French drain question

[rickyb01]

I hopefully can attach a couple of pictures of my project. I put a small retaining wall around this underground building that sits right in my back yard. Coming from my house the yard slopes down about a foot to building. We want to tile the top and leave it exposed. On both sides of my lot I already have 4" thin wall drains running to daylight. ok by looking at picture the sides will only have two courses above ground and the back will have three. I had to bury one row of block on the sides and not on the back so the sides will sit lower by 4" in ground. Now my back French drain will sit 4" higher than the sides. In the front I have a 8' retaining wall so can't run drains that way. With the offset French drain placements ow would you run exit drains. The back and one side to left of property and the other side to right? Or tear down back wall and dig it down to match the sides and exit with one drain?

Ok by the pictures you can see I haven't done the right side but it will be the same dept as the left side. When I originally saw that the two sides would be lower than the back I had already spent a day on getting the back to this point. I would think that my best bet would be to run the two side you see completed to my drain on the left side of property and then run the one right side to the drain on the right side of property. Or I can tear the back wall down and dig it out 4" and start over. I think trenching a drain would be less work. The drains are about 60' away.

 

[RNeumann]

We need pictures. Based on the description I'd have someone come out and core a few holes through the concrete to match everything else. It's easy enough to do. They will either do a 4" hole or twin 2 1/2"/3"ish holes next to each other. If it's the later you will need a little D box to convert from on to two lines.

 

[rickyb01]

RNeumann are you saying run them to the retaining wall and then core thru the block and let the water run down the retaining wall.

 

[rickyb01]

Any idea on how to connect to the thin wall 4" pvc in the ground? I have spliced into 1" but never into 4". I can dig back a couple of feet each way and cut it. Put in a tee but that pipe want move much so a little stumped on how to connect the tee back to main 4" line. The smaller Pepe will flex enough to get a coupler on it. Will 4" ??

 

[Cataclysm]

Any idea on how to connect to the thin wall 4" pvc in the ground? I have spliced into 1" but never into 4". I can dig back a couple of feet each way and cut it. Put in a tee but that pipe want move much so a little stumped on how to connect the tee back to main 4" line. The smaller Pepe will flex enough to get a coupler on it. Will 4" ??

They make a rubber boot or sleeve with big hose clamps at each end that lets you splice. Sometimes called a "cantex". Any plumbing supply store and many hardware stores will carry them.

 

[Cataclysm]

I hopefully can attach a couple of pictures of my project. I put a small retaining wall around this underground building that sits right in my back yard. Coming from my house the yard slopes down about a foot to building. We want to tile the top and leave it exposed. On both sides of my lot I already have 4" thin wall drains running to daylight. ok by looking at picture the sides will only have two courses above ground and the back will have three. I had to bury one row of block on the sides and not on the back so the sides will sit lower by 4" in ground. Now my back French drain will sit 4" higher than the sides. In the front I have a 8' retaining wall so can't run drains that way. With the offset French drain placements ow would you run exit drains. The back and one side to left of property and the other side to right? Or tear down back wall and dig it down to match the sides and exit with one drain?

Ok by the pictures you can see I haven't done the right side but it will be the same dept as the left side. When I originally saw that the two sides would be lower than the back I had already spent a day on getting the back to this point. I would think that my best bet would be to run the two side you see completed to my drain on the left side of property and then run the one right side to the drain on the right side of property. Or I can tear the back wall down and dig it out 4" and start over. I think trenching a drain would be less work. The drains are about 60' away.

I would run the higher back wall drain in a separate, non perforated/solid pipe until I was past/lower than the lower drain, then use a simple "Y" to tie them together and then on down to where it runs out.

Looks to me you could easily add the solid pipe just clear of and along side of the lower drain and not have to redo anything. I have tied in down spout drains to french drains like this and it has worked just fine.

 

[RNeumann]

Any idea on how to connect to the thin wall 4" pvc in the ground? I have spliced into 1" but never into 4". I can dig back a couple of feet each way and cut it. Put in a tee but that pipe want move much so a little stumped on how to connect the tee back to main 4" line. The smaller Pepe will flex enough to get a coupler on it. Will 4" ??

Fernco is the brand name of the rubber couplings with band clamps. No they are different than the no hub style. HD stocks them. The "thin wall" probably isn't the same OD as ABS/PVC so make sure you get the right ones.

With regards to where you run the drain- it's hard to understand all that is going on so my comment was based on the understanding some of the retaining walls are in and you don't want to remove them. If that's the case then yes, core through and continue/daylight the drain line. Stepping the line up won't do what you want it to do.

 

[AHNC]

I would not run the thin wall pipe. I have had that pipe collapse and it is a giant pitn having to redo it. I'd use Sch. 40 and drill it as necessary.

 

[RNeumann]

I've spent pages talking about plumbing pipe on here- not interested in doing so again. Bottom line is not all pipe is created equal. Their are a million different chemical formulations and some look identical. Municipalities and top of the line contractors use stuff that may look like the stuff from the box store but will last way longer.
Pipe is cheap when compared to digging the trench or worse doing a repair. Do some research and ask around. Local contractors and supply houses will point you in the right direction.

 

[rickyb01]

I got a quick question for you guys. As the original post shows I'm putting a French drain behind the small retaining wall that I have constructed. The first drain I covered with 3/4 very clean stone. Saturday when I went to get that same stone the store was closed. I had a couple of friends over to help and I went to another place that had sb2 and it was mixed with paver base. Well after I worked my tail off Sat and Sun I am starting to have doubts about using that mix in the last of the three drains. I totally wrapped that drain pipe in that mix and closed some needle punched landscape fabric over that like a burrito. My problem is I encased on drain line with grave and paver base and I'm starting to think that paver base may just clog up those holes over a period of time. You guys think I would be better off racking that mix off my trailer and going back for the clean 3/4 stone or am I making this a lot harder than I should? I do have clean outs on all three lines. Thanks Rick