How to Drain a Lawn

The best time to see how well your yard drains is right after a heavy rain. Look for pooling water and drenched raised beds. If you see either, realize that not only does it look bad, but it's also bad for the roots. Additionally, it creates a breeding ground for mosquitoes. To solve this dilemma, install lawn drains which carry water to the street through a series of underground pipes.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Shovel or trencher
• Drainage system

1. Choose which type of drain you want to install. There are several different types of drains to draw standing water away from the landscape including underground pipes which collect water and empty it into the street.

2. Install a channel drain. A channel drain is installed into the concrete and guides water away from the house and into a pipe which is below the concrete level. A protective grate along the top of the channel keeps out yard debris. The channel drain is connected to another pipe which leads water away from the house.

3. Install a French drain. French drains, which are essentially a perforated drain pipe wrapped in landscape fabric and then covered with rock, are ideal for planters and raised beds. The landscape fabric protects the pipe so that soil and roots can't get in. This is especially good for raised planters which need drainage systems so that excess moisture doesn't saturate tender roots.

4. Install an underground drainage system to ensure that your entire yard drains properly and away from the foundation of your house. Underground drainage systems include lateral pipes that are trenched and connected around the yard. The lateral pipes are connected to channel drains, area drains and downspouts. The down line of the drainage system should extend as close to the street as possible.

5. Use a shovel to dig trenches for the pipes to install an underground drain system or area drain system. Or you can rent a trencher from your local landscaping store. Make sure to dig the trenches deep enough that the pipes slope downhill. Place the pipes in the trenches and attach the reservoir. Place a plastic bag in the reservoir so that soil doesn't clog it.

6. Start backfilling with dirt to cover the pipes once the underground system is in place, and replace the grass.

7. Turn on a hose to test whether the system works. If water flows out the opposite end, the system is functioning correctly.

Tips & Warnings

• A common mistake made by homeowners is installing a downspout along the side of the house so that it drains at the edge of the house. The job of a downspout is to drain water from the roof. But if you don't redirect it away from the house and into the ground, water funnels into the foundation, drowns out planters or soaks the lawn. The proper way to install a downspout is to slip an adapter onto the downspout and connect a small section of drain pipe. Attach a 90-degree-angled section to the pipe and to that a long pipe that leads away from the house.