lawn drainage?

escavader · May 19, 2006

HEY FOLKS,
My property is ledge on the upper side,and all the water leachs down to the bottom to where im trying to put in a lawn,I have dug a temporary 10 INCH deep trench,and it drains into some drainage ditchs on each end.I want to eliminate this temporary ditch,which is about 80 feet. so i can mow up the hill [there is top soil on this ledge] well i bought some of them 1o ft drainage pipes,with the holes in them to bury.Heres my questions.Is one row of that 4 inch pipe enough.DO the holes go up,with a filter fabric or down? crushed rock on top before loam or? Do i put rock in before i lay the pipe?HELP,i want to do it rightand dont want to wait til august to mow my lawn! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
ALAN

escavader · May 19, 2006

HEY FOLKS,
My property is ledge on the upper side,and all the water leachs down to the bottom to where im trying to put in a lawn,I have dug a temporary 10 INCH deep trench,and it drains into some drainage ditchs on each end.I want to eliminate this temporary ditch,which is about 80 feet. so i can mow up the hill [there is top soil on this ledge] well i bought some of them 1o ft drainage pipes,with the holes in them to bury.Heres my questions.Is one row of that 4 inch pipe enough.DO the holes go up,with a filter fabric or down? crushed rock on top before loam or? Do i put rock in before i lay the pipe?HELP,i want to do it rightand dont want to wait til august to mow my lawn! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
ALAN

inveresk · May 19, 2006

Whether one 4" drain is enough will depend on the area you're trying to drain. You've said the length is 80 feet. If you advise on the width, I have a drainage manual here which I can look up that gives guidance on the correct size of drain.

Sprinkle 3 - 4 inches of drain rock in the ditch first and use this to set your gradient. Lay the pipe with the holes down, then upfill with more drain rock so you have a few inches of cover. Level the surface of the drain rock so the geotextile can be laid evenly then ballast it down before you backfill with topsoil. Go gently with the backfilling until you cover the geotextile otherwise it can shift.

If you haven't bought the pipe yet, you might want to consider a roll of Big O perforated drain. This is cheaper than the rigid pipe and can be laid in one length. The perforations are right round the Big O pipe, not just at the bottom, so it doesn't matter which way you lay it. If you use Big O, wrap it in geotextile before laying it (with the rigid pipe, wrapping it completely makes it difficult to determine whether the holes are facing down). Big O is available with a silt sock already fitted but I found it really expensive so put in the labour with the geotextile.

inveresk · May 19, 2006

Whether one 4" drain is enough will depend on the area you're trying to drain. You've said the length is 80 feet. If you advise on the width, I have a drainage manual here which I can look up that gives guidance on the correct size of drain.

Sprinkle 3 - 4 inches of drain rock in the ditch first and use this to set your gradient. Lay the pipe with the holes down, then upfill with more drain rock so you have a few inches of cover. Level the surface of the drain rock so the geotextile can be laid evenly then ballast it down before you backfill with topsoil. Go gently with the backfilling until you cover the geotextile otherwise it can shift.

If you haven't bought the pipe yet, you might want to consider a roll of Big O perforated drain. This is cheaper than the rigid pipe and can be laid in one length. The perforations are right round the Big O pipe, not just at the bottom, so it doesn't matter which way you lay it. If you use Big O, wrap it in geotextile before laying it (with the rigid pipe, wrapping it completely makes it difficult to determine whether the holes are facing down). Big O is available with a silt sock already fitted but I found it really expensive so put in the labour with the geotextile.

escavader · May 19, 2006

IVERESK,
Thanks for the reply.I dont understand what you mean by advise on the width.The width of the wet area? To explain more ,the water drains on a down hill grade and collects in this area,mabey its 4 feet wide and very wet.I already picked up the pipe,my company was having a clear out and i bought30 of them for 25 bucks!!! boy they are good to me!If you could look up ,or reccomend how many rows id appreciate it.
ALAN

escavader · May 19, 2006

IVERESK,
Thanks for the reply.I dont understand what you mean by advise on the width.The width of the wet area? To explain more ,the water drains on a down hill grade and collects in this area,mabey its 4 feet wide and very wet.I already picked up the pipe,my company was having a clear out and i bought30 of them for 25 bucks!!! boy they are good to me!If you could look up ,or reccomend how many rows id appreciate it.
ALAN

inveresk · May 20, 2006

Alan, I was trying to determine how large an area the drain/ditch serves. For example, if you had two acres falling into the ditch, then that might dictate a larger diameter drain but I'm getting the impression the area is fairly small in which case one line of 4" drain should serve ok.

Good luck with the project. Post some shots and a progress report.

inveresk · May 20, 2006

Alan, I was trying to determine how large an area the drain/ditch serves. For example, if you had two acres falling into the ditch, then that might dictate a larger diameter drain but I'm getting the impression the area is fairly small in which case one line of 4" drain should serve ok.

Good luck with the project. Post some shots and a progress report.

rambler · May 20, 2006

Kinda looking for the square foot, or acres, of area you are trying to drain.

Sounds like the 4" will do you fine. I'd prefer the roll of drainage tile, but you gotta go with the deal you got. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Here on the farm, we try to get about 3 feet deep with tile, so the water table is drawn down. If you are only going 10 inches deep, you will only drain a very narrow width. The deeper you go, the more area (width, or distance from the tile) you will affect with the tile. Sounds like you have just a small little issue, so no big deal I suppose.

--->Paul

rambler · May 20, 2006

Kinda looking for the square foot, or acres, of area you are trying to drain.

Sounds like the 4" will do you fine. I'd prefer the roll of drainage tile, but you gotta go with the deal you got. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Here on the farm, we try to get about 3 feet deep with tile, so the water table is drawn down. If you are only going 10 inches deep, you will only drain a very narrow width. The deeper you go, the more area (width, or distance from the tile) you will affect with the tile. Sounds like you have just a small little issue, so no big deal I suppose.

--->Paul