# Drainage Issue



## LAlawnnut (Feb 11, 2019)

Hey guys,

I figure this will be the best place for help with this. I have clay and it will hold water/stay soggy for days after it rains in the summer and is very hot and has currently been wet since roughly October since it hasn't really warmed up to help it dry up. I am looking to add some surface drains thinking that would help but what other things can I do to help? I know it is compacted because my centipedes roots won't go deeper than roughly a half inch or so.


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## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

You could try air8, penterra, or some other kind product to aid in water penetration. That might help it to dry out some. You could install a drainage system to carry water away. You could core aerate multiple times, collect the cores, and backfill and topdress with sand to aid in a drier surface.

Personally, I'd try air8 first as the cost and labor is low. 2 apps at 9oz/M one month apart. It's worked well for me but I'm sure results depend on soil type and composition.


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## LAlawnnut (Feb 11, 2019)

Have you seen results of Air-8 on clay? I have done some searching but can't seem to find much


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## pintail45 (Apr 26, 2018)

My dad lives outside of Beaumont and has similar soil (used to be a rice field). I'm currently experimenting with Air8 and RGS but it's too early to tell. Hope to have some updates in the coming months.


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

surface drains and slit trenching would help out immensely.


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## LAlawnnut (Feb 11, 2019)

viva_oldtrafford said:


> surface drains and slit trenching would help out immensely.


What is slit trenching?


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

LAlawnnut said:


> viva_oldtrafford said:
> 
> 
> > surface drains and slit trenching would help out immensely.
> ...


Just cutting a trench in the turf (depth and width varies - impact is greater with deeper and wider) removing the native soil, placing perforated pipe at the bottom (holes to bottom of trench), place sand back in the trench.

It's a popular pratice in the golf industry and it's very successful. I've done a few with fantastic results.


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## LAlawnnut (Feb 11, 2019)

The guy before me tried something similar and the clay clogged up the holes and had to be taken out so my surface drains were going to be solid pipe instead


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

LAlawnnut said:


> The guy before me tried something similar and the clay clogged up the holes and had to be taken out so my surface drains were going to be solid pipe instead


It should clog it up, that's why it's important to remove the native soil and replace with sand. You can wrap the pipe in a sock if you'd like to.


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## LAlawnnut (Feb 11, 2019)

Will the clay not work it's way through the sand with the water


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

LAlawnnut said:


> Will the clay not work it's way through the sand with the water


Hard to say how much, if any. You're basically creating a channel in the clay (depth and width up to you). The clay is probably too solid to affect the drain pipe. I've ran trenches in heavy clay soil and the trenches are still in use today. In fact, that's how sand bunker drainage is built - no clay has every clogged our pipe.


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## LAlawnnut (Feb 11, 2019)

viva_oldtrafford said:


> LAlawnnut said:
> 
> 
> > Will the clay not work it's way through the sand with the water
> ...


So dig a trench fill with sand place perforated pvc on top backfill with sand and that's it


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

LAlawnnut said:


> viva_oldtrafford said:
> 
> 
> > LAlawnnut said:
> ...


 Yes. Tie in your drains too.

This is a very large scale. But same concept.


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## Jacob_S (May 22, 2018)

I've got one major problem area and plan on what @viva_oldtrafford mentioned I've researched it as infiltration trenches too.


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## adgattoni (Oct 3, 2017)

This guy makes his french drains absolutely massive. I bet it comes at a steep price though.


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## KHARPS (Jun 21, 2018)

adgattoni said:


> This guy makes his french drains absolutely massive. I bet it comes at a steep price though.


I've been watching that guy's videos the last few years. Great resource if you're going to take on a drainage project yourself.


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## Crabbychas (Apr 25, 2018)

Infiltration trenches, french drains, slit trenches, are all the same. When building french drains you want to have pipe that is perforated on only one half of the pipe and when you lay the pipe you face the side with the holes down. This way the only sediment that can get in is small enough to be carried by the water and it theoretically prevents the pipe from becoming clogged with sediment. 
The way I was taught to spec them was to dig the trench, place geotextile fabric, put down a couple inches of rock, then place the pipe, cover it with a couple more inches of rock, wrap the geotextile fabric around the pipes and rock and overlap to prevent sand from getting in, then cover it with sand. 
When we designed a house that needed extra drainage because it was on a small lot and/or we couldn't properly store the stormwater in swales under the houses, we would basically build a huge french drain under the driveway - but instead of pvc we used 2-3ft diameter perforated culvert pipes buried 2 feet lower than the footing that all the gutters, patio drains, etc. ran to.


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

You might want to check this out if you plan on using geo fabric in clay soils. He has a ton of other videos out there too!
[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_R8eCPi2x4[/media]


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