gutters / rain run off?

[EddieWalker]

Drain lines are not like supply lines. You always need to go as big as possible. I think that you will regret using a 3 inch line if you go that rought. If you want to use PVC, you can used thinwall for drain lines and save some money.

I would just use the corrugated rolls to really save some money. If you keep the pipe attached to your downspouts, and screens over the tops of the downspouts, you won't have to worrry about them ever plugging up. At $30 for a 100 foot roll, you won't find anything cheaper for the 4 inch lines. The six inch line is quite a bit more, but still a bargain compared to anything else in that size range!!!

I've been told, but can't prove this, but for every half inch that you increase the size of your pipe diamater, you increase the amount of water that will flow through it by 2 1/2 times.

As for digging the trench, sometimes it's harder thinking about it then just doing it. I just dug one through some trees, along a flower bed and uphill t my house for my hot tub. I dug it by hand in hard clay and waited until the last minute to dig it. It wasn't very much fun, and a few times I thought about not doing it, but that wasn't really an option. I stuck with it and eventually it got done.

Eddie

 

[Chuck52]

The corrugated black stuff is pretty easy to work with, but if you bury any joints be sure they are not at a low spot and try to make them as water tight as possible. That's not easy with the corrugated pipe. At our last house, the previous owner had buried the corrugated pipe to carry off the rain water, but he had a joint in a low spot near the house and most of the water came out there causing water to get into the basement. Major headache. At my present house, the water drains into solid pvc except where I just had some foundation work done. The foundation people used the corrugated pipe to re-connect two drains they had to remove to do their work. That leads to solid pvc and I'll end up digging it all up because I'm sure there's no way the connections are water tight, and of course the six inch pvc they go to doesn't have much pitch to it. I'm pretty sure water comes out at the connections during heavy rains, and might even pool in the line all the time. I should have been there when they were doing that work, but I had to go earn the money to pay for it.

Chuck

 

[Sigarms]

Eddie, you're right about the digging part, however, I'm in a back brace for three months, and nothing "heavy" after that for another three months or I may end up needing surgery again (which I don't want to go through again).

However, with the right front side of the house, I'll probably end up taking the tree and shrubs out from the corner, then dig for the piping, then after that, work the steps I put in to that side door I put in the garage into a larger deck area up to the cement driveway (this will at least give me a reason to rip up the timber and gravel I put down to those steps).

Worst case in the meantime is I can pick up some of that large OD plastic pipe, get some adaptors and run it to areas I'd want to force the water to go until I get better.

Then again, heck with it, could just be off to united rentals and get a buddy over

 

[Egon]

Go for the bigger pipe.

With back problems why not make a level run on the surface for the pipe. Then backfill over it and smooth it out. Might be easier than digging.

 

[N80]

I hate gutters. Lots of work if near trees and point flooding from the downspouts. Our city house had them and it was all I could do to leave them in place.

I hate them too, but where I am, which is not too far from you, they are pretty much a requirement. When I bought my 30 year old house 10 years ago the gutters where rusted out and the underside of the house was very wet. Put up oversized gutters and have then cleaned out twice a year for about $75 and the underside of my house stays nice and dry. I have plastic tubes that attach to the bottom of the gutters and direct water away from the house. Works like a charm.

Kind of funny though, having this discussion. When was the last time any of us in the upper SC, NC region saw any rain?

 

[Sigarms]

Kind of funny though, having this discussion. When was the last time any of us in the upper SC, NC region saw any rain?

LONG TIME

One reason why my wife thought they should go up now, hoping we have time to figure out how we want to handle the water diversion issue from the drain spouts.

 

[Sigarms]

With back problems why not make a level run on the surface for the pipe. Then backfill over it and smooth it out.

You had me thinking for a second

 

[N80]

I have 'woodsy' areas around my house that are covered in some sort of alien mutant monkey grass. I use the plastic tubes to direct the flow into these areas of monkey grass which keeps it from causing erosion. Works great, but I'm not recommending this monkey grass. I'm pretty sure I'm going to come home from a trip one day to find house, lot and driveway covered in this stuff.