It’s summertime, and you want to spend time outside, but how can you enjoy your patio if it is constantly filled with standing water? No worries! This article has the perfect solution for how to stop water pooling on patio.
“No one likes water pooling on their patio. It’s a safety hazard, an eyesore, and can lead to mold or mildew growth.”
As the warm days of summer quickly approach, many homeowners start preparing for that time when they’ll be spending more time outdoors with friends and family. One thing that you don’t want to happen is water pooling on your patio!
Water pooling on your patio can be a huge problem. If not dealt with quickly, it can lead to mildew growth and other unwanted substances that will make your outdoor space unusable.
Not only are these things bad for how your patio looks, but they also create an unsafe environment where mold spores could start growing in the stagnant water. So if you want to keep standing water off of your patio, continue reading.
Contents
- Why is Water Pooling On Your Patio
- 1. Improper slope
- 2. Cracks and Holes
- 3. Improper Drainage System
- How To Stop Water Pooling On Patio
- 1. Build a Soakaway Box
- 2. Level Your Patio
- 3. Install an Outdoor Drainage System
- 4. Build Up Your Patio With Pavers
- 5. Fill Up Any Low Spots With Subsoil
- How can I improve my patio drainage?
- Does Water Drain Through Concrete?
- What Does Regrading My Patio Mean?
- Author
Why is Water Pooling On Your Patio
There are several reasons why you could be experiencing water pooling on your patio.
1. Improper slope
If your patio is sloped incorrectly, water could be pooling due to how the flow of gravity works. As the water falls over your patio, it has nowhere to go but pool up.
2. Cracks and Holes
If your patio is chipped or cracked, it could lead to water pooling. As the water settles down into the hole of your broken section, it will create a puddle that isn’t easy to get rid of.
3. Improper Drainage System
Another reason why you may be experiencing water pooling is that your drainage system has become clogged with debris or dirt.
This will prevent water flow from running off into its designated area, allowing it to cover up parts of your patio instead.
How To Stop Water Pooling On Patio
The most common cause for pooling water on your patio is gaps or cracks in the surface where moisture can accumulate and form puddles.
Let’s take a look at several ways of how to stop water pooling on patio in the first place.
1. Build a Soakaway Box
If you have a sloped patio that is experiencing water pooling, then building a soakaway box can be an effective solution. A soakaway box is essentially just a large hole with some gravel inside for drainage purposes.
Before you begin digging, determine where the runoff is coming from on your patio surface. Then dig your soakaway box about one foot below the level of your bricks so it won’t interfere with anything else on the patio.
Fill the bottom of the hole with about three inches of stones or gravel before covering it up with soil.
If there are cracks in your bricks, plug them up with mortar to prevent water from seeping in through these parts later on down the road.
2. Level Your Patio
If you notice uneven patches on your patio where water seems to accumulate more often than others, this could be due to poor grading or slope issues.
One of the easiest ways to fix this problem is by raking your patio surface with a flathead rake. This will level off the surface and make an even grade for rainwater to flow across, rather than pooling in certain areas.
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3. Install an Outdoor Drainage System
Outdoor drainage systems are designed to carry away excess rainwater that falls on your patio. They come in various shapes and sizes, so you will have to assess the kind of patio you have before determining which outdoor drainage system is best for your house.
There are two kinds of drainage systems: surface drains and subsurface or weeping tile systems. Surface drains are designed to channel away water from your patio and carry it towards a storm sewer or other drainage system.
Weeping tile is a more complex drainage system that’s installed beneath the surface of your patio bricks instead.
A sump pump works with this kind of system by drawing out the excess moisture that collects in the weeping tiles. You can use this for sloped patios since it doesn’t require grading at all.
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4. Build Up Your Patio With Pavers
If your patio has a relatively flat surface, using paver stones as a building material is a great option for stopping standing water from forming on your patio.
Paver stones allow rainwater to flow straight through them instead of pooling together to form puddles.
This is because the spaces between each stone are wide enough for water to pass right through it easily.
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5. Fill Up Any Low Spots With Subsoil
If there’s anything on your patio like dirt, sand, or gravel that can collect water when it rains if you have any low spots on your patio where water accumulates after it rains, filling them up with some subsoil can be an effective way to stop standing water.
To deal with these low spots, start by raking patio surface until all the dirt has been cleared off and there are no other loose materials that could get in the way. Then simply load up the areas with some subsoil that won’t wash away or move around when it starts raining again.
Also read: Outdoor patio cooling systems in summer
How can I improve my patio drainage?
There are several ways to improve your patio drainage, but one of the most effective ones is by creating a soakaway box.
This device will allow rainwater to run through your patio and into it, where it sinks away instead of staying on top of the surface.
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Does Water Drain Through Concrete?
Concrete can absorb water, and depending on how porous it is, it may or may not drain the liquid. However, this will entirely depend on your home’s foundation.
What Does Regrading My Patio Mean?
Regrading refers to changing the slope of your patio so that water can run off properly without forming puddles on top.
If you don’t know how this works, consider hiring a professional who knows all about grading patios so they can get rid of pooling once and for all!
Pooling water on your patio is never a good sign.
It can cause damage to your home’s foundation over time, so it might be a good idea to consider the five ways how to stop water pooling on patio discussed above.
Use them together for maximum results!
