Drainage Guide: Yard Water, French Drains and Wet Basements
Most water problems we get called for start with the wrong diagnosis: a French drain where the grade was the problem, or a basement sealer where the downspouts were. These articles walk through finding where the water comes from first, then picking the fix that actually moves it off your property.
Start here
- Why Does My Yard Hold Water After It Rains?: how to find the cause before you pay for a fix.
- Do I Need a French Drain or Just Regrading?: how to tell which one your yard needs.
- Wet Basement in Central PA: why the fix is usually outside the house.
- Swale vs French Drain: which one your yard needs and why.
- How to Bury a Downspout So the Water Actually Leaves: pipe, pitch and outlets done right.
Finding the problem
- Why Does My Yard Hold Water After It Rains?: soil, grade and runoff causes of standing water.
- Underground Spring in Your Yard?: how to tell, test and fix it.
- Wet Basement in Central PA: Why the Fix Is Usually Outside: tracing basement water back to the yard.
- Water Running Into Your Garage?: how to stop it at the door.
- Drainage Solutions for Clay Soil: what works, what fails and why.
- Soil Types in Pennsylvania: what your soil means for patios, walls and drainage.
French drains and the alternatives
- Do I Need a French Drain or Just Regrading?: the questions that decide it.
- Swale vs French Drain: surface water versus subsurface water.
- Catch Basin vs. French Drain: which one your yard needs.
- Dry Well vs. French Drain: which one fixes your water problem.
Downspouts and sump pumps
- How Far Should Downspouts Extend From the House?: lengths by soil and slope.
- How to Bury a Downspout So the Water Actually Leaves: underground downspout lines that don’t back up.
- Sump Pump Discharge Ideas: routing the water so it doesn’t come back.
Grading and slopes
- Land Grading in Central PA: what every homeowner and builder should know about grade.
- How to Level a Sloped Backyard: getting the grade right before spring projects begin.
- Patio Slope: How Much Slope Does a Patio Need?: pitching hard surfaces away from the house.
- Retaining Wall Drainage: stone, pipe and outlets behind a wall.
Rain gardens and hiring help
- How Big Should a Rain Garden Be?: sizing math with worked examples.
- How to Choose the Best Yard Drainage Specialist: what to ask before you hire.
Free tools
Size a drain with our French drain calculator, check grade with the slope calculator and order stone with the gravel calculator. Before you send water toward a neighbor, read drainage laws by state, and see average rainfall by state.
Want the drainage drawn out before anyone digs? Groundwork online landscape design plans grades, drains and outlets to scale. In central PA, our crews install it: see drainage and site work, French drains in Lock Haven or get a quote. More topics on the guides page.