Need French Drain Advice

[RobertN]

Run a french Drain there. Use solid pipe with holes(not corrugated. Put in a surface drain box too. Tie it in with you gutter down spouts. Nice neat and tidy /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Now, since that area is already kind of a swale, you might be able to do some minor grading, and direct the water to a surface drain box, near the corner of the building. Have the surface drain box tie directly to the downspout drain on the corner... You might get away with just a few feet of pipe, a Y, and a drain box.

 

[RobertN]

Run a french Drain there. Use solid pipe with holes(not corrugated. Put in a surface drain box too. Tie it in with you gutter down spouts. Nice neat and tidy /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Now, since that area is already kind of a swale, you might be able to do some minor grading, and direct the water to a surface drain box, near the corner of the building. Have the surface drain box tie directly to the downspout drain on the corner... You might get away with just a few feet of pipe, a Y, and a drain box.

 

[Highbeam]

I know a picture can be deceiving when trying to eyeball grades but I like option three if there is enough grade. Anytime you can just grade the surface to drain you take away potential failure points. The downspout system looks to be too shallow.

Option 3 for me. Cheapest one too.

 

[Highbeam]

I know a picture can be deceiving when trying to eyeball grades but I like option three if there is enough grade. Anytime you can just grade the surface to drain you take away potential failure points. The downspout system looks to be too shallow.

Option 3 for me. Cheapest one too.

 

[EddieWalker]

Mike,

I'm a HUGE fan on the KISS way of doing things. Keep it simple....

I also like cheap and easy when you get the same results as complicated and dificult.

Reminds me of a story about NASA. They needed a pen to write with in space. After millions in research they made on. The Russians just use pencils.

I don't know if this is true or not, but the point is that you can design and build an elaborate drain system the will work just fine. Migh take some maintenance down the road, and it can very well fail in a decade or two.

From the picture I saw of the water and the woods, it looks to me like the ground slopes down to the woods real nice.

How deep is your standing water??

It looks to me like it's not very deep and what you need to do is dig the drainage ditch at that depth into the woods so it will all drain out on it's own.

There's plenty of dirt there to remove, but if your gonna dig a trench for a french drain anyway, it's still half the work and no cost in materials. Maybe some grass seed or more rock to finish it off, but tha't to be done either route you chose.

MY vote is option 4. Open it up and let it drain off of the surface!!

Eddie

 

[EddieWalker]

Mike,

I'm a HUGE fan on the KISS way of doing things. Keep it simple....

I also like cheap and easy when you get the same results as complicated and dificult.

Reminds me of a story about NASA. They needed a pen to write with in space. After millions in research they made on. The Russians just use pencils.

I don't know if this is true or not, but the point is that you can design and build an elaborate drain system the will work just fine. Migh take some maintenance down the road, and it can very well fail in a decade or two.

From the picture I saw of the water and the woods, it looks to me like the ground slopes down to the woods real nice.

How deep is your standing water??

It looks to me like it's not very deep and what you need to do is dig the drainage ditch at that depth into the woods so it will all drain out on it's own.

There's plenty of dirt there to remove, but if your gonna dig a trench for a french drain anyway, it's still half the work and no cost in materials. Maybe some grass seed or more rock to finish it off, but tha't to be done either route you chose.

MY vote is option 4. Open it up and let it drain off of the surface!!

Eddie

 

[KentT]

If it were me, I'd go for option 1 and change your grade to take the water into the woods (assuming you own the woods). IMO, bringing it out to the driveway (option 3) just opens you up to possible erosion problems there...

If necessary you could put some small stones (6" or so) in the edge of the woods for a "splash pool" to slow it down and spread it out so it doesn't cause erosion there. But, I'd try it first without that extra work...

 

[KentT]

If it were me, I'd go for option 1 and change your grade to take the water into the woods (assuming you own the woods). IMO, bringing it out to the driveway (option 3) just opens you up to possible erosion problems there...

If necessary you could put some small stones (6" or so) in the edge of the woods for a "splash pool" to slow it down and spread it out so it doesn't cause erosion there. But, I'd try it first without that extra work...

 

[Doc_Bob]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Recently we regraded behind the pole barn to gently slope the ground where there used to be a drop-off. The rain-water wants to pool in this area so we need to install a French Drain to route the water away from the barn.

This is what we see after a rain. )</font>

Mike, put a deck around it, some chlorine and call it a pool. In the summer when a drought occurs, you can use it for watering /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Seriously, run a pipe down the left side of your garage (when facing garage) and let it drain down the hill to those enourmous beaver ponds you have. You could just run a large hose (siphon it) during the rainy season. If the water is 24x7 problem, go for something fancier. If the water only shows up for a few days, weeks, go simple and cheap. It won't cost you anything to drain it with a hose for now.
Bob

 

[Doc_Bob]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Recently we regraded behind the pole barn to gently slope the ground where there used to be a drop-off. The rain-water wants to pool in this area so we need to install a French Drain to route the water away from the barn.

This is what we see after a rain. )</font>

Mike, put a deck around it, some chlorine and call it a pool. In the summer when a drought occurs, you can use it for watering /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Seriously, run a pipe down the left side of your garage (when facing garage) and let it drain down the hill to those enourmous beaver ponds you have. You could just run a large hose (siphon it) during the rainy season. If the water is 24x7 problem, go for something fancier. If the water only shows up for a few days, weeks, go simple and cheap. It won't cost you anything to drain it with a hose for now.
Bob

 

[LarryRB]

We do French drains all the time in New England. Most everyone uses fabric or better yet a sock. The reason for the drain and to stop surface water pooling is, insects. Mosquito's love a puddle like that, especially next to a building. As in the picture that you posted, sock, perforated pipe, ( I just bought 200 ft a Lowes with sock and it isn't expensive at all) Dig down three feet, install 6" stone, sock covered pipe, fill remainder with stone. You can even go to final grade surface, and make it look like another parking spot for extra equipment.

 

[LarryRB]

We do French drains all the time in New England. Most everyone uses fabric or better yet a sock. The reason for the drain and to stop surface water pooling is, insects. Mosquito's love a puddle like that, especially next to a building. As in the picture that you posted, sock, perforated pipe, ( I just bought 200 ft a Lowes with sock and it isn't expensive at all) Dig down three feet, install 6" stone, sock covered pipe, fill remainder with stone. You can even go to final grade surface, and make it look like another parking spot for extra equipment.

 

[PineRidge]

Eddie I like your way of doing things. Less work sounds much better anyhow. The water to the garden and the wiring for the driveway proximity alarm pass just this side of the wooded area so I can't open a trench without exposing the utilities. I can however dig a collection box in and run plastic pipe to the wooded area, then cover the pipe and utilities back up. All I'll need to do then is gradually contour the ground so the water finds the collection box. The water in that area is presently about 6 to 8 inches deep.

Bob I need to get that water out of the spot its in before the beavers decide to build another dam, this one behind the pole barn. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

BTW: The neighbor was trapping them and someone turned him in. Guess he got a visit from an unhappy game control cop. Don't know what the final outcome on that one will be. I was hoping that he would take care of all of the beavers myself but he only got 4 before he was busted. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[PineRidge]

Eddie I like your way of doing things. Less work sounds much better anyhow. The water to the garden and the wiring for the driveway proximity alarm pass just this side of the wooded area so I can't open a trench without exposing the utilities. I can however dig a collection box in and run plastic pipe to the wooded area, then cover the pipe and utilities back up. All I'll need to do then is gradually contour the ground so the water finds the collection box. The water in that area is presently about 6 to 8 inches deep.

Bob I need to get that water out of the spot its in before the beavers decide to build another dam, this one behind the pole barn. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

BTW: The neighbor was trapping them and someone turned him in. Guess he got a visit from an unhappy game control cop. Don't know what the final outcome on that one will be. I was hoping that he would take care of all of the beavers myself but he only got 4 before he was busted. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Doc_Bob]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Eddie I like your way of doing things. Less work sounds much better anyhow. The water to the garden and the wiring for the driveway proximity alarm pass just this side of the wooded area so I can't open a trench without exposing the utilities. I can however dig a collection box in and run plastic pipe to the wooded area, then cover the pipe and utilities back up. All I'll need to do then is gradually contour the ground so the water finds the collection box. The water in that area is presently about 6 to 8 inches deep.

Bob I need to get that water out of the spot its in before the beavers decide to build another dam, this one behind the pole barn. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

BTW: The neighbor was trapping them and someone turned him in. Guess he got a visit from an unhappy game control cop. Don't know what the final outcome on that one will be. I was hoping that he would take care of all of the beavers myself but he only got 4 before he was busted. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif )</font>

Sorry to hear about the beaver lovers. Use the same hose and slowly darin the beaver pond. They will go elsewhere. Talk to your neighbor. Tell him about the power of the siphon.
Bob

 

[Doc_Bob]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Eddie I like your way of doing things. Less work sounds much better anyhow. The water to the garden and the wiring for the driveway proximity alarm pass just this side of the wooded area so I can't open a trench without exposing the utilities. I can however dig a collection box in and run plastic pipe to the wooded area, then cover the pipe and utilities back up. All I'll need to do then is gradually contour the ground so the water finds the collection box. The water in that area is presently about 6 to 8 inches deep.

Bob I need to get that water out of the spot its in before the beavers decide to build another dam, this one behind the pole barn. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

BTW: The neighbor was trapping them and someone turned him in. Guess he got a visit from an unhappy game control cop. Don't know what the final outcome on that one will be. I was hoping that he would take care of all of the beavers myself but he only got 4 before he was busted. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif )</font>

Sorry to hear about the beaver lovers. Use the same hose and slowly darin the beaver pond. They will go elsewhere. Talk to your neighbor. Tell him about the power of the siphon.
Bob

 

[Cottonhawk]

Mike,
We are in the process of finishing our French drain jobs....about two thousand feet all together. We use 4" or 6" perforated pipes with sock which is easier and better than cloth. The drain pipes were bought in 100' rolls. The construction is the same as your posted attachment and we use 3/4" ballast to fill the entire drain ditch. Some of the longer drains or corners we did put in water collection boxes or buckets.
Looking at your attached pics, I'd suggest you drain the water to the wooded area.

 

[Cottonhawk]

Mike,
We are in the process of finishing our French drain jobs....about two thousand feet all together. We use 4" or 6" perforated pipes with sock which is easier and better than cloth. The drain pipes were bought in 100' rolls. The construction is the same as your posted attachment and we use 3/4" ballast to fill the entire drain ditch. Some of the longer drains or corners we did put in water collection boxes or buckets.
Looking at your attached pics, I'd suggest you drain the water to the wooded area.

 

[PineRidge]

Well it's finally dried up around here enough to finish this headache. I took the route of running the drain pipe through the wooded area. Here's a picture standing beside the pole barn and facing the area where the pipe was run.

Naturally I have seeded the area since the pipe was backfilled. Once the grass is established it will keep the silt out of the pipe. I also installed a clean out so the garden hose could be used in the case of a back up.

 

[PineRidge]

And here's the route through the wooded area that the drain runs. While the trench was open I also put in an air line that aerates the pond (the fish love it)