DIY Flat Yard Drainage Project | Yards With No Slope
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- čas přidán 14. 05. 2021
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I will walk you through how I extended my downspouts 32 feet away from my home and installed adDry well to help drain water away from the foundation. Before I only had a 4-foot downspout extension, my sump pump was always running since the drains along the foundation would pull water out of the soil for days or weeks after a rain. Additional drainage videos included in the playlist below.
Drainage Playlist: • Drainage
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Klein Voltage Tester: amzn.to/2XMa1I2
Klein Outlet Tester: amzn.to/39GyO33
Wire Strippers: amzn.to/2NHHKuS
Little Giant Ladder: amzn.to/2UrFmfG
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. - Jak na to + styl
I've done two drywells at my house. I used two 5 gallon buckets spliced together and filled with pea gravel. I have a popup that releases excess water during heavy rain storms.
Can't wait to see a follow up video. Tip - throw in a little rubber duckie or random floating toy so you can easily see the water level in the dry well during your next big rain!
You're a great communicator. Super easy to understand everything. Nothing missed!👏
This is exactly what I was looking for. I needed a way to drain from the house...where my house didn't have much grade, and there was no other drainage system to pipe into - thanks.
We put one of these in a few years ago. Every time it rained or we washed off our patio the water would cover most of our patio and leave dirt and debris behind when it dried. We were going to use the plastic liner that was used in this video but when we got about two feet down we discovered a layer of sand. Maybe we're on top of an ancient riverbed. Regardless, it looked to us that the sand would provide such good drainage the we didn't need the plastic liner. We dug down about another foot, put in the cloth and then filled the hole with gravel. It worked great. We had some of the heaviest rain we've ever had this year. The water rose just to the edge of our patio and then receded almost immediately after the rain stopped.
The alternative was to install a long drain pipe around our house to the street. To say the least this way was massively cheaper and we are doing our part to recharge the groundwater :).
This is exactly my situation, plans, and philosophy!
Thanks a lot, you cover every little step, Very important like living the grass an inch higher. Every video is well informed, I’m a maintenance engineer an I like every little tile detail you cover on every one of your videos, once again thank you very much
A tip i leared on filling in trenches is to use a garden hose as you fill back. we try fill about 1/3 of the trench then fill it with water and use spades to break up clods, work them up and down like you are getting out air bubbles in concrete, fill another third repeat and then top it off with last bit of dirt, spasde it again. you are basically making mud. then when using the spades up and down you are compacting it, then lay they sod on top and press in with rake and then tamp down. once tapped down and water has drained off clean the dirt off the grass with a spray nozzel, a few days later you cant even tell you were there. Love the video, always good to learn something new
I like this idea I’m gonna use it
3 yrs later....great info for homeowners.
Deal with this weekly and these landscaping "experts" around here are ripping people off!
Scott, this comment is not related to this video. I just wanted to say thank you for making the video using SPAX screws. I recently completed a home improvement project and I decided to give the SPAX screws a try. Totally awesome screws!! I did not have to predrill holes into wood and the screws did not strip. I used Milwaukee shockwave impact duty square #1 bit along with the SPAX screws and not one screw stripped. Again, thank you for all your videos!!
If you think SPAX are great I highly recommend you try GRKs. In my opinion they are worth the cost and even better than SPAX.
tarp down , sod and dirt separated , impressive , simple prep made this job
Would have really liked to see the finished product in action at the ending. Great video.
We had one of these installed and it created a giant sinkhole
yes mounding the sod after you fill in the trench is very good tip, I have seen many low spots that cross entire fields because it will sink over time as it compacts back down. On one note it is easy to identify your irrigation or drainage, on another note it is an eye sore. very good tips
Thanks for the series! We're in the middle of closing on my first house and noticed the downspouts just unleash right by the foundation. Unfortunately there is a concrete driveway just a foot or two directly beside it. Looking at digging a trench parallel to the driveway to the backyard where there's a steep slope and let it drain that way.
As a non handy-man person, these videos are making me feel comfortable in knowing what to do when I get started!
Nice! Best of luck on the project. Sometimes it takes a few iterations and several rainstorms to get it right 👍
Sounds like a good idea..hope it worked. Had something similar in my home. Ran 6 in pvc pipe along with 4 12in catch basins connected with 2 downspouts to drain towards the curb. With all the summer rain we get here in southwest Texas, it helps.
in construction we called it a rock pile and dug them 6 feet long 3 to 4 feet wide, 4 ft deep filled them with gravel and ran the drain tile into the middle did it on swampy lots to run even drain tile in the yard to the pit depends on how much water you have to deal with
I have the flat yard, and a spring under ground. I just bought this home. It was built in 1953 and the one's that built it {lol} lived there until this past November.
Great detailed video! Need to do this on my retaining wall!
look how neat your work is. plastic under soil, carefully removed patches of the lawn. wow. I wish my sprinkler contractors did the same. but instead half year later I still have hobbit trails across my yard 😀
Thanks for the series, they are really helpful!
Wow. Great project and video. That is some serious trench and hole digging! Looks great!
PERFECT !
Well thought out and explained :)
I like your attention to detail
Boy, how such drainage experts are needed in Southern Oregon. A wasteland of contractors.
Honestly it is pretty tough anywhere to find a contractor that will do a good job helping you with drainage. If your lawn has a nice slope it isn't bad but if you have a flat lawn such as this there is some planning involved which is were finding good help really becomes tough.
I hope I never need all of that. Just watched from today's (11/7/2023) *DIY Guide To Installing Gutters.* Thanks, Scott.
Very similar problem with my property and also i have bit high water table. Appreciate really your advise.
This video gives me hope. Some big named companies want to do expensive encapsulation or their patented drain systems that are equivalent to a car note. Considering my home is old and has buried drain pipes (probably old and broken), I would much rather give this a try instead of spending thousands. Plus I have those annoying drain flies, which I'm sure are coming from the crawl space and water entering/backing up. 😬 Thanks for sharing this video.
Great work, thanks so much for sharing!
This was excellent, thank you
Great work, we use corrugated a lot too. PVC has its place, but theyre both for different uses.
PVC is meant for jobs that you want to last.
Corrugated works fine if installed correctly
a major drawback of using this type of non perforated corrugated drain pipe is that when it clogs (as it invariably will at some time) it can not be rodded out without damage to the pipe. Although slightly more expensive it is better to use the white smooth wall non-corrugated perforated drain pipe (perforations down). Generally both types of perforated pipe are bedded in gravel so that the pipe also acts to diffuse the water for absorption into the ground. Sometimes a nylon sock with gravel surrounding the pipe is used.
Thank you for the very informative video...
All of a sudden I feel like I have drainage issues at home that need to be fixed!
Ignorance is bliss isnt it! Just get the water away from your home. that's number 1
🤣🤣🤣 Me too... Let me check
Former civil engineer here. That drywell at roughly 50 gallons (6.8 CF) capacity will only be able to hold about 40 SF of roof area assuming a 2" rainfall. That's obviously way less than the roof section you're trying to capture but your ultimate goal is to get the runoff water away from the foundation, so as long as the drywell has a way for the additional flow to escape, you're accomplishing your goal.
Edit: I'll add, I am in an area that has some stringent runoff capture and recharge requirements due to the impact excessive runoff has on bacteria levels in our local waterways. When I was doing site design work or reviews for local home development projects, you would typically see drywells on the order of 8' to 20' diameter at 10, 20 or more feet deep to properly capture runoff and contain it on the property.
Thanks Steve, yeah I wanted to keep some of the water on the lawn for the surrounding trees but you are right the overflow will start pretty quickly after a significant rain as the soil also does not have good percolation. Will be interested to monitor over the next few rains but I am confident the water should flow away from the house.
Your right on the money. Dry wells are usually a joke. They have to be so large that they are usually not a reasonable solution on a residential property. A well made and designed sump pump basin is they right way to go.
@@a80286b
Pumping water is the last resort. Yes this will be overflowing but if the water runs away from the house....
@@u2mister17 If there is enough slope to drain the pipe with gravity, then correct: there is no reason to use a sump pump basin (and especially not a dry well since they are impractical or impossible in most situations to begin with). But in a situation where there isn't a desirable amount of slope available, a horizontal sump pump basin 4 feet or longer is the way to go.
That depends on the soil type. Flo-well's website has a calculator. If the soil itself is not good at drainage such as clay soil, then the flo-well system will not work.
I'm impressed.
I live in south Florida, close to the ocean, close to the beach, so my house sits on sand. No issues with drainage. Issues with rainwater eroding the foundation beds under the eaves. You've inspired me to install gutters and direct the rainwater to the middle of the yard into a dry well.
I also have plans to install an outdoor urinal, the discharge line to terminate close to the property line into a dry well. A bucket of water to flush the urinal and a dedicated downspout to wash-out the drain line. The issue at the moment, since I don't buy anything new if I don't have to, is to locate a discarded urinal.
Cool idea. A square 5 gallon bucket. With cheap ball valve. To keep the flies from taking over the pisser.
Handy for filtered beer drain 😏🍻
I put in a dry well out of a 5 gallon bucket 🪣 years ago. We used an automotive funnel connected to flexible hose which changes over to 1/2" sch 40 PVC and then 90's to a 1/2" P-Trap and then connects to the 5 gallon bucket with lid. I have holes drilled out in it and then it sits in landscaping material and backfilled with rock for drainage. No issues whatsoever. Me and my 3 boys use it practically daily next to and behind our shed in the backyard. It has served us very well. Very practical and no mess or fuss. Sometimes I'll rinse a little bleach down and that's it. Have a good one.
Good to see there are so many legitimate solutions to poor drainage & ponding water problems. Had a friend that encountered this problem due to uphill neighbor unpermitted ill-concieved 'improvements' that ended up dumping the water in his backyard and flooding out the foundation. After being denied insurance claims & corrective measures from local code enforcement, he tried to sue neighbor, did not prevail in any MEANINGFUL way then spiraled out of control and took his own life. Sad situation. Needless to say it is/would be a better expenditure of resources to have built a drainage system than to WASTE all the time and money on attorneys and court costs, not to mention the enmity and endless harassment by city gubmint officials due to friendly connections & preferential relations to the uphill neighbor. Bottom line: drainage systems WORK, the legal system DOESN'T!!
Thank you for the information. Great knowledge share.
Nice work!
You have a beautiful home
1:59 I had that problem before i moved, but with my main sewer drain, because I noticed the tree in my front yard looked more happy than normal and when I went to power auger the main drain, the line was full of mud water, so good thing that is the new owner’s problem
Hey. TechZone stole your picture for their thumbnail. They painted it blue and replaced the pipe, but same well, house, landscaping, and piles of dirt.
Great job!
Excellant Scott. Great option for a project at our family cottage on the river. Thanks!
Thanks Keith, best of luck on the drainage projects!
Fun video ... love it.
Looks good!
Bigger sized outlets and down sprouts can be put on gutters so that they would drain better when on roofs that throw off a lot of water.
excellent video!
Thx Andy!
Landscape fabric over/around that corrugated pipe though, right? Otherwise it'll eventually get enough dirt inside to reduce performance?
Thank you for your excellent videos, Scott! Do you have any thoughts as to how to choose between a dry well vs an elbow joint with the pop-up? It seems to be a matter of flow volume, but do you know how to make an educated choice? Thanks again!
Nice work
Its called a soakwell in Australia and they're really common for sandy soils as it free drains compares to clay soil
Wow.. nice job!
Thx!
Excellent!
curious as to what you installed. it looks undersized for the volume of water (sf at 2" rain/hr in typical locations) which adds quite a bit of cf area required. last, the 1.5% = 3/16" pitch on pipe which is a bit less than the 1/4" required in most areas
From my watching other youtube video's, another thing would have been to bring dirt in to place around the edge of the house. This would force the water to run away from the house. It would involve a fair bit of work though, taking the garden out around the edge of the house putting soil in to create the fall, then putting the garden back in.
I love this could use for gardening
Winnipegger here. We are lucky to get a 1% slope here in the bottom of Lake Agassiz
Great task,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ONELOVE.
What kind of drainage corrugate/pipe should I use to collect water along a path through the yard to ultimately empty to a storm drain conveniently located in the yard? I've seen different types with holes or slots and some wrapped with fabric and/or foam peanuts... I'm not sure which to use. Thanks
Amazing work. Very helpful. I am curious did you learn about calling to locate buried wire the hard way?
What would you do with a deeper frost line. Ours is about 46". I have two sumps, one on each side of the house and they run for days after a rain. It's especially problematic in the spring with the snow melt plus spring rain. Thanks for a great vid.
Great video. I am about to tackle a downspout drainage project myself. I like the corrugated wye set up you did in this video and how you commented on corrugated pipe versus pvc. I liked your logic for the frost but do you experience any issues with water flow and debris getting caught in a corrugated pipe? Honestly I am not very familiar with pvc and all the necessary fittings and connectors. I would prefer to work with corrugated but have heard some bad stories about it getting clogged. Do you usually work with corrugated? Thanks
I did a drywell project at my house about 7 years ago. Initially I did it with corrugated and had to replace it all a couple years later when it got completely clogged. I replaced all the corrugated with smooth-wall HPDE pipe (from a big-box).
I live in the Pacific Northwest so our frost line is pretty high but I really can't see how the material type makes much difference from a heave perspective. HPDE is definitely more rigid than corrugated and I had to use elbows in a few places but I think the tradeoff (not getting plugged by pine needles) is worth it. I also dug a much bigger hole than Everyday did in his video, which might be why I've not had any issues with volume. My hole was 5' x 6', drywell in the middle, fabric between dirt and rocks. I also put a circle of fabric at the bottom of the drywell so I could open it every couple years and dump out the pile of pine needles that had accumulated without the rocks getting contaminated. It's worked well so far.
I want to see the final product
We learned a lot you are doing great job, can you show me how to do small septic tank system for a small cabin thanks.
Fantastic
Instead of the white rocks, you should use bank run gravel which is round stones. Much better for drainage, and less likely to clog with soil.
Always a Monday Morning quarterback in
@@jimbo2325 No Monday morning quarterback, just 40 years in the landscaping business. I've seen lots of failed drainage systems that used the wrong stone, but you apparently don't know anything about that. Before commenting, learn the facts.
@@lacro5686 Thanks for letting me know the facts. Guess you know it all.
This perfectly summarizes the best and worst of the Internet right here. The benefit of a massive base of individual experience, combined with needless antisocial pecking at each other.
I have 10 years experience in CZcams commenting and the rock used will get the job done.
Smooth piping needs less pitch than corrugated. Great on level yards.
This a good thing because a lot of homes get mold because of this
Nice and usefull video, no b.s.
Does the sub pump has to be plugged al the time. I have one at home but I don’t have any knowledge about it. Your video helped me to understand what is use for🙏
Ty
If you are in a location that freezes, should there not be an air gap between the down spout and the drain pipe in case the drain pipe freezes the down spout can still empty rather than create a column of ice going all the way up to the gutters. I have also seen where they put a parallel grid so that any leaf litter or twigs that come down the down spout will be directed to the ground rather than allowed to enter the drain pipe.
How do you dig that length and know you are at a 1 1/2 degree pitch? And that pipe is deep enough that it will not get crush if something heavy goes over it? Would love to do this at my house ,but at this age and limited funds it is not in the cards.
First check if the street is lower than the down spout, if it is lower then add soil around the foundation run two 6-inch side by side with a splitter that connects to a scheduled 40 directed to the road, may have go under OR place a drainage in the sidewalk with a plastic or stainless steel that you can step on as you walk or roll across the sidewalk the drainage that allows drainage to the street. On a heavy down pour one 6 inch drain pipe on gravity flow will NOT handle the water. You must reshape the front yard then re-seed the front yard. This will resolve this issue forever. One thing put a check valve at the end or one foot in from the end to prevent rodents from building a nest and wash out your line every spring.
For down spouts is better solid corrugated pipe or perforated.
I saw a video where they added two pipes one solid for down spouts and one perforated for the yard..
Baby boy is cute. 👍🏻
Hi, Great Videos! I live in Southeastern Vermont, Vernon. How deep does the trench have to be?
if your down spourt drains toward your house, try changing it to another corner where the slope leads away from the house.
What if you have clay soil?
Thank you. you said the deepest point you have is 14 inch, what is your starting depth at the beginning from downspout- around 10 inch? Thanks again
Hmm 🧐 I'll need something like this for new Orleans.
any modifications needed for intermittant cold/warm winter climates such as in Colorado in the winter? Thanks for the detailed video.
I don’t think so as we get that here as well in Illinois. Best of luck on the project.
I'm in a similar situation as you with the sump pump and the downspouts that I need to do something similar. I have a lot of days where the sump pump runs throughout the month. I have some grade issues along with a need to get the water further away from our foundation. But does it need to be 30ft? I've seen suggestions of at least 20ft. I think some recycling of the water back to the pump could be good be a good thing for keeping the grass healthy without causing damage to the foundation.
I was in disagreement with you on your last video and the proximity of the sidewalk and wonder how quickly this basin it going to fill up?
When was the last time your sump pump was replaced? Replaced ours a couple of weeks ago after realizing it had been just over 10 years since I replaced the last one. Time flies.
I don't think it necessarily needs to be 30 ft. Since I was digging already I wanted to put it a little further out to make sure I could catch the slight slope I did have in the yard. Get ready for the workout 😉
Good job budd
Thx!
If have one in the corner of my backyard, which is a natural low spot. It works well, but it is not perfect. 2 or 3 times a year it over flows. At least it is easy to pump down a couple of inches so there is no water above ground.
Good idea, but from the deep storage what's the best option to utilize this water, please comment!
Have you ever seen hydro blox product? It's a French drain replacement that doesn't need slope. Something you might like to explore.
Do you ever worry the pipe will heave in Winter and not drop back in Summer, leaving a hump blocking flow?
Wow this is great! exact same situation at my house with the negative grades, and theres already a system that was installed 20 year ago to a drywell but it cant keep up with our rain anymore since I don't know where the ending drywell is buried I was looking at putting a new drywell pit where ive dug and found the pipe before and then also including an overflow outflow that daylights near the ditch. I was sold on using sch40 pvc, but now i might just use 4inch corrugated because I have like 100ft in the shed and because of the freeze thaw cycle thing you talked about.
I know it's been 10 months since your comment but I was watching a FixthisHouse video and they said for smooth pipe run a slope of 1&1/2 inches per 10 feet but with corrugated pipe it needs to be at least 2&1/2 inches per every 10 feet. Just something to consider. They also ran solid pipe for the first 8 feet away from the house and then used perf pipe on the rest of the run. Just food for thought. Good luck.
@@disillusioned070 thanks for the reply, haven’t done the work yet because we had drought conditions last year and there was no need; but with more rain again this year I’m seeing the benefits again; I definitely want to go with smooth walled pvc pipe
The french drain or dry well will work as good as the natural drainage of the soil itself.
Otherwise it works just like a bath tub.
Home builder for 41 years the black corrugated pipe always ends up with leaves and twigs and get stopped up and it will be useless very soon use schedule 40 PVC not the cheap thin stuff any traffic in the yard will crush the thin stuff and you're saving very little money your dry well is definitely too small all you going to do is move you wet spot somewhere else adding dirt to the foundation raises the level next to the foundation makes termites situation worse
Thanks for the feedback Keith!
40 PVC is a huge pain to deal with compared to the green, thinner pvc intended for lawns. I did a run with it a few years ago and it was a waste of money and time; requires a much more perfect trench because it doesn’t flex, for one thing. Welding 4” is less forgiving as well. Properly packed into the trench the green stuff is fine because it cannot compress without also pushing soil outwards. Agree on smooth wall!
Just rent a mini ex and dig a large trench behind the dry well you installed. Install infiltrator sewer chambers. Maybe 10 feet. Pour gravel all around and over it. Run a 4 inch pipe from your existing dry well over to the infiltrators in new trench (which are a little lower grade). Your just boosting it with more capacity and drain ability with what I'm suggesting. But adjust it to fit the size of yard you are dealing with....
Absolutely correct. In 2010 my grandpa used 4in thin wall all around the drive way for drainage. It's now in an oval shape and very brittle. I dug it up and it cracked by stepping on it. I only use 40, and it's absolutely worth the time and extra few bucks. Thin wall underground will not last. All situations are different, but it is best to be safe than sorry.
Does the landscape fabric cover the pipe does it go underneath the pipe and you add rocks and then cover the top with the fabric and then add rocks again.?
Hi Scott! Thank you for sharing your skills with us! I have a huge water problem in my back yard. I live in Pa. and live in a twin home. Our ground is like clay. There is another house to my left, and I have a 2 car garage at the end of my yard. Behind my garage is a easement that is shared with neighbors and there is another house behind me that also shared the easement. When we get rain, my back yard becomes a lake! It floods! Both adjoining neighbors don't get any water in their yards, I get it all! We at one time had the yard raised and a drain installed in the back yard but it couldn't handle all of the water due to not having any where to drain the water so it was removed. We can't raise the yard any more then it is due to garage and the house. We had several people come to access the problem and no one had any solutions. Can you offer any suggestions on how to resolve this problem? Any help would be appreciated. My yard use to be so pretty but now it's all dirt. Thank you in advance, Jane
Perhaps extend your drainage system out to the lowest point towards the gutter and into the street..
Great video! I need to do this soon. What is the benefit of this dry well method vs. a french drain? Thanks
Instead of the catch basin, couldn't a long run of drain tile be just as effective?
Black corrugated above grade is terrible looking at the house. Schedule 40 or thinner at the gutter downspout in white with a clean out right at grade with a threaded clean out would have be much nicer looking
Good thing there’s spray paint in white
He also has it tucked behind that bush so it ain't gonna be all that visible.
Functionality over looks anyday
I recommend a shave and a nice wax job too. Looks matter.☮️
How about an update to this system?
Is that lower gutter and downspout large enough or does it overflow in heavy rain? You mentioned leaves. Do the gutters get loaded in the fall?
The horizontal drywells give more surface area to allow natural percolation. But you may need a small excavator to get it done efficiently. We use 4' x 12' here on Long Island NY but we have loan and sandy soils.
Looks like house could do with extra down spouts as well.
Could you use the aluminum pipe in the trench into a hole filled with gravel? Would that work too?
nice idea, but may not handle the volume of water- do you have updates?