# Backyard drainage problems



## nowwhatnapster (Oct 26, 2008)

I bought a 1950 ranch on a hill. Its on the flat part of a hill, but its on a hill. The front yard slopes down from the house to the street and the back yard slopes down into the house. We get a good amount of water coming into the basement. Seepage through the cinder block wall, through the perimeter of the bulkhead and the window well next to the breezeway turns into a waterfall. The 50 pint dehumidifier can't seem to get past 56-59% humidity. 

Here is a graphic to help. I intend on doing a full accurate 3d model, but its going to take awhile. This is what I have so far.


















So let me explain a little. Orange indicates water flow/pooling. Yellow line is old undeground 4" clay pipe. White indicates gutters/downspout. Dotted blue line is a proposed underground PVC pipe to redirect 1 downspout.

The best solution would obviously be to regrade the backyard, but those two big 70yr old maple trees are in the way. I would have to remove the closest maple to regrade properly. I can regrade in front of the garage and I intend to because it is a prime spot for a patio.

I am not using the underground clay pipe. I unclogged it and it appears to drain well, but its just going to saturate the ground and that would make for a damp basement if I am correct. 

The only plans I have so far is to redirect the downspout with PVC indicated in light blue. That should rectify the water pouring into the window well and relieve some saturation in the soil.

My biggest dilemma is the area right behind the house between the two trees. I was thinking of trying to do a french drain, but I will hit a ton of roots and I don't want to damage the tree too much. Would a french drain farther up the hill help at all?

Any ideas?


----------



## 95025 (Nov 14, 2010)

If this were my house, I'd immediately do some dirt-moving, that would result in a higher berm against the back of the house, and a lower "channel" between the house and the hill. Slope that channel around the tree, and down toward your driveway.

For erosion control, you need to get grass growing in that channel ASAP. You might want to look into hydro-seeding.

Water always follows the path of least resistance. This gently-sloping channel would not be a perfect fix, but it's probably the cheapest, and most readily accessible to you - unless you want to spend some big buck$.


----------



## DanYang (Jun 7, 2012)

You should dig some french drains around the house.


----------



## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

You need to regrade the land. Preferably with the low point out near
the "bottom" of the hill and this gently sloping channel goes all the way
around to the driveway to let the water out there.

Nothing will stop the flooding of the basement until you stop the
pooling of water against the foundation.


----------



## biggles (Jan 1, 2008)

i would test this... plug that down spout in the gutter with the lead out pipe, then let the far one take it away from the yard entirely(if you don't have a tap cut one in)then lead it out at the far end of the house.


----------



## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

Ayuh,.... Ya need a bulldozer, 'n a good operator,....

Couple hours on a blade, 'n the regradin' will fix up the whole deal,...
Take the hill water both ways 'round the house with swales,...
That tree looks easily savable...

Then reseed...

If ya resize yer graphics to somethin' smaller,... Alot smaller,... It'd be easier to help ya...


----------



## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

To the person who started this discussion:

Please go back and edit your post, breaking up the lines of text to be shorter by 
inserting an "enter" every now and then.

The way it is, the text does not fit on the screen so people can only guess as to 
what you are saying and replies may be unsuitable or incorrect.

Alternatively replace the picture with a narrower picture or cut the picture in half 
to put one half on top of the other to take up less width.


----------



## nowwhatnapster (Oct 26, 2008)

Sorry about the picture size. I made it smaller, let me know if that works. 

Well here's the deal. I agree the swales would be ideal, but I dont have the funds and my wife doesn't have the capacity to handle the idea of a bulldozer running around the yard right now. French drains are a possibility, but I don't like that they clog eventually. 

So I am looking at budget and wife friendly solution. Here is a graphic for what I had in mind. 








There are two downspouts in the back that terminate and the water has no where to go but into the ground/my basement. I was thinking of re-routing both these downspouts (the dark purple lines) so they terminate in better locations.

Do you think this is a reasonable plan? I think I could pull it off for about $100 to $150 with schedule 40 pvc. The only concern I have is the termination points. One is on grass and I am afraid it might erode the hill. I could take it all the way to street level, but I would likely need to CBYD because my sewer and water enter on the front right corner of the house.

Oh and yes that is a Rockefeller sized pine tree in my front yard.


----------



## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

nowwhatnapster said:


> Sorry about the picture size. I made it smaller, let me know if that works.
> 
> Well here's the deal. *I agree the swales would be ideal, but I dont have the funds and my wife doesn't have the capacity to handle the idea of a bulldozer running around the yard right now.* French drains are a possibility, but I don't like that they clog eventually.
> 
> ...


Ayuh,.... Get yerself a wheelbarrow, a shovel, 'n a pickax,...

You can build a swale, 4, 5' away from the house,... for Nothin'.....:wink:


----------

