A User’s Guide to Proper Driveway Drainage

Driveways that don’t properly drain water can cause quite a bit of trouble for homeowners. If water is pooling in or around your driveway, you’ll need to consider your options for increasing drainage. Drainage contractors in Saratoga Springs, NY will be able to help you determine the best solution for your home.

Why drainage matters

Is your driveway an ice skating rink during the winter? Is water collecting in areas that are now cracking? Maybe lower parts of your home experience flooding during the rainy season. Any of these reasons are good enough to speak with one of the best drainage contractors in Saratoga Springs, NY at Asphalt Industries, LLC.

Your driveway is how vehicles access your home with ease. Maybe you have several drivers in your family, along with receiving regular deliveries. A driveway that is not draining properly makes it increasingly challenging for people in cars and trucks to get to your house without damaging their automobiles or possibly hurting themselves.

Swales

A swale can cause water to pool in specific spots on your driveway. Though subtle, a swale is a dip in the land. If it hasn’t rained recently, you usually won’t even notice driveway swales. However, any amount of precipitation quickly reveals their locations.

Swales are usually an issue for driveways where the land on either side slopes down to the pavement. Any drainage contractor in your area will understand how to best address these swales so that water drains instead of collecting in these small divots.

Pavement prevents drainage

Depending on the materials used to create your driveway when your home was first built, it might be that the actual pavement isn’t allowing water to drain. That is why experts recommend laying a driveway with permeable or porous materials.

A permeable driveway allows water to seep through to be absorbed by the soil beneath. A porous driveway is built in a grid pattern so there are areas between portions where water can soak through to the ground. Investing in either a permeable or porous driveway is the best way to deal with less-than-optimal driveway placement.

New builds and driveway placement

For those building a home now or in the future, give the placement of your driveway some considerable thought. A driveway should be built in an area where there are already existing methods for drainage. Observe the land after a storm and make note of the places where rain collects on the ground. This is where you do not want to place your driveway.

Additionally, you’ll want to place the driveway so that it slopes away from the house. If the driveway slopes towards your home, a minor rainstorm could cause significant flooding in your basement and other parts of the house.

Really any paving project, whether it’s a driveway or something else, needs to take into account how drainage will be handled. As one of the top drainage contractors in Saratoga Springs, NY, Asphalt Industries, LLC has helped property owners find solutions for driveways and more. Put our years of experience to work for you. Contact us now for a free quote!