You may not have thought you would need garage floor drainage when you bought your home. But now you may be noticing water pooling in your garage after a heavy rain.
Isn’t a garage supposed to protect you from precipitation? How does the water get in, and how can you prevent it?
What’s the Cause?
Water might pool in your garage many reasons. The installation contractor may have poured the slab incorrectly; garage floors are supposed to slope toward the street. Without the right pitch, rainwater can easily run back into your garage unchecked.
Another reason may be soil settlement. Over time, as air pockets in the compacted soil give way, the concrete garage floor slab may slowly sink.
It’s a Safety Risk
The puddles in your garage are annoying, but they can also have more serious consequences than a little frustration. If you regularly use your garage as a work area and operate power tools, standing water increases your risk of electrical shock.
Pooling water in certain areas means the floor is uneven, and uneven pavement can pose a tripping hazard — another danger.
If the slab is cracked, water could be spreading beneath it and destabilizing both the garage and home foundations. Long-term, it could mean serious structural damage.
Besides the safety concerns, standing water is a nuisance because it becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes. You’ll need garage floor drainage before starting any renovations you may be planning in this area.
A Drain May Not Be the Answer
There are many different garage floor drainage solutions, but some are more viable than others, depending on local building code.
Many homeowners think installing a drain is the right fix. But it may not be for two main reasons.
If a drain wasn’t built into the slab’s initial construction, it will be difficult, time-consuming and costly to add a drainage system without tearing out the garage floor. Also, the drain may not work the way it’s supposed to, especially if the garage floor continues to sink.
And many building codes don’t allow drains in garages. The reason for this is because harmful chemicals and gasoline produce a toxic runoff that cities would like to keep away from local water supplies.
What Does Concrete Lifting Do?
You’re in luck — you still have a repair option that’s both effective and in line with local building code: concrete lifting. While you may have to get a permit beforehand, you can hire a professional concrete lifter to raise the level of the slab to create the necessary slope and prevent pooling water.
Your best concrete garage floor drainage solution may be the most affordable option as well — call Lift-Up Concrete today for a free quote.
