NDS EZ-Drain vs. pipe and stone for piping a seep into a pond

[IHDiesel73L]

I am in the process of rehabilitating a small (1/8 acre or so) pond. Prior to grubbing all of the vegetation around it (nasty Russian Olive and Multiflora Rose, etc…) the north side was very swampy because the pond is fed by multiple groundwater seeps that just oozed out of everywhere before collecting in the low spot which is the pond. We dug three different seeps as far back as we could and now the water flows freely through the trenches into the pond and the surrounding soil has dried out. What I’d like to do is install drain tile of some kind in each trench, cover them over and plant grass. The idea is to direct all of the groundwater into pond and keep the surrounding ground dry so that it can be easily mowed and maintained.

The challenge of doing conventional corrugated/perforated pipe and stone is moving the stone. The pond is a good 150 yards from the nearest dump site accessible to a tandem or triaxle. That will mean very many long and repetitive round trips with my old 35HP Kubota…not to mention the price of 3/4 clean drain rock seems to be crazy lately. I’m estimating two triaxle loads minimum (probably more like 2.5) at 18 yards a load or so-I have about 300’ of trench to do. On the other hand, NDS EZ-Drain, which comes in 10’ lengths and is basically 4” perforated pipe inside of a geotextile sock filled with styrofoam pellets, can supposedly just be dropped in a trench and backfilled: EZ Drain French Drain System | Gravel-Free French Drain | NDS Purchasing in large quantities I should be able to get it for $62 a length-grand total of about $2000 (not accounting for couplings) with sales tax. A triaxle of 3/4 clean drain rock is running about $600 a triaxle load delivered to my location and then there is the cost of the pipe itself so I’m definitely saving even on the material cost as well as the time and labor to install, but I’m wondering about longevity. I don’t want to put all of this stuff in the ground only to find that in 5-10 years the area is getting swampy again because the sock/pellets have clogged with mud and the water is bypassing the pipe altogether. Anyone have experience with this stuff?

 

[bigtiller]

6 years ago I had 15000 ft. of field tile installed. No rocks or socks were used and everything is working better now than the day it was installed.

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

6 years ago I had 15000 ft. of field tile installed. No rocks or socks were used and everything is working better now than the day it was installed.

yup... city folk solutions versus a farmers approach sometimes seems like high cost/high labour. For sure stones around is better but is it needed or just wanted?

we simply knife the tile into the ground and let nature take its course draining into ditches. No expensive stones, little labour and lasts a lifetime.

as a DIY'er you could consider renting a chain trencher if bringing in larger equipment to knife it in is too expensive or disruptive to the soil.

$1.50/foot for a 100' roll is pretty cheap and what is used under a lot of corn fields in our area..

 

[LouNY]

Depending on the ground and the equipment used some of those knifed in tiles don't have a real long life span. Around here there are stone filled hand dug ditches that have been in service for 100 years or better. Then clay drain tiles put in machine dug ditches back in the 50 and 60's still working good.
And I've seen knifed in ones fail in 5 years in heavy clay soils with large equipment running over the ground.
I should also say that I have seen dug ones that failed in 5 years also and many/most of the ones put in using orangeburg pipe have failed.

 

[IHDiesel73L]

yup... city folk solutions versus a farmers approach sometimes seems like high cost/high labour. For sure stones around is better but is it needed or just wanted?

we simply knife the tile into the ground and let nature take its course draining into ditches. No expensive stones, little labour and lasts a lifetime.

as a DIY'er you could consider renting a chain trencher if bringing in larger equipment to knife it in is too expensive or disruptive to the soil.

$1.50/foot for a 100' roll is pretty cheap and what is used under a lot of corn fields in our area..

I guess I just can’t wrap my head around how the pipe doesn’t just get completely full of mud in short order with no filtration on the outside, but if it works it works I suppose. I’m trying to reclaim what was an overgrown swampy mess to make a nice area for a fire pit/beach for my kids and also be firm enough that I can mow or drive my truck or tractor around it as needed. I’d hate to dump a bunch of bare pipe in the ground because it’s the cheapest option, backfill, grade, plant grass, etc…and then end up with a swamp again in a few years.

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

I guess I just can’t wrap my head around how the pipe doesn’t just get completely full of mud in short order with no filtration on the outside, but if it works it works I suppose. I’m trying to reclaim what was an overgrown swampy mess to make a nice area for a fire pit/beach for my kids and also be firm enough that I can mow or drive my truck or tractor around it as needed. I’d hate to dump a bunch of bare pipe in the ground because it’s the cheapest option, backfill, grade, plant grass, etc…and then end up with a swamp again in a few years.

we bury about 3' deep and with a 1 percentage (or more grade) seems to last forever even when driving heavy loaded grain trailers over the fields during harvest.

swampy / soft conditions though probably driving over less appealing.

 

[bigtiller]

^^^^ True!

Also, as in my case, for every foot deep the tile is place, it will draw water from as far as 10' away on both sides. So if the tile is 3' deep it will draw water for 30' on both sides.

But that won't happen immediately. It will take a few years for the weep holes [worm tunnels] to develop.

 

[LouNY]

^^^^^ different soils will behave differently

 

[IHDiesel73L]

All of the back and forth here inspired me to watch a few Youtube videos on how field tile works vs. how french drains work which is what I have the most experience with having built them many times. Found a bunch of good content from ag extension offices, etc... Field tile is meant to do what I am looking to do-capture rising GROUNDWATER and drain it off, which is why it does not need stone or fabric to work. Thanks all!

 

[bigtiller]

All of the back and forth here inspired me to watch a few Youtube videos on how field tile works vs. how french drains work which is what I have the most experience with having built them many times. Found a bunch of good content from ag extension offices, etc... Field tile is meant to do what I am looking to do-capture rising GROUNDWATER and drain it off, which is why it does not need stone or fabric to work. Thanks all!

Yep...it's main purpose is to lower the water table.