Digging drainage trench

[Richard]

Someone wrote once on the higher merits of using schedule 40 pipe buried in the yard for drainage. Seems it isn’t as easily crushed when driven over etc...as the black flexible pipe.

Ok, so I like that idea and need to bury some pipe to take my downspouts away from the house.

Problem: One downspout has me painted in a corner. On one side I have my well with water/electrical lines and on the other side of downspout I have the main power line FROM transformer coming into the house. I can easily split the two by following the driveway and I would LOVE to take pipe PAST driveway to field however, I must then cross the main power line coming TO my transformer. Upshot, I’m kind of cramped as far as trenching goes. I can however, dig DOWN.

I’m wondering if this may work, dig my trench, say 18 to 24 inches deep from downspout down my downward sloping driveway, away from house. At the end of the line maybe dig a hole say 10 (maybe 15??) feet deep for kicks. Prior to laying my pipe, drill some holes in it so water can seep out during the 50 foot trek down the hill and have the pipe terminate in a gravel filled, covered by dirt pit, hoping between the two, it can absorb enough water during a hard rain that I won’t have any problems. An easy rain would pose no problem I don’t think.

Any thoughts/wisdom?

 

[Knight9]

Hi Richard,

<font color=blue>Any thoughts/wisdom?</font color=blue>

Well, a few thoughts, but not much wisdom I'm afraid! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif I have a similar issue as you, and have done a lot of investigation and a lot of thinking. I am not hampered by utility lines, but still don't want to trench more than I have to. I have looked at French Drains, swales, dry wells etc and am still deciding on a few items.

First I believe what you are talking about is sometimes referred to as a "dry well" although many dry wells actually include some sort of vessel in the hole not just gravel. A very simple version can be seen at Dry Well Install. Obviously not quite the size you are interested in however. On this note, I'm kind of thinking about doing a similar thing. Digging a hole in the lowest spot where runoff pools, putting in a large tank (probably rigid plastic of some sort), putting a removable surface drain (with cleanout filter) on top of it, an overflow line subsurface close to the top of the tank. Thus although I won't get the water absorbed into the ground I will get a nice supply of rain water for the garden etc. Not sure what kind of soil you have, but mine is horrible clay that no water would be absorbed into anyway! /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif Do you have a plentiful supply of water, or would it be worth hanging on to it for local use??

Kevin

 

[Richard]

Not to boast (ok, so I'm boasting!!) but I am in fact afflicted with a 100 gallon/minute well /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif. Too bad they installed only a 10 gpm pump /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Can't tell you how surprised everyone was. The driller said it was like the movies when the water shot straight up in the air when he drilled it. One of the largest ones he has drilled here locally.

None the less, our soil seems to be a real black/white mix. In some areas, we have that darn clay /w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif and literally 20 feet away, wonderful soil that drains rather nicely. [insert confused looked emoticon here]

I won't really know until I start digging.

Richard

 

[Ingo]

I haven't actually done it, but investigated it some time ago and got good advice. Specifics may vary with location (we have lots of red clay around here) but the idea should be similar.

Run solid pipe as far away from the house as feasible. Dig a deep hole, fill it with washed gravel (at least 3/4"), cover with a geo-tech fabric, and top off with dirt. The fabric keeps the dirt from working into the gravel and filling the gaps. I don't know exactly what it's called, but it's used over foundation drain pipe. If you want to be real compulsive, lay fabric on the bottom and sides before dumping in the gravel.
You also need to keep your gutters CLEAN, because anything that goes down stays there and eventually clogs up the pipe and/or the gravel.

<font color=blue>Not to boast (ok, so I'm boasting!!) but I am in fact afflicted with a 100 gallon/minute well . Too bad they installed only a 10 gpm pump. </font color=blue>
I'm jealous--I get 1.5 gpm on a 465' well /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif. The good news is that the static water level is about 30', giving me something like 500 gallons in reserve /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif.

John

 

[MarkV]

Richard,

Just a few thoughts. Dry wells were covered pretty well and would help if the ground perks well. There have been many of them made with 55 gal drums that have holes drilled in them. Before you go to the trouble of drilling schedule 40 pipe, you can buy pre drilled pipe. I also think that a "silt sock" over the pipe is worth the money. That may not be what it is called in your area, but it is a material that slips over the pipe and keeps the silt from entering and clogging the pipe. The other thought that came to mind is that underground power service is normally at least 24" below ground. If you were to stay above that, you could cross the power line and exit your pipe in the field. I would think that 12" down would be more than enough for a pipe that will not see heavy traffic. Around here, there is a free service that will come and mark off the utility lines before you dig. Lot cheaper than cutting a power line. Good luck.

MarkV

 

[RobS]

<font color=blue>Around here, there is a free service that will come and mark off the utility lines before you dig</font color=blue>

Around here it's the law that you call before you dig. There is a toll free number and the service is free. It's a good thing /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Richard]

"If you want to be real compulsive, lay fabric on the bottom and sides before dumping in the gravel"


WHO let my "retentiveness" out of the bag??? As I read your post I was thinking "What about the sides and bottom???" /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Richard

 

[Richard]

MarkV

I know what you say about the power lines, however, as I recall when the line was installed, they had problems here & there with hitting rock.

Upshot: I CAN be sure where the line is by their markings (having called them) I CAN'T be sure as to it's depth from their paint marks /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif.

I'd rather be safe than sorry. Of course, I don't know that Brutus would appreciate some non-scheduled electro-shock therapy /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

Richard

 

[Ingo]

Richard,

<font color=blue>WHO let my "retentiveness" out of the bag??? As I read your post I was thinking "What about the sides and bottom???"</font color=blue>

I was told by "experts" it's not needed, but I tend to be a little retentive myself. Do it right, do it once, be happy /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif.

John

 

[dmccarty]

Richard,

Another thing to consider instead of putting in a drain at the end of the pipe put in a "plastic" tank. I'm toying with the idea of collecting rain water from the gutters on the house, using black pipe to run to a hole in the ground that has a large plastic tank to hold the water. I priced the tanks and they were around $500 for something like 1000-1200 gallons. I figure I could put in a large tank and have a decent supply of water for garden and landscaping....

Just more ditto's but the power people I talked to said that the buried power lines at the street where 36 inches down. From the transformer to the house was at 24 inches. Obviously you dont KNOW that the line is 24 or 36 inches...... BUT, maybe you do. I saw some guys tracing under ground lines the other day. They were using a tool that had two prongs that went into the ground. I was wondering if that allowed them to find the distance to the line. It might be worth a phone call to No Cuts, the company around here that does the testing, to see if they can tell the depth of the line.

Just a thought....
Dan McCarty