter extensions, and yard grading may be ideal for homeowners with clay soil, limited yard space, or large volumes of runoff.
Crawl Space Ninja’s experienced team designs and installs custom solutions to prevent your basement or crawl space from flooding. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help with your yard drainage needs.