Drainage around driveway

[Slippy]

Anyone have ideas about how to drain standing water from woods around driveway. Ditch only? How deep? How wide? Use pipe and gravel?

 

[Phred]

Slippy,

A french drain will likely do the job. Do an internet search on "French Drain" and you will find a bunch of how to pages.

Basic idea is to dig a trench and then fill the bottom with a pipe, gravel, and then landscape cloth. The pipe has a bunch of holes that allows water to flow into it. The gravel creates a void that allows water to flow. Land scape cloth keeps the system from silting up over time.

I had one installed and wish I did it myself. Not rocket science but labor intensive so expensive to hire out. Key trick is to keep the bottom of the trench slopped so it drains well. Probably need a transit to get it right.

Fred

 

[CTyler]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Probably need a transit to get it right. )</font>

A string line is another option.

 

[Knight9]

Slippy,

Sounds like you and I have similiar issues /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif I never got around to digging a trench or drain of some sort last fall and I'm paying for it this spring. My question is, does water freeze in a french drain or perforated tile and prevent the water from flowing down the ditch? Would defeat the purpose if it does!!!

Kevin

 

[Egon]

Kevin:

In your area everything freezes. Usually the frost line is at six plus feet depending on the winter, snow cover and traffic over the area. You've had a few real nice winters but that could always revert back to the cold ones.

A surface trench would work best in your area as it will melt first. Buried frozen pipe is the last to thaw unless it is of a size and gradient that it will never fill with water and freeze. Warm winter days let water into the pipe where it freezes and builds up till the pipe is frozen solid. Perhaps you have noticed the county out steaming culverts in the spring.

Egon

 

[Knight9]

Egon,

Pretty much what I figured, but the landscaping folks will still put in french drains complete with perforated pipe around here. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

I spent several hours the other night along the edge of my driveway driving the tractor in the swale (barely that even) to move the slush and water. Needed to get the 1/3 of my driveway out from under about 8-10" of water /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Ok now....we're back in the freezer!!! High of -6C and more snow on the way. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Kevin

 

[Knight9]

Slippy,

Do you get freeze/thaw/freeze cycles in the fall or spring in your area? If so, it would appear that opinion would vote for open ditch/trenches as opposed to covered pipe...unless you can put in a large culvert.

Any pics of your problem?

Kevin

 

[GregJ]

I have a similar problem along my driveway. My "work area" is an area about 100x100 adjacent to my driveway. This was my first winter with my tractor and this area turned into a muddy mess. Overall my soil is quite sandy, but there are a few veins of clay. I dug a test hole a couple of months ago and it was dry down about 3-4 feet. This water seems to just stay on the surface. I'm not talking just mud, but standing water. I have ruts that at times challenge my B7500 in 4wd to get in and out. So everytime I go into the work area I am tracking copious quantities of mud onto our asphalt driveway. I'd like to be able to drain this area better. I was thinking of gravel when things dry out, but then I have rocks mixing in with my mulch piles. I'd like to stay away from graveling the whole area. Has anybody done a french drain for an area like this? I have a BH, so it wouldn't be a big job (in fact, that translates into more seat time!). If so, how would you design this? What would be the spacing of the drain pipe, or would this be a waste since the water can't penetrate the surface?

Greg

 

[Egon]

Kevin:

As long as they get paid for installtion but not preformance they'll keep on doing it.

Egon

 

[chrisjbell]

I just did a french drain behind my house. The spot where the house was built was just bulldozed out of the top of the hill and so the back is pretty close to flat. All of the drain water from the downspouts just got fired back there - drained OK, but I put the drain in because I'm going to put in raised beds and irrigate like crazy.

Anyway, they're easy to do yourself - IF you have a tractor and backhoe! I do /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. But even just cleaning out the trench and then spreading the gravel is a lot of work so I would not want to do it myself if I had to dig it by hand.

But all you need to do is dig trench, put gravel and perforated pipe in (wrapping with landscape fabric is a good idea, and I did that in mine). Takes quite a bit of gravel - I was surprised at how much. But is easy with the tractor.

 

[Slippy]

My drive winds throught the woods, so not much open space between the drive and the trees. In fact, many of the trees are right next to the drive. It would be difficult to be able to dig a big enough open trench with slanted sides. I can trench with my backhoe, but it will be so close to road I will have to do the french drain method I guess. Question...what type of gravel do you use? I suspect not limestone or chipped rock. My guess would be a round type stone. And should I use a 4" plastic perforated pipe?

 

[GregJ]

Slippy,
How long is your road and is there any slope to it. My road sounds very similar. Trees right next to it, so there is no place for a ditch. When we have a hard rainfall, it turns into a river. Unfortunately we are at the low point for the county road as well, so we pick up it's drainage also. My road is about 500 feet long, so it would be quite a project to french drain the whole thing, but I am hoping to learn something from this thread. My solution my require multiple drain fields.

Greg

 

[Hoeman00]

It's late now but before building drive take a trencher and cut down center of drive and install the tile, stone and fabric then finish drive.
Some of the drains I put in I'll put tee in and face up w/ short pc of pipe above grade and back fill w/ gravel.
After everything is done cut them off just below grade and put on a grate (plastic or metal).
This helps keep water moving if ground gets frozen over.
If u use the smooth wall S&D pipe it lets water move easier.
Also put the main line down below frost depth will help keep water moving.
I've also heard that 1/4" foam insulation has same R value as 24" of dirt so some insulation over the pipe could help against freezing.

 

[Slippy]

I have about 1/4 mile of drive. What we have done is taken a small hoe and dug a 9" trench along the dirve. Kind of snaked it aroung to avoid damaging good trees. I have taken my transit and shot a line. We then dug deeper with shovels where there were high points. Idea. If I had it to do again, I would shot the grade first. Most people know to do this. Once you get the trench in, can't get the hoe back in across the ditch, so we had to do it by hand. Now putting in 4" plastic pipe and will back fill with gravel. Most of the year it should work fine. Probably will freeze during winter, but so will the stuff on the ground. Will leave small swale in top of fill to allow water to run outside the pipe if it does freeze and not thaw before surface snow starts melting and running. I don't really think that will be a problem though, most of our drainage problems come with the spring rains, like right now. It has been difficult to do because it has been so wet and working in 2 feet of water most of the time.