Drain tile

[TheMan419]

So we just had some record rain fall. Second time that has happened in the 3 years we have lived here. I have 3 feet of water covering 2-3 acres. Thankfully my property boarders a drainage ditch.

Can anyone educate me about drainage tile? How much should this cost to put in? Since I am not farming the ground is it reasonable to think we just put a drain in at the low point and trench a line over to the drainage ditch?

Permit is needed to drain into the ditch. Thankfully my property already has tile into the ditch. So a permit for a new line should not be an issue.

What else should I be asking? No it痴 not a wetland. I checked before we bought.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Can you regrade the land to avoid the pipe all together?

 

[RNeumann]

If I’m understanding you are looking into a french drain and or curtain drain. The size of the area that needs to be drained and the length of the pipe to the drainage ditch will determine cost.

Let’s say it’s a 10’x10’ low area and 100’ to the drainage ditch. The rock and filter fabric would run $500ish and the pipe would be another $300ish. The cost for the tractor and labor should be about a day or $1000-$1500ish????

 

[Dadnatron]

Tile is used to drain the UNDERground water, not the water on top.

Tile only works by removing the underground water in a faster way than normal percolation through the soil/rock strata. It doesn't act as a point source drainage from point A (your low spot) to point B (drainage ditch).

There are a couple things to consider.

1st, What is going on around you? Since this is a way to lower the 'local' but not immediate, water table, if you have a lot of water on adjacent fields, draining your field will only work as you've drained most of the other fields in proximity. Especially given how small your place is.

2nd, Are you sure the drainage ditch is LOWER than your property? And if so, are you sure a FULL drainage ditch is lower than your property?

3rd, There are 2 types of drainage tile (basically) solid and fenestrated. Solid tile is usually used to connect a field tile system and take it specifically to an outlet/ditch. Think of it specifically as a pipe. Fenestrated has a bunch of tiny slits which allow water to enter all along its course, but run to the downhill direction.

4th, unless you have a true 'slope' if you simply dig a trench, lay some tile, and cover it back up, you have a 50/50 chance that you will be dropping the entire way (based on real elevation change, not on an 'appearance' of ground), and if you don't have low and high spots, you might just be running the wrong way the WHOLE way and be bringing water back INTO your field or at least draining along that tile pipe back.

I'd ask a neighbor/farmer what he thinks. He can tell you a lot more about the lay of the land, how water acts in the area, and whether you have a likely 'tilable' place.

 

[LD1]

Yep, gonna need more specifics...and probably a transit set up.

If you have 3' of surface water......that ain't making it to the ditch yet......what happens when you put tile another 2' under dirt. I think you may be below your ditch with the tile. And that won't flow water

 

[TheMan419]

Tile is used to drain the UNDERground water, not the water on top.

Tile only works by removing the underground water in a faster way than normal percolation through the soil/rock strata. It doesn't act as a point source drainage from point A (your low spot) to point B (drainage ditch).

There are a couple things to consider.

1st, What is going on around you? Since this is a way to lower the 'local' but not immediate, water table, if you have a lot of water on adjacent fields, draining your field will only work as you've drained most of the other fields in proximity. Especially given how small your place is.

2nd, Are you sure the drainage ditch is LOWER than your property? And if so, are you sure a FULL drainage ditch is lower than your property?

3rd, There are 2 types of drainage tile (basically) solid and fenestrated. Solid tile is usually used to connect a field tile system and take it specifically to an outlet/ditch. Think of it specifically as a pipe. Fenestrated has a bunch of tiny slits which allow water to enter all along its course, but run to the downhill direction.

4th, unless you have a true 'slope' if you simply dig a trench, lay some tile, and cover it back up, you have a 50/50 chance that you will be dropping the entire way (based on real elevation change, not on an 'appearance' of ground), and if you don't have low and high spots, you might just be running the wrong way the WHOLE way and be bringing water back INTO your field or at least draining along that tile pipe back.

I'd ask a neighbor/farmer what he thinks. He can tell you a lot more about the lay of the land, how water acts in the area, and whether you have a likely 'tilable' place.

Thank you for your detailed reply.

Yes basically I am trying to drain the bath tub. The 18 acres has some tile on it that drains the sub surface water.

Now I have several acres under water due to recent high rains. This was supposed to be a 100 year event that has now happened twice in 3 years. So need to get some control over it.

When we bought the place there was a farmer working the land. He farms 100 acres accross the street. So he knows the property well. He farms like 1500 acres total.

Talking to him last night he said there should be no problem draining what I want into the ditch.

As to just reshaping the land that is a no go because of the amount of dirt that would have to be moved. Also my house and 3 barns are betweent this 斗ake and the ditch. So basically I want a drain at the bottom of the lake that ends up in the ditch.

Indiana is a common enemy state for water and I am not a wetland so I can move it without worrying about someone else痴 riparian rights.

The top of the ditch looks like it is above the land I want to drain. However the ditch is 6 feet plus deep.

I am NOT considering doing the work myself. The farmer was able to provide a referral to a contractor that does this work for a lot of local farmers. When I called him and told him the source of my referral he basically told me what a heck of a nice guy my farmer friend is and that once all this rain stops he will be over to take a look.

I am trying to get some idea of the cost.

Straight line from the area that needs drained to the ditch is probably 400 feet. However that route would go through my septic system or garage or house. So we are realistically looking at 600-800 feet of trench and line that needs installed.

No matter what route is taken there is an electric line that needs to be crossed. It is the 100 amp service coming out of my 200 amp panel in the house and feeding the barn. I can still see the 都car in the land from when that was put in so we have a very good idea of where it is.

Should be an interesting project this summer.

 

[TheMan419]

Yep, gonna need more specifics...and probably a transit set up.

If you have 3' of surface water......that ain't making it to the ditch yet......what happens when you put tile another 2' under dirt. I think you may be below your ditch with the tile. And that won't flow water

That was my original thought too. However I called the farmer who farmed the land for years prior to my purchase. He said he thought it was very doable. He had been trying to get the prior owner to do some tile in that area before they sold out to me.

 

[LD1]

What some old farmer "thinks" don't mean squat.

Until a transit is set up, and you know your fall.....you cannot make any assumptions.

Your post is perfect example of this........

You clearly said it looks like the ditch is HIGHER than the area you want to drain. And that the ditch is 6' deep.

Tile starts 3' in the ground.....and if you go a very modest 1' fall per 100' run......by the time you hit the ditch you are gonna be between 8 and 11' deep. But wait.....the ditch is only 6' deep.

Again....nothing can be done without setting up a transit and shooting grade.....especially for a 600-800' run.

Now as to cost.....lots of variables.

What size tile? 4" tile cost about $0.40/ft...6" cost $1.00/ft.

So 600' run of 4".....throw in couplers.....maybe $300 material.

800'....6".....throw in couplers.....$900 ballpark.

Now you say "drain" the bath tub....to me that means a stand pipe....AKA hickenbottom drain and some gravel. Another $100 there.

So $300-$1000 range for material. (That's a big range with lots of unknown details you haven't answered).

Now the labor......just straight up digging tile in good ground (not full of boulders)....and doing so to a depth of 2 or 3'....you are looking at about $2-$3 per foot.

But with surface going "uphill" to ditch....and tile needing to go downhill....and if any other high spots where one must ultimately be digging 6' or 8' deep.....figure double that price.

And that's just rough work....once and done.

If you want them to come back once things settle.....regrade.....and seed.....add another 50% to the labor cost.

So labor could run you anywhere from $1600 to $7000.

So not really sure what you are looking for. No one here has seen this area. You haven't showed pics. We don't know what your soil is like. We don't know grade.

So to simply answer your question regarding total cost....

Call it somewhere between $2500 and $10,000....but does that really answer your question