Drainage is the most important for Artificial Grass. It is crucial that rainwater is syphoned away from the grass or you’ll likely to end up with bothersome pools of water lying on the grass every time it rains or when you water your plants. If the artificial grass isn’t installed with drainage in mind, the life expectancy of your grass will be shortened. The pools of water can make the grass look unlevel in some places and of course children and pets won’t be able to play on the grass without getting wet. The grass itself should be fully permeable so that rainwater can run straight through it to the sub-base, however it’s the sub-base installation that potentially poses problems. Good quality artificial grass, when installed correctly, should drain rainwater through a drainage base below the leveling layer which is the sand. Not installing this layer is typical of a poorly installed lawn so you’ll want to make sure you prepare your base thoroughly before laying your grass. Most good installers will excavate the old current grass layer and remove the debris before laying an aggregate sub base on top of the soil.
Unfortunately, many installations from experts have been below the standard at which artificial grass should be safely and efficiently laid. Common issues such as lack of preparation, insufficient depth of soil, or simply the wrong drainage aggregate use are common occurrences. By carrying out a full excavation of the existing surface, any reputable installer can tell you how much drainage you should be laying to prevent any flooding issues.
Here are some tips on How to prevent Drainage Problems on your Synthetic Grass:
Use Synthetic Turf with Drainage:
The best type of artificial grass is highly permeable, as it has drainage holes built into it. This means that any water will just pass right through it without any problems. Drainage holes are small holes that are dotted throughout the grass and they can only be seen by looking at the underside, so they won’t spoil the look of your beautiful new lawn in any way. By sticking to high-quality synthetic turf, you will get grass that looks great and won’t give you any flooding issues. You can check Nice Backyard’s Synthetic Grass as they have different types of grass that you can choose. They do installation too and supply products for customers.
Proper Installation:
Install properly your chosen Synthetic Grass. This is vital if you want to have the best possible drainage and a wonderful looking lawn. You can do this yourself or you can call in the professionals to do it for you. In either case, you must put down a waterproof membrane together with a drainage base layer of sand. You need to add an infill layer of sand, which will help with drainage as well as giving a fantastic finished look. By making sure that the lawn is perfectly flat and even, you will give water no places where it can gather and cause puddles that take longer to clear way.
Use a Natural Slope:
If you have problems with drainage in the past, then you have been using a natural slope for your existing lawn. When you make the switch to synthetic turf, this is no longer an issue. You have the option of removing the slope and getting a beautifully flat lawn if you want to. On the other hand, if you want to carry on with the same sloping lawn, then this is also an option. You won’t have any problems too with installing artificial grass on a slope, although you will want to be sure to fix it down well if the slope is steep. Fixing it with nails and avoiding the use of a sand infill are a couple of techniques you might need to use.
Don’t Block the water in:
An artificial lawn gives you a tremendous amount of possibilities when it comes to finishing it off with decorative touches, but you need to careful that they don’t ruin your chances of keeping your lawn free of water. You also need to leave a clear route for any surface water to run off from your lawn when it rains. If you block the water run-off, then you will undermine everything else that you have done up to now.
Less Water Run-off means Less Flooding Risks:
If you are moving from a concrete garden or some other impermeable surface then, you should notice a positive effect on the amount of water that runs off to elsewhere after heavy downfalls or sustained periods of rain. There is no need to worry about your synthetic lawn being a flooding risk. Provided that it is of good quality and is professionally laid, you will get a fantastic surface that drains a lot more easily than you might expect.