How to exit a drain pipe from a hillside

[Travelover]

I need to exit a 4" plastic pipe from a french drain from a hillside that is also part of my lawn. I'm trying to think of a design that is not a trip hazard, won't get hit by my mower, won't clog up and isn't too ugly.

If I just cut off the pipe at the same angle as the hillside I have a trip hazard and the top lip of the pipe will probably be exposed as the soil is so thin there.

One idea that I have is to weld up a grill that would lay flat into the ground and have the water discharge through it. I'm not sure if the grill would tend to move around (Michigan winters), or if the grill would clog easily. The pipe will also be hooked to a drain near my garage apron, which may take in a few leaves.

Anybody done something similar?

 

[smiley]

There are galvanized discharge outlets available that we use on highway shoulder drains, but all that I've used were for steeper slopes than you're showing and would still need a grille to not trip and mow over them. You're probably better off just making a grille as you mentioned. I'd suggest one with pins driven into the ground to prevent movement.

 

[ultrarunner]

I always use a grated catch basin reversed to the water flows out of the basin...

Nice and level, no tripping hazard.

 

[Kays Supply]

I live in S Illinois and I have a couple drains close to what you are working with. The freeze issue is a concern. I had to dig the pipe back into the hill and ditch the drain to grade. That way the ground is covering more pipe and helps keep it down. It still raises some, but it is workable. I would guess up there it would be even worse. I also went back a few feet and increased the pipe size so it has more room to handle the water freezing at the exit.

 

[ultrarunner]

Sorry... didn't account for freeze conditions... it never happens here where I live in California.

 

[JakeBrake]

Here's a couple of pictures showing how I handled that situation. The first picture was taken during installation a couple of years ago. The second picture was taken very shortly after Tropical Storm Lee came through last Sunday.

 

[tommu56]

I used one of the inlet boxes that are about 6x6 square and cut the bottom out and put it on stone the excess water comes out the grate over the top the rest soaks in the stone to drain it

 

[massey990]

Is there a reason you don't want to use gravel? The right sized gravel should maintain the grade and allow the water to flow through it.
To expand on the thought, a "dry well" could be extended just below grade below the end of the pipe which could be covered with a membrain and seeded or sodded over?

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Is there a reason you don't want to use gravel? The right sized gravel should maintain the grade and allow the water to flow through it.
To expand on the thought, a "dry well" could be extended just below grade below the end of the pipe which could be covered with a membrain and seeded or sodded over?

I thought about that idea as well but then remember the OP mentioning the grage apron may tie into this line so debris is a concern and stone would eventually plug up with leaves and other debris introduced from the gutter. So it would be a maintance issue having to dig up the stone every so often to clear out any garbage that made it in.

I personally would just cut the pipe flush and see what happens. I don't see it being a trip hazard as once its there people will get use to it and if they find themselves tripping over it often, well, don't ever let them drive. But if it does become a problem you can always adapt a grate after the fact. Mowing, just straddle over the opening and don't worry. I would be more worried about mowing over a steel grate and having it pop up under the deck destroying the blades, if the plastic pipe rises some how the mower won't even notice.

 

[massey990]

I thought about that idea as well but then remember the OP mentioning the grage apron may tie into this line so debris is a concern and stone would eventually plug up with leaves and other debris introduced from the gutter. So it would be a maintance issue having to dig up the stone every so often to clear out any garbage that made it in.

I personally would just cut the pipe flush and see what happens. I don't see it being a trip hazard as once its there people will get use to it and if they find themselves tripping over it often, well, don't ever let them drive. But if it does become a problem you can always adapt a grate after the fact. Mowing, just straddle over the opening and don't worry. I would be more worried about mowing over a steel grate and having it pop up under the deck destroying the blades, if the plastic pipe rises some how the mower won't even notice.

I re-read the OP and realized the same thing about the leaves etc...

 

[Hiltz]

Why not add some black drain pipe (the cheap flexible stuff) length to your pipe, bury it and have it discharge somewhere its not in the way.

 

[MillWeld]

Here's a couple of pictures showing how I handled that situation. The first picture was taken during installation a couple of years ago. The second picture was taken very shortly after Tropical Storm Lee came through last Sunday.

Cool construction technique:thumbsup:! Dual purpose packaging/concrete forms:laughing:
Sometimes the cement and aggregate separate in the bag and need mixing. Unfortunately you have to open the bags to do this
Can you disassemble the structure or are the "blocks" bonded together?
Bob

 

[MikeD74T]

I have that configuration downstream of my sump pump & gutter drain. Continue the trench until the bottom comes to grade & backfill the last 3-4 feet with crushed stone. The water will warm the stone to the point where it will drain before freezing & mower will pass over it easily. I tend to mow around rather than completely over because the power bagger will suck up some of the stone. Have never had an issue with stone plugging, leaves & grass get flushed away every time it flows. MikeD74T

 

[Travelover]

Why not add some black drain pipe (the cheap flexible stuff) length to your pipe, bury it and have it discharge somewhere its not in the way.

Thanks, all for the suggestions so far.

Hiltz, the land quickly flattens just below where the pipe would exit, so it would be difficult to discharge a pipe that was below ground level, short of digging a hole for it to discharge into.

 

[jml755]

We have a footing drain here at work that exits a hillside and we just poured a concrete pad around it (conforming to the hillside slope) about 12" square. This also helps with erosion right around the pipe. Our pipe spills onto a concrete drive, but in your situation, I'd put some gravel below the pad to dissipate the outflow. When I exited a drain tile into a creek on my property, I put gravel below it to avoid eroding the bank.

 

[Hiltz]

Thanks, all for the suggestions so far.

Hiltz, the land quickly flattens just below where the pipe would exit, so it would be difficult to discharge a pipe that was below ground level, short of digging a hole for it to discharge into.

Ahh, I was looking at your drawing. Sorry wish I could be more help. Your sure to get some good ideas here. I love this site. (Do you think it will snow this year?)

 

[Travelover]

We have a footing drain here at work that exits a hillside and we just poured a concrete pad around it (conforming to the hillside slope) about 12" square. This also helps with erosion right around the pipe. Our pipe spills onto a concrete drive, but in your situation, I'd put some gravel below the pad to dissipate the outflow. When I exited a drain tile into a creek on my property, I put gravel below it to avoid eroding the bank.

I had a similar thought. Maybe put a metal grill in the middle that would be easy to pop out and clean.

 

[Travelover]

Ahh, I was looking at your drawing. Sorry wish I could be more help. Your sure to get some good ideas here. I love this site. (Do you think it will snow this year?)

Yea, sorry for the drawing quality.

 

[Mistyridgefarm]

What about a piece of wide spaced expanded metal? Cut about a foot square. Trim/ cut grass to bare earth and peg over opening. Grass will grow anchoring it, fixes trip hazard, disperses mower pressure, and can be pulled up if clogged.

 

[JakeBrake]

Cool construction technique:thumbsup:! Dual purpose packaging/concrete forms:laughing:
Sometimes the cement and aggregate separate in the bag and need mixing. Unfortunately you have to open the bags to do this
Can you disassemble the structure or are the "blocks" bonded together?
Bob

Thanks,

The concrete bags are stacked, but not bonded. Each sack weighs 80 LB, so it won't move much. I may do some more work on the outlet. If so, I will just stack up some more sacks of sacrete. I like the stacked sacks. I've used stacked sacks for various projects. The sacks will almost always set up properly. the paper eventually comes off.

If you could get the sand bags used for flood contol and fill them with concrete, I'm sure it would work even better.