How to Put Drain Tile in Wet Yard Areas
Wet areas in yards are an annoyance and a potential danger for many homeowners. Ignoring them will not improve them. Drying up these troublesome areas should be a priority for those whose yards are wet long after the rain has passed. Some digging and strategic tile placement can improve, and even completely remedy, these conditions in most cases. Properly identifying drier areas and linking them to these wet spots is surprisingly effective at balancing out wet and dry areas in yards. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Stakes
- Trencher or pick and shovel
- Lawn drains
- Drain Tile with Cloth Sock
- Gravel
Instructions
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Call the local utility company to confirm that it is safe to dig in the targeted area. Give the utility company time to thoroughly check and respond, usually a week. Obtain clearance before digging.
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Staking the wet area will give you a reference point for shooting the rest of the yard Stake the wet area. Drive foundation stakes around the perimeter of the wet area. Examine the staked area to get a fair estimate of how much water needs to be relocated.
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Look for the nearest area that is both drier and lower in elevation than problem area. Plan to dig the trench to re-route the water to this drier area in order to dry out the wet area. Try to find a downhill slope away from the rest of the yard.
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Dig the trench between the two areas, the wet spot and the drier spot to which you want to route the water. Try to keep the distance between the two areas as short as possible. Dig it about 6 inches wide. Start the depth at about 6 inches and gradually increase the depth at a rate of about 2 to 4 inches every 20 feet. Give the trench "fall" (increasing depth) as you dig.
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Estimate the amount of fall---difference in elevation---between the two areas based on how the ground lies. Remember that steeper drops result in more water relocation, so aim for a good rate of drop or fall.
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Lawn drains will become the new wet spots if they are not vented. Drill three or four drain holes in the bottoms of two lawn drains so no water will stand in them. Dig out an area roughly the size and shape of the drain in the wet area about two inches below the soil line. Place the drain in the prepared area, keeping it level as you place it on the ground. Do the same for the other end of the drainage trench with the other lawn drain.
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Lay in the section of perforated drain tile, with cloth sock, between the two lawn drains. (The drain tile will come encased in cloth, called a sock, which protects against sediment/mud getting into the drain tile.) Connect the tile to the drains. Cover back over with gravel and soil.
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Tips & Warnings
Even with level elevations and practically no drop, tiles will still help to at least spread the water out of the wet area.
Ignoring yard wet spots only gives them time to get worse.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit down the drain image by Aaron Kohr from Fotolia.com surveyor stakes image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com autumn lawn image by Sergej Razvodovskij from Fotolia.com
