# Lawn flooding after rain - VIDEO



## numberforty1 (Aug 22, 2021)

I bought this new house in NJ recently, and the side of the home floods pretty badly in the rain. Both the front and back of the home slope upward, and we are not allowed to drain to the street here anyway. As you can see, it is just a narrow strip of land between the side of the home and the fence to my neighbors yard.

Fortunately, at the lowest point (closest to the camera) there is a gutter downspout which drains into the underground drainage system, so I figure I can drain the water into there somehow. Looking for advice on the details though - French drain that runs the whole length of the home? Catch basin at the beginning of the drain, or not necessary? Specific pipe suggestions? 4 inch perforated pipe, 6 inch? Will it drain fast enough to prevent standing water? Can I still plant new grass seed over it or is that a hopeless endeavor?

I don't know how to tap into the existing underground gutter drainage system, so if there are videos or any advice on that I would love to see them. Thanks.

https://youtu.be/aIBk_BBRn5k


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## walker33 (Sep 13, 2020)

Just my opinion... I'd suggest making sure all your down spouts are working as they should be and attached properly to your present drainage system. I'd also poke around the downspout that dumps into the underground drainage to see what is being used underground for taking the water away. If you can access that, you might be able connect more drainage pipes pretty easily.

If you find you can access your underground drainage pipe(s), you might try digging a trench, laying some drainage pipe and using some catch basins connected to the new drainage pipe to catch all the surface water, then connect that pipe to your existing drainage pipe to send the water on its way. This wouldn't be too expensive or labor intensive to see if it works. If you found the need to move subsurface water and decided to go with a french drain, you'd have the trench dug or at least 'pre-dug'

The link below shows just how much water a french drain can move. If you went this route you could keep the gravel visible and place some stepping stones in the gravel as a path. But, catch basins can move a lot of water also. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuEm5RC43tk

Or, give the Apple Drains guy on youtube a call for help. He does video chat help calls. Might be worth it
https://www.youtube.com/user/appledrains


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## numberforty1 (Aug 22, 2021)

walker33 said:


> If you find you can access your underground drainage pipe(s), you might try digging a trench, laying some drainage pipe and using some catch basins connected to the new drainage pipe to catch all the surface water


Thanks for the note! Is there any advantage to catch basins over a french drain? It seems the french drain is better cosmetically since it can be completely hidden, plus it seems it can pull water in over a greater area.

Also, any suggestions on how to connect that pipe to the existing drainage pipe?


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## creediddy2021 (Mar 27, 2021)

Unfortunately this is a home builder issue with the homes so close together and no french drain option. Most of the water is coming from your neighbors gutters and washing into your yard. Plus your neighbor is dealing with gutter overflow and needs the gutters cleaned as it's spilling down his entire siding of his house. Sorry to hear about that.


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## 440mag (Jan 29, 2018)

walker33 said:


> Just my opinion... I'd suggest making sure all your down spouts are working as they should be and attached properly to your present drainage system. I'd also poke around the downspout that dumps into the underground drainage to see what is being used underground for taking the water away. If you can access that, you might be able connect more drainage pipes pretty easily.
> …
> 
> Or, give the Apple Drains guy on youtube a call for help. He does video chat help calls. Might be worth it
> https://www.youtube.com/user/appledrains


^Great advice^ and @numberforty1 kudos to you for being observant and aware (I try to make it a habit to don knee boots, rain pants and a hooded vortex rain coat once a year and slowly walk around my home during those "biblical" proportion downpours. Lotta "stitches in time $aved me nine" doing that.)

Man, THATS A LOTTA WATER a and it has got to eventually be showing up somewhere either inside your house or at least elsewhere under the foundation!

Man, around the 10-second mark it looks like your neighbor has a downspout dumping onto that long concrete pad and going right under the fence into your low spot.

(Just a side note but, those gutters and downspouts look WOEFULLY undersized for those size roofs in your neighborhood - if I was going to be in that house more than 3-5 years getting more realistic (proper) sized gutters and downspouts would be on my strategic or long term budget and to-do list!)

Since you say "*Both the front and back of the home slope upward*" my first plan of attack would be to discreetly have soil brought in to correct THAT! Short of installing a PUMP I don't see how you're ever gonna get water to run uphill … feel me?

I'm talking about simply creating a situation where there is juuuuuuuuust enough a "hump" to get that water running toward the front (and out toward the street where it belongs)!

Beyond that, I'm with @walker33 , it "appears" something simply ain't right with whatever is underground and you'd be amazed at the crap SOME builder's employee slap together half-azzed or outright cover up - I see it all the time as underground drainage is being installed - literally - after every single other thing has been completed on a new construction and the lower wage employees (who typically dig the trenches for underground corrugated hose) are under immense pressure to "_finish this job ASAP and hustle yer *ss down to the house we're only half way through with down the road!_"

I've seen more than one underground drainage hose simply "end" underground which results in it being "plugged" and for some reason I've seen it most around new townhomes (my sisters in Laurel, MD and daughter-in-laws in St. Mary's County, MD come to mind). When I'd dug it up (trying to ascertain why her basement walls had water being pushed through them!), my sister called the builder (who was right down the street, working on the next block of townhomes) and he apologized and said, "_Gee, I guess the guys ran outta corrugated hose and didn't say anything to anyone_."

Duh,

In the end though, even if it seems like a bigger job, the real solution here is to change that grade from being a low ("pool") spot in the middle of your side yard to a gentle slope - from the back - and down toward the front … even if I had to do it a couple bags at a time if you have anyone that nosy in your neighborhood (every n'hood has at least one!)


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## creediddy2021 (Mar 27, 2021)

Personally you are better off creating mulch beds or a paver walkway as there isn't much grass on the side of the house. Just a suggestion.


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## walker33 (Sep 13, 2020)

"Thanks for the note! Is there any advantage to catch basins over a french drain? It seems the french drain is better cosmetically since it can be completely hidden, plus it seems it can pull water in over a greater area.

Also, any suggestions on how to connect that pipe to the existing drainage pipe?"

As I understand it, catch basins catch + remove surface water, while french drains catch and remove subsurface water. 
That being said, there are plenty of youtube videos that use them together and all in sorts of ways. I think the real trick is having a good installer or an excellent grasp of what is needed if you DIY it.

Like 440mag said, that is a *hit ton of water hitting your yard. Over time it will erode that area and might start getting into your basement, if you have one.

As far as connecting the pipes, dive deep into some of the more popular youtube drainage guys. I watch Apple Drains + Gate City Foundation Drainage. The Apple guy likes flexible corrugated pipe, while the other loves PVC pipe. Both of them show you how they lay out and connect their pipes. The Apple Drain guy is way more DIY and has a ton of videos going over what he does. 
Hope this helps!


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## 7824 (Oct 23, 2019)

I don't think this calls for a big project like that. It looks like most of it is coming from the other house as mentioned above. Figure out what is going on over there. Your downspouts might need some adjusting where they dump out too. Neighbors definitely have clogged gutters and it might need a few adjustments where the downspouts dump out. Gutter cleaning is fairly inexpensive, $80-$150 around here.

At 16 seconds in the video, it "appears" like your downspout is pouring water out before it goes underground.


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## walker33 (Sep 13, 2020)

Had another thought, going with 440mag's idea, In the front area, by the gate, maybe you could 'casually' remove some soil and get the slope of that area to head down hill enough to let the water flow out towards the front of the house. Maybe disguise it as a dry stream bed or a planting bed with rocks in it or possibly a gravel walkway to guide the water out. 
Might be worth a Saturday afternoon to try?


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## creediddy2021 (Mar 27, 2021)

One other note…be sure to have a foundation check if you don't have a finished basement. With that much water you may get basement flooding near the foundation of the basement on that side of the house.


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## MacLawn (Oct 26, 2021)

Hows the flooding on the other side of the house.
I would try my best to figure out where the water is coming from.
From that video it sort of looks like the narrow section is the low spot ? 
So almost everyrhing funnels down from the high spots ?
 How long does the water stand once the rain stops.
I would also wonder where that spout actually drains to. 
It will only get worse as time goes on.


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