If patios, paths and driveways are installed properly, they feature a slight slope so as to drain any surface water away effectively, thereby preventing pools of water from collecting on the paving slabs.
However, this strategy may not always be sufficient to ensure complete success and you may find you need to build a drainage channel to help clear the water and send it on its way to a soakaway or surface water drain.
These channels can be fit in the middle of your patio or other paved area, with the paving on either side of the channel sloping inwards towards the channel edges to make sure the water doesn’t escape. You can either mould your channel in concrete or you can invest in a ready-made drainage channel made of something like plastic or resin-bonded clay.
Another alternative is to build a land drain, installing a drainage pipe system below ground to help prevent water from building up. In this instance, it’s important that the water doesn’t go into the main sewer system and, instead, it should be diverted to elsewhere in your garden or to a surface water drain.
You can also divert it to waterways like rivers or lakes, but you will need to seek permission from your local council before you do this.
A soakaway may be the best option and you can buy these ready-made, which can make life easier and get the job done quicker. Essentially, these are big holes in your garden that can collect excess water and drain it into the ground more slowly, stopping it from sitting on the surface and waterlogging your outdoor spaces.
Again, it’s important that these aren’t used for sewage or household drainage and you need wto make sure that they don’t drain into the sewerage system… but this is something that the team here at LW Landscapes can certainly help with, so make sure you get in touch if you’re unsure of what to do.