need drainage ideas... New carport

[airbiscuit]

...If he has to raise the carport, it needs to be carefully raised so the metal roof doesn't get canned and start leaking. E.g., lift all of it uniformly as you possibly can.

You can buy a floor jack at Menards for $22. Easy enough to buy 2 or 4 jacks, and slowly raise the building 4". I agree that keeping water from flowing near or into it is the best thing to do. To me it also makes sense to also have the building slightly elevated from the surroundings.

 

[/pine]

The wind lift on similar carports is quite severe...if professionally installed they are usually anchored pretty good...

 

[airbiscuit]

The wind lift on similar carports is quite severe...if professionally installed they are usually anchored pretty good...

You would have to unscrew the earth anchors a couple of turns.

 

[AVIVIII]

Avivii you got pictures of your water bars?

This is an old one I took out when we were starting to re-grade the driveway



Sorry for the bad pics, but I didn't get home until late tonight. Theres not much too them, so you probably get the idea.

 

[woodlandfarms]

I would love to hear thoughts on what I see are issues with the water bars / troughs... For me, there is no way to grade the road once installed, nor add any top material, and with the troughs, it looks like it would be fllled up in a matter of weeks with material.

I have a potato pllow and I just cut trenches in the road once a year in the fall, by the springe material has filled them up and I grade the road smooth. Our driveway is very steep (20 degree grade) and water is an issue as we get 70" a year or so.

 

[AVIVIII]

I only see troughs working if the driveway traversed a slope and there was water constantly needing to cross.

The water bars I made work well enough, but they do take some mx. The point really was to slow the water down and keep material from washing down the driveway. If there was a heavy rain, I'd have to clean the material off of the uphill side as it would build up and wash over. We put in a drainage ditch with 4" perforated pine and crushed stone that crosses the top of the hill and drains parallel with the driveway, so the water bars are there mostly for any water that falls on the driveway downhill from the trench.

For the OP, water bars would be a cheap experiment, but the area you are trying to keep dry is just too low it seems.

 

[deezler]

I don't really get why you guys are talking about engineering constructed solutions though. if he can't raise the carport a bit, then just drag a little ditch/swale in front to divert the water to the right. It's not a steep grade or anything crazy by the looks of it, doubt it will erode much, if at all.

 

[devildog1]

As it was said before raise the carport, easy to do either with jacks or forks on a fel. Add a few yards of crushed stone, issue solved.
DevilDog

 

[CPTKILLER]

French drains work.

How to Install French Drains | HGTV

 

[2manyrocks]

The OP posted a picture of where the water is ending up under his carport, but to really assess, we'd have to see where the water is coming from.

There are a variety of methods to divert water from dirt and gravel roads. Practical technical bulletins on water bars, troughs, broad drainage areas, etc. can be found here. Informational and Technical Bulletins | Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies A trough may fill with material over time. A broad drainage area is much harder to initially construct, but won't be as likely to fill up and makes for a smoother transition. https://www.dirtandgravel.psu.edu/s...s/Technical Bulletins/TB_Broad-Based_Dips.pdf

The OP just needs to assess where the water is coming from and then maybe it can be diverted, but if not, then perhaps he should look at raising his carport. The best time to look at where the water is coming from is when it's raining.

I personally would not build a water bar with any nails or screws that could ever work their way to the surface when the wood rots out. Bolts, yes. Nails or screws, no.