# Driveway sloped toward garage, floods garage in heavy rain.



## ckkone

Hello,

At my wits end with this problem...

To make a long story short, where my driveway and garage meet is the lowest point on my property and my entire front yard slopes toward the driveway so in heavy rain it ends up flooding my garage. When I first moved in there was just a small grate with a basin below and after the first rain storm I knew that wasn't going to work.

So what I did was cut a 12" trench the width of my driveway and dug down 30". Then I lined the hole with weed barrier and filled it with washed gravel and finished it off with permeable pavers. Well come to find out this is not going to work either now I'm not sure what to do and I'm looking for suggestions.

The biggest issue I face is there is no where for me to drain it to a lower point, I think I'm going to need to install a pump somewhere..


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## creeper

People with more know how in this will be along shortly, but I think you forgot the 4" corrugated weeping pipe


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## CplDevilDog

What area are you in? Heavy rain events like Florida or more like Arizona? Is freezing a possibility?


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## Yoyizit

ckkone said:


> Well come to find out this is not going to work either now I'm not sure what to do and I'm looking for suggestions.
> 
> I think I'm going to need to install a pump somewhere..


Your soil is not permeable enough. 

Rainfall data for your area may help you size your 12V pump. You need to know the catchment area. 1"/hour in 100 sq. ft. is 8 cu.ft/hour = about 1 gpm. Lifting this water 3' takes at least a 5W motor. Add piping and some kind of water level switch and you're done.


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## ckkone

Yoyizit said:


> Your soil is not permeable enough.


I think that is the main issue its mostly clay/sand. I live in Salt Lake City, UT and we don't get that much rain but tend to get downpours when it does..


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## Nailbags

Heavy rains in Utah? Well what you for got to do is is put in the perforated pipe to let it move out and a way from the house to a sump and have sump pump there to pump out the water. Second thing to do is place a speed bump angled away from your house so the water runs a way from it. make sure it is at least a foot a way from the door. or the last most costly is jack hammer up the drive way and re grade it so it slopes a way from your house.


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## ckkone

I didn't put a perforated pipe to basin becuase there is no where to put a basin. Take a look at the picture below and you can see on one side of the driveway is concrete stairs and the other side an enbankment with a retaining wall. There is no lower point to move water away to, but I'm open for any suggestions..thanks and keep them coming.


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## Nailbags

right were that cinder block is jack hammer that out put a sump pump in. and pipe the water in to your neighbors basement just kidding on the last part. but that is what you might have to do is place the sump right there and pipe the water some were.


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## ckkone

Trying to avoid that since that is the landing to the stairs for the main entry into the house. 

What normally happens is water will pool in the middle becuase of the slope of the driveway toward the old drain, eventually if it rains hard enough and long enough it will make its way into the garage. 

I had an idea to remove the center paver and replace it with a 12" x 12" catch basin with a 6" extension and put a pump in there to take the water out to the street.


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## creeper

Can you dig in under the retaining wall and continue under the sod and daylight it at the driveway


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## Nailbags

ckkone said:


> Trying to avoid that since that is the landing to the stairs for the main entry into the house.
> 
> What normally happens is water will pool in the middle becuase of the slope of the driveway toward the old drain, eventually if it rains hard enough and long enough it will make its way into the garage.
> 
> I had an idea to remove the center paver and replace it with a 12" x 12" catch basin with a 6" extension and put a pump in there to take the water out to the street.


that could work? just remember that water always finds it own level.


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## ckkone

No, beyond that is my neighbors diveway which is level with the sod so I couldn't do that without a pump.


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## High Gear

Consider regrading the front yard ( tereces ect) so it won't funnel 

additional water to the drive.

I'd look for passive ways instead of relying on on a pump that 

may be out of commision when a storm knocks out the electric.


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## CplDevilDog

Are there gutters on the house? If there are do they have Rain Conductors that daylight out the back of the house? Thinking you might tap into them.

The 4" perf pipe in the gravel is a "nice to have" but not a "must have". The lower resistance of the gravel will allow it to drain _as long as you put positive slope in your initial dig._ 

You should put filter fabric over the gravel so fines like sand don't clog the system.

Could (might have to) go under the sidewalk and into a dry sump. With infrequent rain you are describing it should be easy to calc the correct size.


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## hanklewis

Thanks for the post. I ran across this same issue the <a href="https://hhrdayton.com/">other</a> day and came across this post. Gave me some ideas on how to solve my problem.


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## ron45

According to your last photo.
There are options to rid you of this problem but are you willing to change the layout of your yard/surroundings.?

The surroundings are causing the problem.?


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## stadry

*zoeller m-53 pump & decent size sump - ebay for about $ 175 total*


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