Flooding Driveway

cibula11 · 10-15-2007, 06:55 PM

When it rains, the lower right part of my driveway slab (12x20) floods with about 2-3 inches of water. The problem is that to the right of my driveway is some rock landscaping and then my yard and to the left is an alley. I'm not sure if I can reroute the water or if it would be easier to pour concrete over the low end. I am just concerned that adding two inches of new concrete to old concrete will eventually chip away, especially since I will be needing to fan the new concrete out as the grade gets higher. Suggestions?

glennjanie · 10-16-2007, 12:19 PM

Hey Cibula:
You are correct. The concrete poured over the old will flake off; we usually use 2" or more to hold. The feathering would kill it.
However, if you don't have a lower elevation to drain it to, you might try a 'dry well' at the lower edge of the driveway. A dry well is a hole in the ground, backfilled with course rock; it allows the water a place to run and allows it to percolate into the soil around it. Yours would need to be about the size of a 55gal barrell.
Glenn

inspectorD · 10-16-2007, 03:11 PM

You can also cut away the concrete to make a drain on one side...or
You could get a concrete jackin Company which does the sidewalks around town to lift your slab a bit to drain correctly.

Good luck.

cibula11 · 10-17-2007, 11:51 AM

Thanks for the input. It's not a huge, damaging problem. More annoying than anything. I've thought about a dry well, but obviously would involve quite a bit of work. I might just be better off leaving it, and hope for some dry days.

glennjanie · 10-17-2007, 11:09 PM

If the water gets under that corner and is trapped there this winter, a hard freeze will make it heave up and crack the driveway.
Well, at least it will deliniate the problem area and you can true up the line of the crack with a concrete saw, pop the old out, and pour a new corner making it higher. That sounds sarcastic when I re-read it; I didn't mean for it to sound that way its just random rantings of a madman.
Glenn

inspectorD · 10-21-2007, 08:57 PM

If we didn't have rantings there would be no forum.....soapbox anyone?

Wait ...you could dig a hole and put in a can with a solar powered sump pump....no wait...sewage ejector pump for leaves and stuff.....

Now that's sarcasm.

spec_j · 08-31-2009, 03:30 PM

im having this same problem. Only difference is i have no where to re-route the water