How to Do Drainage in Yards
Proper drainage of the yard surrounding your house is essential to prevent water intrusion into your home. Too much water can also turn your yard into a soggy, muddy mess, making it difficult to grow a healthy lawn, flowers and gardens. Installing French drain tile alleviates these problems. French drain tile consists of sections of perforated PVC tubing joined together and buried in the ground. It collects ground water and channels it away from your home. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Shovel
- Lawn fabric
- Utility knife
- Crushed rock
- Drain tile
- Hacksaw
- PVC primer
- PVC glue
- Drain tile sock
Instructions
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1
Use a shovel to mark and dig a trench parallel to the house. Dig the trench 18 inches deep and 12 inches wide.
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2
Dig trenches perpendicular to the first trench so they slope downwards away from the house. The farthest end of the trench will be deeper than the end closest to the house. Dig the trench long enough so that water is dumped out as far away from your house as possible, preferably into an existing gully or ditch.
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3
Cut landscape fabric with a utility knife and lay the fabric at the bottom of each trench. The fabric is designed to keep dirt and debris from clogging PVC pipe.
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4
Lay a bed of crushed rock and gravel three to four inches thick on top of the fabric. The rock and gravel bed is designed to keep the PVC drain tile pipe elevated off the fabric and low-lying dirt.
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5
Lay the sections of PVC drain tile pipe in the trench on top of the gravel and rocks. The perforations of the pipe must face up. Lay out any T-fittings and elbows necessary to connect all the pieces together. Cut the PVC drain tile sections to length as necessary with a hacksaw.
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Apply PVC primer to all joint ends and wait for the primer to dry to the touch. When dry, apply PVC glue to the ends, then connect the pieces together. Hold the pieces for approximately 10 seconds. Slide the drain tile sock over the PVC drain tile pipe as you go. The sock filters out dirt and mud and prevents it from entering the drain tile and eventually plugging it.
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7
Cover the top of the PVC drain tile with more crushed rock and gravel. Shovel dirt and topsoil on top of the trench until it is level with the lawn.
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Tips & Warnings
Use fresh topsoil to help initiate new grass growth over the trench.
Call your state's utility marking company before digging. They will come and mark any buried gas, water or electric lines. This way you won't inadvertently create a dangerous situation by digging where you shouldn't.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images
