California Water Drainage

The homeowners in Redondo Beach, Calif., have lived in their 1950s contemporary for more than three decades and their daughter’s growing awareness of environmental hazards has her thinking it’s time to get Mom and Dad on board for a hard look at their home sweet home. Home inspector and builder Rick Yerger is called in to assess the situation.

Inspector's Notebook
Our homeowners in Redondo Beach had trouble with mold, triggered by water seepage. Eliminate the water seepage, and you eliminate the mold. However, it may take some extra measures to get rid of troublesome and unwanted water.

If your gutters and downspouts are clear, try re-grading the soil around the house to direct the water away from the foundation. If that doesn’t work you may have to dig a little deeper for a solution and install subsurface drainage.

There are many kinds of yard drainage boxes and pipes that help collect and re-route water before it gets into your house. Choose what’s best for you and get ready to bury your water problems. Install yard drainage boxes where water ponds to catch surface runoff. Dig a trench and attach plastic or metal drainpipe to drainage boxes. Bury drainpipes underground, with a slight slope to help water flow.

Extend the underground drainpipe at least 10 feet away from your house before it opens to ground level or daylight. With that, your water problem should begin to evaporate, along with any mold.