Can I ask a dumb question

[LBrown59]

Sure I can-I'm good at it.
Which way do the holes in perferated pipe go;face down or face up?

 

[CurlyDave]

Which way do the holes in perferated pipe go;face down or face up?

The holes face down.

 

[RedDirt]

Not so dumb. It's still spelled out in every Civil specification I review so even the pros get it wrong sometimes.

Holes down always....except.

There was an exception somewhere, honest, but I sure can't think of it now. Many, many years ago I ran across a spec for placing holes up but that must have been a specialized system of some sort. I'm sure all septic and normal drains like foundation drains and French drains are run with the holes down.

 

[slewisma]

There are conflicting views on which is correct. The theory I like most is that holes down because facing up would only catch the water when it happened to hit the hole on the way by or was already bad enough to put the water table higher than the pipe. Facing down catches the water table as it rises and starts draining it right away.

Another view is that holes up is for collector drains where you're trying to capture water and route it somewhere else and that holes down is for dispersal drains such as in dispersing septic water in the leach field.

In the end, it is more important to remember to slope the pipe down towards where you want the water to go than which way the holes go. I'd go holes down so any dirt that gets in the pipe has a chance to wash back out easier rather than build up somewhere and block the pipe.

 

[LBrown59]

Not so dumb. It's still spelled out in every Civil specification I review so even the pros get it wrong sometimes.

Holes down always....except.

There was an exception somewhere, honest, but I sure can't think of it now. Many, many years ago I ran across a spec for placing holes up but that must have been a specialized system of some sort. I'm sure all septic and normal drains like foundation drains and French drains are run with the holes down.

I've never figured out how to drain water from a place with a pipe full of holes ! ! ! !

 

[Eagleview]

I learn something new every day . I have always put the holes up so that the water runs down the solid other half and not just seep back out of the pipe and carry on as it was originaly .

 

[ray66v]

Put the holes down, and make sure you put the "sock" material over the pipe to keep the dirt out of the pipe.

 

[RedDirt]

Put the holes down, and make sure you put the "sock" material over the pipe to keep the dirt out of the pipe.

I need to differ with you on that. I had a big explanation written but TNB ate it before I could post. Suffice it to say that forensic evidence at failed drain systems of sock wrapped perf pipe found that the socks actually clogged the holes. The surface area of the holes is so small it does not take much for them to clog.

Standard practice now is to encapsulate the entire drainage gravel bed with woven, not felt type, filter fabric. That's drain applications. Of course, only the top of the gravel bed of a septic leach line is covered and sometimes it is covered with rosin paper or saturated felt, not filter fabric.

Another big contributor to failed drains was corrugated pipe, both perforated and solid. That was a big disappointment because it was so easy to use. Now we only use rigid PVC or SDR pipes.

 

[LBrown59]

big contributor to failed drains was corrugated pipe, both perforated and solid. That was a big disappointment because it was so easy to use. Now we only use rigid PVC or SDR pipes.

Here is what I use to keep leaves and stuff from getting into my pipes and culverts and plugging them up.
Works with both solid and corrugated drains .
This one is for 6 inch pipe or culvert.


I just made up a 4 inch one today for the new drain I'm in the process of installing now.

 

[Gizmo2]

Sure I can-I'm good at it.
Which way do the holes in perferated pipe go;face down or face up?

Holes down, lay the pipe in so the line (usually red) that runs the length of the pipe, is straight up and the bottom holes will be perfect for drainage with the solid part between the holes at the bottom, no guess work.