If you want to give clients a good first impression, you need to make sure that your business is in good condition. Not only should the inside look attractive, but the outside should be as well. If you don’t have a good drainage system in place, however, your property will start to look deteriorated quicker and clients will be unimpressed.
Every commercial property should be well taken care of. This means neat landscaping, clean paint, and smooth sidewalks. If you have water pooling in the lawn or water damage on your roof, clients will get the wrong impression and be much less inclined to do business with you.
Why are Drainage Systems Important?
If you want to keep your property in good condition and avoid expensive water damage, you must have a good drainage system in place for your property. A good system will direct water away from your business without hindering its appearance. The best drainage systems are nearly invisible unless you know what to look for.
While many property owners know there’s a risk, not enough knowledge about the true extent of commercial water damage. There can be many reasons for water damage and it isn’t just burst pipes and backed-up plumbing. From roof leaks to standing water near the foundation, damage can occur from anywhere if you aren’t prepared for it.
With an improved drainage system in place, you can alleviate the risk of water damage coming from outside. You may have to make some changes to your current drainage system, but it’s in your best interest to act before the rain comes.
Types of Commercial Drainage Systems
#1. Trench Drains
Stainless steel trench drains are common on commercial properties and can be used both indoors and outdoors. These linear drains use a channel to collect and redirect water that may pool on an otherwise flat surface. By allowing the water to slip through a perforated grate, trench drains can subtly get rid of standing water in a large area and be made as long or as short as you need.
Trench drains are great for driveways, parking lots, and loading docks. They can even be used indoors around machinery that produces a lot of wastewater or other liquid to keep floors dry and safe for work.
#2. French Drains
French drains are a subtle way to drain grass and lawns on commercial properties. First, a trench is dug so that a perforated pipe can be installed. Once the pipe is in place, it is usually covered with gravel to help facilitate drainage. Topsoil and grass can be placed on top of the gravel to completely disguise this drain.
In lawn areas where standing water is a concern, french drains are a great solution. They’re easy to install and disguise, but they’ll help keep your front lawn from pooling when it rains and will help keep your soil from getting soaked through with water.
French drains can be used to direct water into a storm drain or water main, wherever your business wants to direct it.
#3. Siphonic Drainage
Many commercial properties have flat roofs which can make water drainage near impossible if you don’t know your way around commercial roof drains. While there are a couple of different options, siphonic drainage is growing in popularity and is highly effective.
Siphonic systems use drains with a baffle on top of them to prevent air from entering the system. Due to this, the drains have a lower atmospheric pressure than the outdoors and draw water in faster than gravity would. Once the water is in the drain, it can be directed into a storm basin, water main, or out of the building entirely.
#4. Gutters
If your property does not have a flat roof, then you may be able to use gutters and downspouts for your roof drainage system. Gutters catch water before it has the chance to run off your roof and into your foundation. They then redirect the water into a downspout that will take the water to wherever you send it.
There are a few ways you may decide to set up your downspout drainage, but underground drainage is the best for commercial properties. It directs water away from your property without visible pipes. You may decide to send the water into a catch basin or to connect it to your city’s storm drain system. Whatever the case, underground downspout drainage is a way to benefit from the system without adding ugly pipes to your landscaping.
#5. Grading Drainage
If you want to hide your drainage system or use a natural method, grading drainage is a possibility. By reworking the ground around your business, you can make sure that it slopes away from your property and into a drainage system at the base of the slope. This will give you an all-natural draining system without having to worry about pipes and trenches.
Why Should You Improve Your Commercial Property’s Drainage System?
If you already have a drainage system in place for your commercial property, then it can be hard to convince yourself that it needs to be improved. The costs to reinstall drains can be high, but water damage repair costs are often higher.
For properties that already have a drainage system, you may not need to do much to improve it. There may only be one or two upgrades that you need to make before your property is well taken care of and protected. For other properties, though, you may find that there is quite a lot of work that needs to be done.
While installing new or improved drainage systems may seem expensive, it’s important to remember that you’re doing it to prevent more expensive repairs in the future. Even just a minor upgrade can do wonders to protect your property, so don’t wait until after your foundation is damaged to look into improving your drainage system.
