Water Diverters in Knoxville, TN

It can be. A single downspout concentrates runoff from a big section of roof into one small spot, and that's often enough to wet a crawl space corner. Extending it well clear of the foundation is a cheap first test, and if the corner dries out, you may need nothing else.

A buried solid pipe is the usual answer. The downspout connects to a line underground that runs out to a discharge point down the lot, so nothing sits on the lawn. It needs a clear outlet at the far end to work well.

A surface diverter or a shallow swale along the edge can turn that runoff before it reaches the wall and send it around the house. The right fix depends on how much water the drive sheds and where it can go. We'll look at the slope and the low spots during the estimate and lay out your options.

A swale is a shallow, gently sloped channel in the ground, usually grassed over, that catches surface water and carries it around the house. It works well where water sheets across a yard from higher ground. It needs enough fall and somewhere to discharge, so we check both first.

Water spilling over the gutter during heavy rain, or overflowing at the connection to the pipe, is a common sign. Little or no water at the far outlet in a storm is another. A buried line can often be flushed, and if it's crushed or full of roots, that section may need replacing.

Often it can. A swale or surface diverter along the uphill edge of your lot catches the sheet of runoff and steers it around the house to a safe outlet. If a lot of that water is soaking in and reaching the wall underground, drainage may be needed as well, and we'll tell you if so.

Probably not on their own. Water rising from below is groundwater, and diverters only deal with what's on the surface. They're still worth doing because they take some load off, and the crawl space will likely need an interior drain or sump as well.

Far enough that the water lands on ground falling away from the house and doesn't run back. A few feet usually isn't enough on a flat lot. Point them downhill onto ground that drains, away from neighbors, walkways and any spot where another downspout already empties.

A diverter or drain line along the house side of the patio can catch the runoff before it hits the wall and carry it off to the side. Concrete work itself is outside what we do, so our part is catching and routing the water. We'll show you how that would run at the estimate.

New gutters only help if the water they collect goes somewhere useful. If the downspouts still empty against the foundation, the roof water is simply being delivered more efficiently to the same spot. Extending or burying those discharges is usually the next step.