Will Runoff From My Roof Ruin My Yard?

When you have had a storm does your yard get flooded? Roof water can pool and weaken root systems, lift fence lines, or make your garden all mushy and hurt the plants. Avoiding roof water problems in your yard requires a little foresight. Here are a few tips to help keep roof runoff from causing damage to your yard and garden. While you’re here, and have your roof on your mind, you might also like to read about fire-resistant roofing materials. And if you need to know more about roofing, you can visit Texas Roof Systems to find out more.

Get Rid of Waterproof Surfaces

This is your first step. When water follows your gutter system off of your roof and onto your yard, it may be directed to areas that you would not prefer. Run your gutters onto gravel for more-rapid absorption and not onto your cement patio or other waterproof surfaces. Also, make sure that the grade of your yard is such that water is not directed into areas where it will pool.

Use Drain Spouts to Direct Rain Runoff from Roof Surfaces

How to stop water runoff in yard surfaces where you don’t want it is to start at the level of the roof. Collect water from your gutters and send it via drain spouts in the directions where you want it to go. This way you can avoid turning your garden into a lake with each rain storm and ruining your fence lines with water that weakens the support.

Runoff Trenches Direct Roof Runoff Where You Want It

If you cannot avoid roof water flooding your yard, at least direct it to the areas least likely to have problems. You might even consider directing the water to strategically placed rain barrels and then saving that water for when the rains stop and your lawn dries out.

Take Advantage of Roof Water

An excellent idea for how to stop rain runoff in yard areas that can be damaged is to create a rain garden. Then you can direct the majority of your roof water there. Create a sunken plot where you put plants that thrive in water such as lilies. You can use this approach to get rid of excess roof water and save on your water bill as well!

Make Sure That Your Roof Water Runoff System is Secure

All of the planning in the world will not save your yard, garden, and fences from excessive rain runoff from roof water if your gutters and rain spout are not secure. Make sure that the gutters are cleaned routinely so that water doesn’t back up and flow over the sides of the gutters and end up where you don’t want it. Likewise, make certain that the connections to the rain spouts are secure so that rain water travels the path that you intended. If you discover damage to your roof water runoff system you should also check the roof itself. You’ll want to repair any roof damage you find as soon as possible. You could also investigate what elastomeric coating is made of, to see if that could be helpful for you.

Be Careful Where You Send Yard Chemicals

When you set out to rescue your yard from excess roof runoff, think about your lawn fertilizer and any other chemicals that you apply to the yard. When all of your herbicide, insecticide, fungicide, and fertilizer get washed into one area they may be very toxic. Think about how to stop rain runoff in yard areas where you don’t want it but be careful about where you send it. Chemicals that make your lawn green and protect it from weeds may not be so kind if you direct them into your rain garden. Nor do you want them to end up in a nature area where small birds and other animals live, eat, and drink. Don’t be afraid to ask for professional help if you need advice.

With careful planning and a little work you can keep roof water from ruining your yard and garden, prevent unwanted “lakes” on your property, and damage to structures on your yard. If your roof inspection revealed that you need some work done on your roof, you may like to read about how to choose a roofing contractor. If it might be time to completely replace your roof, this would be a good time to consider which is better, a metal roof or shingles. Once you’ve got your roof back in good order, you’ll be ready to do what you need to do to prevent your runoff from ruining your yard. Hopefully this articles has prepared you for that.