regrading/drainage

shop deals on amazon
SpartanEpoxies
Shop deals on ebay
Advertise with us
House Repair Talk

Help Support House Repair Talk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
F

floatr

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2013
Messages
46
Reaction score
2
I have a large area in yard that has water build up in rains and flows toward home.I plan to do a french drain an want ed to amend the soils all around the sides and the area in general.
What would be the best things to mix into the soils around the trench for better absorbtion and so water will also soak into ground easier.?
It is the packed clay soil .

I also have a area nearby it that has no sun and im going to put a deck back there where old one was but wanted to get some ideas since it used to have water standing there.I thought maybe id pack it heavily with a slope towards the french drain ..should i still use the rock and plastic?
any info is appreciated
 
A French drain should move the water someplace just like a pipe would. The idea to me is not to have the stone collect the water and the ground around absorb it. Clay will sometimes have gypsum added to it to break it down to let water pass thru it. You would have to condition a lot of soil to change the drainage as you described.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Repair
 
If you get the water into the French drain, do you wave a place to direct it to?

If not you will just end up with drain full of water in a clay area. If the area is clay, very little will be absorbed by the soil after a good rain. You will be storing water below ground where it cannot evaporate.



Dick
 
ill probbly end up doing a dry well since the yard slope doesnt allow for a good downhill.
I want all the soil around it also well reconditioned for draining also as i till it and add different things to it,then ill reslope it.
i have many different things to add to the clay but wanted some input on what will help the most such as gypsum and other things.
Thanks..
Ive done drains before..its more about increasing the flow of water through the soil im asking on.
 
Last edited:
Amending the soil has very little influence on drainage in a heavy rain. Don't bother unless it is also for creating better planting or grass. As a matter of fact, you would have to add quite a bit of anything to even make a difference.Peat moss or sand have been recommended to break up clay soil, but if the soil is too loose it will get moved by the water.
Even if you use clay soil, the trick would be to add enough slope to move the water away from the house.
Under the deck, you could use landscape fabric instead of plastic. that will allow water to pass through it to the soil below. You'll still need rocks or gravel to hold the fabric down and protect it.
 
i already have many of what helps it from the composts to the pine needles to the rock to the lime to the sand to- u name it..peat too even gypsum i want to use what i already have to help whats not perculating and is down packed, adding airs and many different composte to change the flow -some areas a foot under will be tilled~.many square feet..not just a row...its just as important in a slow rain as in a hard one .
just let me know the combination of nutrients to use ..of coarse much topsoil also
..this is similar procedure when making a major garden bed also but deeper ,..
Also could get soil tested to see what im lacking/high on..
 
Last edited:
My instinct is to channel the water into a sump and pump it out to the street. That handles the lack of elevation rather easily.

Truth is, your soil has a poor percolation rate. Think of it as a clay pot. You would have to amend comprehensively and deeply to change to surface percolation rate ... and even then, a heavy rain storm would defeat you.

I would install surface irrigation drains in the yard, collect the runoff into a large sump with a pump. Pipe the water to the street and say goodbye to your yard issues.

DRAIN COVER.jpg

PIPE.jpg

Drain Setup.jpg
 
Well, if you are planning on amending the soil anyway-have at it. It's not a bad idea, but it won't help with the rain drainage as much as you hope for. CMV is on the right track and it would be an easy installation if you are tearing up the ground anyway. Even without a pump, providing a channel for the water to drain would be helpful.
As far as the right amount of stuff to add, that's a hard call. Is your soil acidic or alkaline? What are you planning to grow? etc. You might post on gardenweb or at least in the landscaping forum here to get more expert opinions.
 
First off the flooding is NOT as extreme as your speaking.im redirecting the water that flows toward the home more than trying to stop a flood.Land is fairly flat.Second-the path is in to the back yard and travels toward the far end of the yard where it can seap back into nature and not anywhere near a road-neighbors yards.
.Its not a high flood area.im only redirecting it back into nature better with a little more effort and a small trench .Nothing gets under home either
I Wont need a sump pump here in yard ever..

I had a dry well i did -(different property) -HUGE one no pump-~ in 2010 in TN and it with stood the 1000yr flood we had..worked well nothing reached under home
I never amended my soil around it and at the end of it in HUGE pit and know it would have helped it there too. .
Ill be removing a lot of clay

your right ill talk with the garden pros they KNOW soil...and ill get mine tested first..im not planting bushes or anything there at all though..
Gypsum and pine needles and soil conditioner/leaves ,drainage rock will Always help no mater the soil.
thanks for your input !
 
Last edited:
I know a guy that put tons of drywall scraps and sand on a worthless piece of clay ground and would plow it under and rototill. After a few years of this the clay broke down and the paper rotted and he started planting some cover crops and plowing them in. He ended up with a nice plot not much cost in material but a lot of work. It can be done. Good luck.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Repair
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top