Need to build drain around hay shed, looking for input

[mjw357]

Have a 24'x30' pole barn we use as a hay shed, on fairly flat ground. When the ground is saturated sometimes water starts running inside making for a muddy floor. A fellow I work with had the good idea to place a trench drain around the perimeter. Just something about a foot deep, place 4" plastic perforated tile and backfill with gravel. The ground does slope downhill a bit maybe 10 or 20 feet away from the front of it, figured the tile could outlet there at some kind of a drywell, maybe just an old 5 gallon bucket full of holes and big gravel.

The question I have, is how to dig the trench, other than by hand. I want to put it maybe 2 feet away from the outside of the barn. So a backhoe is out I guess. Anyone ever use a ground saw?

 

[forgeblast]

Never used a grown saw, hand dug a lot that were close to buildings. Get a digging bar. Hd/lowes sell a drywell that will connect right to the 4'' pipe. If its really muddy you may want to wrap in geotex, to keep the mud from clogging the pipe. They also sell socks that go over the pipe.

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm not a fan of French drains. They all have a limited lifespan and it's just a matter of when it fails. The only way to make sure the water never gets into the building, and never will, is to dig a ditch around the building so the water has a path to travel away from the building.

Eddie

 

[tony Cecil]

Last summer we had alot of rain in the early part....I just dug a shallow ditch where the sidewalls stopped and then connected to the ditch about twenty feet away....It soon grew grass and looked fine.....This is relatively flat land and the ditch isn`t but a foot and a half deep, but the higher the water got the faster it flowed, and I didn`t have to sweep the floor anymore... Tony

 

[s219]

I like using septic paper to line the trench before dropping pipe and gravel in, then wrap it up around. The septic paper will keep sediment from clogging up the gravel. The oldest I put in is 15 years old now, and is still flowing great.

I've had to hand dig french drains close to foundations, but used a trencher (rental -- either Vermeer or Ditch Witch) in some other cases where I had more room. You can put a wide chain on most trenchers, which should be enough to squeeze a 4" pipe in.

 

[downsizingnow48]

Had same problem with workshop in Virginia. Dug 2ft x 2ft trench all around right next to foundation with B21. Back in at angle with hoe parallel to building. Can be done requires lots of relocating backhoe. easy to hit building with hoe, need to work slow. make sure you swing the right way. Then line trench with landscape cloth. Then layer of jagged crushed rock (not round gravel). Then perforated pipe. Then more crushed rock. Fold landscaping cloth over crushed rock, cover with 4-6 inches dirt to grade. At low corner of building extend trench etc downslope about 20 ft. This worked for the 15 yrs we had the place. I guess still working have heard no complaints. Soil was heavy clay. Smooth gravel will compact relatively quickly, jagged crushed rock maintains open space.

 

[whistlepig]

You have to tile the water away from the building. I have tried French Drains. French Drains are a waste of time and money.

 

[downsizingnow48]

To clarify my post above. Perforated pipe conducts water away from foundation. Crushed rock gives water a path to the pipe and has some retention capability. Landscape cloth lets water flow but stops (most) silt. Downslope extension ideally goes to natural ditch but will work by itself longer is better.

 

[Gunny]

I'm with the crowd that calls for a ditch. Anyway you go, you're going to have to dig a ditch or trench. The ditch is effective, and also the cheapest and easiest way to go to get the water away and also the easiest to maintain or fix if needed

 

[swick1]

The secret to making a french drain work is to wrap the rocks in fabric the top it with 3-4" of sand or gravel depending on your desired flow rate. You can also make the trench like an upside down triangle for more flow