# Need drain recommendations



## w0lfe (Mar 19, 2018)

Alright so this has been an ongoing issue for quite some time. My driveway near the garage door is lower than the middle of the driveway but is just barely above street level. So you can imagine that during heavy rains the water really puddles and will tend to try to seep into the garage. I think that part of the driveway is slightly higher but probably not enough of a grade to use certain drains. I can take pictures here shortly but does anyone have this issue or does anyone have any ideas at all?


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## Ecks from Tex (Apr 26, 2018)

Jack hammer a 2 inch line right before the garage and install a channel drain that diverts water out into the lawn or underground back to a drainage pop up in the street.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

^+1 I dont like water flowing into the house/foundation.


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## w0lfe (Mar 19, 2018)

@Gman107 @Ecks from Tex


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Wow, that's really not ideal. It looks like your house sits lower than the street. If you have your plot papers from mortgage/closing you could check.

Does the grade of the lawn continues downhill towards the backyard?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I think this is Ecks was talking about and what I think you should do.










I would then use a PVC pipe and pipe it to the back of the house. I found some images that you posted and it looks like you have a grade towards the back. I would use a pop up at the end. This is something I would hire someone to do and I might install two rows with two separate pipes since one might not be enough.

source of the image: https://www.greydock.com/s1e-glvpck-channel-drain-combo-pack.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&adpos=1o5&scid=scplp1490&sc_intid=1490&gclid=Cj0KCQjwvLLZBRDrARIsADU6ojDt8H3SzQKlsTWRRs_Sbo7HARs_IyjinE_9zKdMoHLWcOd8s_eUIq8aApfGEALw_wcB

PS. FYI There is a gman107 member now and it is different than g-man.


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## Ecks from Tex (Apr 26, 2018)

Wolf you are right to be concerned. That is a big problem, but it is not one that you can't DIY a permanent solution for.

Here's what I was talking about. Rent a jack hammer + air compressor and cut a small channel in your driveway and install a simple channel drain that you can get from any big box store. From there, you divert the water into a catch basin hidden within your beds. From the catch basin, you route the water back out to the street and install pop ups (or run pvc holes through your curb which is the method I prefer if possible). It may seem a little daunting, but it's actually not too complicated of a project if you go and rent the tools you need.



Your only other options are to divert the water to the shrubs, which may have been the builder's plan on paper like @g-man is probably thinking, but running water adjacent to the house is a terrible practice and technically not code compliant if I recall. It will cause problems with the runoff and the beds will suffer. You could also use cement to do a very slight, angled berm to divert water on a 45 degree angle to the grass, but you will have similar problems and I don't recommend it.


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## Ecks from Tex (Apr 26, 2018)

g-man said:


> I think this is Ecks was talking about and what I think you should do.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


@w0lfe this is exactly what I am talking about, with two important notes/comments:

1. Unlike in the drawing, where the channel drain divers water directly to a PVC pipe, divert it to a catch basin and hook the PVC pipe into the catch basin. This is the recommended practice for a number of reasons.

You could also rent a concrete saw and do it like these guys:






2. I like @g-man's idea of diverting the water to the back of the house better than my idea of running it to the curb, but in doing so just make sure you aren't diverting it to a place where it will pool in the back yard. If you had to, you could install a much larger underground collection barrel(with gravel underneath) in the back/side yard and just let the water dissipate into the ground there.






One more video


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## w0lfe (Mar 19, 2018)

@g-man @Ecks from Tex

Yes as one of you mentioned, that part of the driveway is as low as the street, so I'm unable to direct any water that direction. The backyard is probably higher as well until I get a hundred feet or more into the backyard (the driveway is probably another 50 feet from where the backyard begins)


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

There looks to be around a 6in delta from the lowest point to the street. I think you will need a pump to get it to the street.

This is a topview of your property (that you previously posted). I think the PVC should have a 90 turn and then continue it all the way to the fence (and beyond if possible) along the property line. This gets the water away from the house (and the neighbor's house). Your neighbor downspout might still leave too much water here. I dont see a lot of space for a catch basin, but it might be nice to also collect your downspout. The key is to get the water out of there.


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## Ecks from Tex (Apr 26, 2018)

Also Wolfe, extremely important:

If you're gonna dig, call 8-1-1. It may be pointless because you know where everything is, but it can indemnify you from liability if you hit something underground that was not properly located by your utility company.


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## Ecks from Tex (Apr 26, 2018)

w0lfe said:


> @g-man @Ecks from Tex
> 
> Yes as one of you mentioned, that part of the driveway is as low as the street, so I'm unable to direct any water that direction. The backyard is probably higher as well until I get a hundred feet or more into the backyard (the driveway is probably another 50 feet from where the backyard begins)


Then to me diverting to the side/back yard into an underground dispersion system/water collection barrel is the way to go.

What is your soil like? Clay, sandy, something else?


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Following closely as I have a similar situation.


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## w0lfe (Mar 19, 2018)

Ecks from Tex said:


> w0lfe said:
> 
> 
> > @g-man @Ecks from Tex
> ...


A lot of clay


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## Ecks from Tex (Apr 26, 2018)

w0lfe said:


> Ecks from Tex said:
> 
> 
> > w0lfe said:
> ...


Eh, then you may have to divert all the way to the back yard like @g-man said, although if you dig deeper and install rock you can do the collection system. The PVC will be slightly cheaper, if you have a suitable method for moving the water off your property in the back.


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