# Severe Drainage Issue



## KHouse75 (May 14, 2008)

This is the same post you made back on 5/30/2009.

http://www.diychatroom.com/f16/drainage-issue-my-lawn-45616/#post280730


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## TooledUp (Jul 7, 2009)

It looks like you already have some sort of underground drain from your eaves trough. Can't you just run a perforated tile along the side and tie into that drain? You could also just run a perforated tile along the side towards your back yard with one of the pop-up drains? Another idea would to bring some dirt in and just crown your side yard so the water runs in both directions.


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## kirridam (Dec 25, 2008)

KHouse75 said:


> This is the same post you made back on 5/30/2009.
> 
> http://www.diychatroom.com/f16/drainage-issue-my-lawn-45616/#post280730


KHouse75,

Is this what you had in mind when you gave me that explanation in the previous post: http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/3716654132/


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

Ayuh,... Is there Fall from beside/ between the houses out to the sidewalk/ road,..??
In the back of the house,...
Is there fall from the problem area to where you were standing to take the pictures,..??

Of so,...
All you have to do is create a shallow V shape in the soil, pitching whichever way between the houses you want it to Go...
The water will follow the swale... 

You need to find vertical drop,+ steer the water where you want it to go..


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## kirridam (Dec 25, 2008)

Bondo,
See attached image. Do you think it will be a good idea to dig the swale along the blue line?



Bondo said:


> Ayuh,... Is there Fall from beside/ between the houses out to the sidewalk/ road,..??
> In the back of the house,...
> Is there fall from the problem area to where you were standing to take the pictures,..??
> 
> ...


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

> Do you think it will be a good idea to dig the swale along the blue line?


Ayuh,...
That's a round about way of getting there ain't it,..??

It appears in that picture, that there's somewhat of a large swale/ cut coming from up by the mud fence, down along, just off the bare ground(lawns change color to brown?) area on the right of the photo...
Ideally,...
That large swale/ grade should be carried well past your property,...

In your other pictures, you show the water originating up the that area,+ coming down, I believe a Red line....
Divert it at it's source to flow down your back property line....
That alone will alleviate most or all of your problem water....
That, and getting your neighbor to move his downspout on the street side of the house...


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## Spike99 (Dec 24, 2007)

Your back yard looked like my home's back yard - before I fixed the problem myself (back in 2005). 

For over its 15 consecutive years, our home's back yard was always "average" water condition. It was "too wet" when it rained and it was burned brown in the hot seasons. But after a bad rain, my back yard was always the last to dry - enough to walk on. After some "rich guy" built the appartment building behind us and "back filled" around this high foundation walls, my home's back yard got flooded. Flooded - after every rain fall (because my home was now the "lowest foundation" home in that area). I called my local building department and they said his "building permit" was completed last winter (when the ground was frozen - LOL!) and "signed off". There was nothing they would do about it. Politically, they would NOT open up his completed building permit and charge him the repair costs. They basically told me to go "hire a lawyer". No kidding...

To make a long story short (and threatening to call in the media many times), my village drainage / sewer dept installed a catch basin in my back yard (and didn't charge anyone). If wondering, its located in the far corner of my back fence. After they signed off that install, I then "manually dug" in. Dug over 300 ft of trenches in my back yard. Installed over 300ft of 4" drainage pipe (that now feed into this catch basin), added over 10 CU yards of gravel (for ontop of the drainage pipe) and added 45 CU yards of top soil. Thus, also raising my back yard 6" (on average). Took me 3 months to complete (of manually digging 2 hours each night) but when all was completed, my back yard is now amazing. When it rains, my back yard is dry the next day. And during the extreme dry season, my back yard's grass is green as well. The other back yards have burned brown grass. Yes. I installed simular under ground dainage system as installined my many farmer fields. 24-28" under ground piping spaced 8 ft with 6" of pea-stone gravel ontop of the tile runs. Now, I love my new back yard - especially its new under ground water drainage system.

Some folks don't like digging. Especially manual digging with a shovel. But in the end, my new back yard was well worth it. And yes, I now have a much better back yard. Especially when my kids want to play on great feeling grass. 

You may have to do the same "under ground weeping tile system" as well...

.


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## efren alviso (Jul 20, 2009)

what's the basic slope angle of a drain pipe of 4inches drain pipe


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## Spike99 (Dec 24, 2007)

efren alviso said:


> what's the basic slope angle of a drain pipe of 4inches drain pipe


Go with 1% slope or better. re: minimum 1 ft lower for every 100 feet out.

For more details on "french drain", surf all details within:

http://landscaping.about.com/cs/lazylandscaping/ht/French_drains.htm

.


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## kirridam (Dec 25, 2008)

Bondo said:


> Ayuh,...
> That's a round about way of getting there ain't it,..??
> 
> It appears in that picture, that there's somewhat of a large swale/ cut coming from up by the mud fence, down along, just off the bare ground(lawns change color to brown?) area on the right of the photo...
> ...


Bondo,

Another quick question about digging the swale. How big do you think the swale should be? Also, what tool should I use to dig the swale? Will a trencher do the job?

Thanks
kirridam


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

Ayuh,... A Swale is nothing more than a slight depression between two slightly higher berms...
If the center of the swale is an Inch lower than the sides,... It's a swale...
Of course,... The grade for the center of the swale has to continuously drop...Or it'll pond up...

I'd think a Dozer would be My 1st choice to recut + continue the neighbor's swale down past your house,...Starting at the lower righthand side of the picture(where your Red line starts),+ continuing to the lower righthand side, *Out* of the picture...
It looks like a Hump, right at the right edge of the picture, just under the white building...
At least, that's what I see in your pictures...

Btw,....I'm trying to answer Your questions,.. But,... You've answered None of Mine.... That ain't helping much...


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