If you’re like many local homeowners, businesses, or universities, you’ve likely noticed some water pooling overtop of your concrete. If you’re lucky this pooling is in an out of the way area, but we’ve seen it take up the majority of driveways and even the inside of garages. While these problems can be insufferably annoying and even downright dangerous once the temperature goes down and the water freezes, they are also relatively easy to fix.

Why Is My Concrete Pooling Water?

Concrete pooling occurs when a slab that is used for drainage settles against the direction of the drainage. For example, a house built on a slight incline has a driveway slab that settles towards the house, leaving a one-inch trip hazard and a concrete slab going angled against the decline of the surrounding area. While the homeowners may not be too worried about the unlevel concrete, every time it rains water will pool along the difference of that 1” section. This pooling can be anywhere from an inch or two to several feet long depending on the amount of settlement and the original slope.

Unfortunately, settled concrete that causes pooled water often leads to further settlement, and thus further pooling. Most of the pooling issues we see (such as the image above) have a whole section of concrete that is affected, not just one slab.

My Concrete Isn’t Uneven, Why is it Pooling?

Sometimes when concrete is laid in an area with poor drainage, settlement can occur almost consistently throughout the stretch of concrete. While the concrete will look perfectly fine, the dirt around it will be at a slightly higher elevation giving a hint at how much the concrete has settled over time. Most of the time, walkway sections with this issue have very large sections that are blocked off by pools every time it rains. Fortunately for homeowners and property managers with this pooling issue, it is an easy fix.

How Can You Fix Water Pooling?

Since the problem is as simple as concrete settlement, the answer is as simple as concrete lifting. Once the slab is back to its original height and the original slope is restored, drainage will continue as it originally did and the pooling problems will be eliminated. Depending on the size of the pooling area, total work time is usually between 30 minutes and 3 hours. The two most common areas that experience water pooling are sidewalks and driveways, though JACKCRETE provides free estimates for all types of concrete.

Concrete Pooling Caused by Poor Drainage

It is important to fix any drainage issues you have in conjunction with getting your concrete lifted. Though sometimes settled concrete will be the root cause of concrete pooling, other times improper drainage channels will lead to soil erosion underneath a concrete slab. This, usually, will lead to concrete settlement. Think of it like this- settled concrete and concrete pooling may be the symptoms, not the disease. Our experts will be able to recommend any other repairs that will be needed in conjunction with JACKCRETE if we notice an underlying cause of the settlement. Otherwise, you may continue to have your concrete settle and then collect water even after your repair is completed. We will provide you with the proper advice to prevent this from happening, though it is not a service that our team provides.

Concrete Pooling Caused by Tree Roots

Unfortunately, not much can be done about tree root issues. If the difference is less than an inch or so, the concrete can often be lifted to eliminate the pooling. Otherwise, the tree will have to be removed and the concrete will have to be replaced. Replacing concrete is often about twice as expensive as concrete lifting, and takes significantly longer as well.

If you are unsure whether your concrete pooling could be caused by tree roots, a good rule of thumb is to look at how far the tree limbs extend. If the tree limbs extend over the concrete section that is uneven with pooling issues, then the tree could very possibly be the culprit. If you’re still unsure, don’t worry- the JACKCRETE team provides free inspections and can determine the cause of your concrete pooling ourselves.

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