Anyone have any ideas on how to dry out a wet back yard? My soil is a very high clay content so water just sits in the soil after even a small amount of rain. We can’t really walk on the grass for at least four days after a storm. Right now with the snowmelt, the rain, and the dog running around, it is a quagmire of mud, dead grass, and dog turds.
My house sits at the bottom of a small slope and if I walk up into my neighbor’s yard even a couple of feet, it is nice and dry. The property line is about 100′ long. My thoughts were to dig a trench at the bottom of the slope, and intall some kind of perforated drain pipe with crushed stone and a small amount of sandy topsoil on top, just for the grass to grow in.
I would also fill in the low spots where the water collects possibly with crushed stone and a layer of sandy topsoil. Or would the topsoil alone be enough?
Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.
Replies
"My thoughts were to dig a trench at the bottom of the slope, and intall some kind of perforated drain pipe with crushed stone and a small amount of sandy topsoil on top, just for the grass to grow in."
And where would the after it filled up th pipe and stone.
"I would also fill in the low spots where the water collects possibly with crushed stone and a layer of sandy topsoil. Or would the topsoil alone be enough?"
And what happens to the water then.
If you can run the drain pipe to a ditch or curb then you can do that. You can't don't anything that would change the natural corse of water and dumb it one someone else.
Now is it possible that the uphill neibhors have done anything to increase the water flow towards you. If so they might be required to correct it.
Even if they are not responsible you might beable to do work on yours land or work with them to do it on there land to add a swhale or drains up higher on the land to direct more of the water to storm sewrs/ditch.
Also there are chemicals that I have HEARD are supose to help increase the drainage properties of clay soils.
Here are a couple of links.
http://www.chemcraft.net/enviromx.html
http://www.chemcraft.net/drain1.html
Based on what a local radio garden show host says you need to apply it several times the label rate for drainage.
Here is a different type of product.
http://www.absupply.com/p-soilmaster.htm
I am not sure how related that is to your problem.
google on - polymer soil condititioner - and - soil conditioner drainage - for more suggestions.
And contact your local county extension agency or the soil and conservation agency. They know you local conditions and if any chemical process has been succesful.
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Sounds like you need to fill in so as to bring the grade up some and get the water to run away from your house. Dumptruck loads of dirt is what I'm proposing. Topsoil does dry quicker than clay - or at least with the types of soil we have in our area. Can you raise the grade around your house at least 6" or more?
Also, I don't see where adding stone to low spits in gonna help anything. You have already said the soil doesn't drain very well. Stone won't help, may even just collect water, and will just make it harder to grow grass, etc.
If you were to install a linear drain like you described can it run to a lower spot and exit to daylight? If not, I'm not sure it would help.
This is a very difficult problem to diagnose and recommend fixes for over the internet since we can't see what is happening with your grading. Even with a photo, it is hard, if not impossible to get a feeling as to which way the water needs to be directed. Maybe you could draw a sketch of your yard with guesstimated elevations added in.
french drains
we call 'em freedom drains now_______________________________________________________________
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Plant "Freedom" rice....
I'll second that one BB,...... French drains are the cheapest and easiest route. They even make a perforated poly pipe wraped in material to aid in drainage. (sock pipe)..Dig a trench, drop the wrapped pipe in the trench and cover it. Be sure to have it run in a area you want the water to to migrate to, (slope it down hill).Semper Fi
"To be young and a conservative, you have no heart"
"To be old and a liberal, you have no mind"
Winston Churchill
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem."PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN, 1985
A french drain is just a way of collecting the water. And that is one option that the OP proposed.But it does not get rid of water. There has to be a lower place for the water to flow, or a pump.Based on what the OP said there might not be a lower place..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Thanks for the replies. I have to check with the city, but there are two storm drains in front of my house that I could possibly tie into with a french, I mean freedom, drain.
You may also want to include (at the lowest part of your yard) a bed of plants that LOVE wet. To illustrate:
A friend of mine owned a house in a subdivision built in the 70s. The back of her property had a swale run thru it on the way to the drain (just so you know, typical subdivision builder here peels off the great topsoil, leaves you w/the clay subsoil & MAYBE will give you back an inch or 2 of topsoil). After a rain, ANY rain, she would have a lake at the back of her property that would come close to her patio (a good 3/4 of her backyard was innundated w/water). After she complained to me, I asked, "Well why don't you plant things that like it wet?" Things like: Queen-of-the-Prairie, Cupplant, Cardinal flower, Spicebush, Riverbirch, Pawpaw...er, I'll stop now (if you need a list send me an email giving me your state & zone). So she put in a 3 ft deep bed the whole length of her yard (overlapping cardboard on the lawn, cover that w/about 6inches to 1ft of woodchips - let that sit for 1/2 a year and THEN plant right into it) & planted her choice of moisture loving plants. After a few years, my area was hit w/the most rain we've ever had in one day. I think it was 14 or 17 inches of rain in a night. When she checked her yard the next morning,
she was able to walk within 2 ft of the bed before getting squishy toes. My friend did not use any French drains & her house was on a slab, no basement.Max said that the snow hurt the trees & seeds you both planted last year. He wants you to bring some more, so both of you can plant. Buck about nephew (BWAHha Ha HA-converted another one)
This approach might even work for an outlet of a subsurface drain, as well as for addressing the wet spots. Google on "rain garden" for a lot of information.
If the drain can't be tied into the storm drain, a dry well might work if there is sufficient depth of soil on the property. Sometimes deeper soil strata have a higher percolation rate than shallow strata.
Wood chips. See if the local tree company is looking for a way to get rid of its wood chips. My neighborhood is wet and I bet there has been 40 loads dumped in different yards. When the wood breaks down , it turns into peat. Check with your local power company also. When the crews clear branches from the lines, its a convient way for them to dump the chips.
My first thought is to say don't bother trying to fill in low spots, unless they're REALLY low. Otherwise all you end up doing is chasing the low spots around.
Gotta drain the excess water somewhere...
cattails will suck up alot of water. Many willows will suck up and transpire 10x the water of most trees.
do you have city storm hookup? has this always been a problem? is it affecting any structure? lot size? country/city? what is the main source?
bill hartman has alot of good ideas, although personally i like to stay away from chemical solutions.
A seasoned landscaper (such as myself) and a skidsteer will solve such problems 90+% of the time.
to help correctly identify more contributing factors get an umbrella, go outside when its raining and has been raining and watch the water run. use solid food coloring to narrow it down further if you need to.
do not just fill in the hole. it may be a solution but basic surveying needs to be done to determine that your not just pushing the problem, possibly to the detriment of human or environmental welfare.
stand in the middle of the problem and post 4 digipix n/w/s/e for more specific help. I will return in a couple of hours to review.
Yes Willow & Silver Maple (among other trees) really like water but I was trying to cutdown on potential root problems. Unless you've got acreage (which I don't want to know about).Max said that the snow hurt the trees & seeds you both planted last year. He wants you to bring some more, so both of you can plant. Buck about nephew (BWAHha Ha HA-converted another one)
Plant trees like weeping willows that suck up water quickly.I did this years ago , water problem fixed completely after about three years. After one year the standing water was much less. The only drawback is weeping willows attract lots of insects.If the trees are not near the house or utilities willows will eventually take care of most standing water problems.
mike
WW is a beautiful tree, but boy are they messy. But you're right, they do soak up the water.
Farmers in my area have installed drainage tile under entire fields that are too wet.
I am envisioning a series of trenches draining to the storm drain in your front yard - like a reverse leach field - gravel and all. Cover with the original soil...
It would be spendy, though.
My Optimist Club back in Flint, Mi had that problem with a house we bought for the local abused kids center.
One of our members was a excavating contractor whom was in good graces with the city. Did much of the city's sewer, curb and such work.
So I went and talked the local rental yard into letting us use their DitchWitch and scammed a few other providers into donations. We had Miss dig come out and mark for underground things.
Me and the boys went and wrassled the DitchWitch into the back yard and ran a 4" solid black drain (the first 6' was perfer'ed in pea rock as a collector) pipe in the trench around the house out to the curb where the contractor took over and tied into the storm sewer. Since the soil was all clay, there was no purpose in using perfer'ed. Put in a yard drain at the lowest spot at the head of the line.
Been dry as a bone ever since.
This is not a instant fix but you can apply granular Gypsum they sell it in bags at stores likes Lowes & farming Co-Ops it is listed on the bag for applications for this use. I apply it very heavy with a speader & as soon as the rain or wattering makes it dissapear I apply it again. I use to have problems with standing water & mushy areas after a good rain & after 4 years applying the gypsom the problem has gone away. I still continue to apply it about 3 times a year during the rainy season.