I’ve got a path running from my driveway, past the side of a detached garage, and to the house. The roof of the garage slopes toward the path so you get soaked by rain water running off it if you’re walking from the driveway to the house. We want to put a gutter on that side but I don’t know where to drain it.
If we spout it in any direction it’ll run away from the foundation but create an ice rink in the winter because that whole side of the garage is surrounded by paved paths. We could try to run it around the corner and dump it into a narrow gravel bed next to the garage foundation but that seems like it would hurt the foundation in the long run. I thought of laying a pipe under the path and draining the water through that but the ground is level on the other side so the pipe would not surface.
What can I do to get rid of that water safely? Can I lead an underground drain pipe to a pit full of gravel or something to soak it up?
Replies
Google “French Drain” for all sorts of ideas that might fit your situation.
Depending on the volume of water, could be a swamp or something akin to a leach field.
A dry well can help.
Along with a pit full of gravel, some include a perforated storage vessel to increase the amount of rainwater it can handle.
The success will depend on the soil characteristics, and how deep the water table is.
I'm on the Wetlands Commission in my town - we regulate anything to do with water management anywhere near a wetland. We frequently require roofs to be drained into underground galleries that hold the water until it has time to perc into the soil. You can buy galleries made of concrete or ABS, or you can dig a hole, line it with filter fabric, and fill it with gravel. If you've got clay or silty soils though, you ought to have an engineer spec the system to be sure it works.
There is another possibility. Seasonal. Gutters and drain to an elevated rain barrel. Overflow drained out and away from your walk area or used to water lawn or garden.