Outdoor Concrete Slab Drainage

Sometimes drainage will cause problems and that moisture can be directed away from the concrete slab.

Outdoor concrete slab drainage.

The surface of a concrete slab is impervious to water which means that if water can t run off the surface it will pool on your patio. If that water stays on your patio surface it will cause damage to the structure of the concrete itself and may form a breeding ground for mosquitoes and mold. In hot weather it can expand and if it meets with an unmovable object it will crack. If the water pools next to your home it can damage your foundation.

16 concrete slab crack repair. If you have a concrete pad for your patio you can actually fix it. Leveling existing concrete patio for drainage hello i am planning a diy project to screen in my existing and covered concrete patio. If your landscape prevents you from pitching the patio to allow for natural water runoff your concrete contractor can install an in slab drainage system with gravel filled channels to carry the water away.

Problems such as improper slope or no slope at all can begin with the pouring of the concrete. If there are no cracks in the concrete slab you can pour concrete right over it and slope it properly. So to calculate the difference in height between one end of a patio or walkway and another simply multiply the length by one quarter. Concrete expands and contracts with the temperature.

This can be a problem made worse by melting snow or a heavy rain. Although you can add a drain to an improperly sloped patio the best way to handle this is to make sure that the patio is sloped correctly when it is built. Find outdoor drainage accessories at lowe s today. The standard slope for proper concrete drainage is a one quarter inch drop for every foot of length.

The best way to prevent patio drainage problems is to plan for them when the slab is installed. It is not uncommon to see improper or inadequate drainage such as drain pipes that are too small for the amount of water they must move drain pipes that flow uphill or do not have enough drop to move water fast enough. When planning a concrete patio construction project one of the most important things to keep in mind is that your patio will inevitably have water buildup during periods of rainy and snowy weather. But the problems may not end there.