Yard Drain(s)

[RPD]

Moved into a larger home a year ago, one of the to do's on my list was add 1 or 2 more drain locations and tie into an existing drain on the side of the house which run to the front of the house and drain to the gutter.

Due to other project priority I've put this off, but purchased all the parts I needed last weekend. Job will entail about ~86ft of total pipe and two drains near the end of the back yard patio. I have a (1) tee for the (2) drains and a catch basket to replace the existing drain on the side of the house. Basically when it rains a large-ish pool of water develops at the end of the patio and my current solution is a sweep squeegee to move the water to the side yard drain, but it's a chore.

I've already scoped out the path with a line level and measured the various heights and confirmed locations of drains with running water. My only possible problems with the route could be sprinkler piping, but I'll just have to be careful as I dig and figure out possible paths as I go.

Any tips or pointers here before I start, manually digging my trench for the pipe? When I research tips I always see the recommendation to lay some small type gravel under the pipe and lay the pipe onto, but not sure why. There aren't any large tree or roots I need to worry about, mostly some lawn a then just dirt. I have no problems doing the labor myself and have a thin/skinny shovel to keep the trench as narrow as needed. I figured I would come and post here to get any helpful tips if possible before starting, I've been debating waiting until after the first rain so the dirt is softer, but that also means another squeegee session.

 

[herm0016]

trenching shovel is very nice to have for this kind of work. what kind of pipe are you using? my sewer pipes for the septic are all bedded in sand. I think i would use sand, over any kind of gravel. over fill your trench by a couple inches. it will compact.

 

[RPD]

trenching shovel is very nice to have for this kind of work. what kind of pipe are you using? my sewer pipes for the septic are all bedded in sand. I think i would use sand, over any kind of gravel. over fill your trench by a couple inches. it will compact.

I believe that is what it is, it's a long and narrow shovel, probably 3-4" wide and the shovel part about 12-18" long. It's just a plastic drain pipe, very common around here. I'll see if I can find a link.
Looks like this, it's solid and not perforated. 3" diameter.

 

[herm0016]

Razor-Back 43 in. Fiberglass Handle Trenching Shovel 47033 - The Home Depot

This Razor-Back fiberglass 3 in. trenching shovel has a unique blade design that is best for trench clean out. The 3 in. V-shaped blade is designed for digging a narrow trench. The fiberglass handle has

www.homedepot.com

the angled head is key.

 

[RPD]

Looks more like this guy

Razor-Back 14 in. Fiberglass Handle Drain Spade 47602 - The Home Depot

The Razor-Back drain spade features long narrow industrial gauge blade. The Dura-Torque crimp collar and thick walled fiberglass handle provide an industrial strength head to handle connection for extra

www.homedepot.com

 

[Greenman]

If the ground is really hard rent a rotohammer with a clay spade, your back will thank you.

 

[highland145]

Wouldn't the gravel be for something like a drain field for a septic tank and a perforated line?

For this, I'd just dump the dirt back in. There's no pressure like on a water line. Like herm said, you wouldn't want rocks against the line because it can move a little when you turn the water on and off and rub a hole in it. I have seen my bro/plumber haul in clean sand for a sewer line though.

My question would be how to clear it when it gets clogged up with dirt/debris. Hose pipe might work just fine but IDK.

 

[lxskllr]

For cleaning purposes, it would probably be better if everything was straight. Any place the direction changes, I'd put in a cleanout.

 

[BoomerD]

If you're not using perforated pipe, you don't need the gravel. Sand or sandy soil is best for bedding the pipe, but just natural soil is fine...as long as you take care not to let any rocks get next to the pipe.
I put in a couple of french drains when we were in Modesto and one in Silverdale, plus a long gutter drain system. I like the white perforated pipe for french drains. Holes to the bottom...that allows ground water to get in the pipe along the run, yet also allows it to drain out the bottom instead of just sitting there when the flow rate is low. (Not always idea for all locations.)

IIRC, you're in the Fresno area...be very careful if you have to dig in the vicinity of your PG&E gas meter...the supply lines rarely are more than 24" deep.

 

[RPD]

The line itself will have a small curve, about 1/4th of a circle around the patio then it's a straight shot. I'll be putting some screening at all drain openings behind the grate part so mosquitoes can't breed there.

 

[PowerEngineer]

I do not want to rain on your parade , but you might (or might not) want to see if there are rules against this. I believe that the city I live in prohibits draining anything other than water from house gutters into the street. They want you to solve any yard drainage problems by digging french drains (or whatever) to encourage absorption rather than adding more load to their sewer system.

 

[herm0016]

I do not want to rain on your parade , but you might (or might not) want to see if there are rules against this. I believe that the city I live in prohibits draining anything other than water from house gutters into the street. They want you to solve any yard drainage problems by digging french drains (or whatever) to encourage absorption rather than adding more load to their sewer system.

Not very many places still have integrated drain and sewer systems.

 

[RPD]

I do not want to rain on your parade , but you might (or might not) want to see if there are rules against this. I believe that the city I live in prohibits draining anything other than water from house gutters into the street. They want you to solve any yard drainage problems by digging french drains (or whatever) to encourage absorption rather than adding more load to their sewer system.

You must have missed the part where there are already existing yard drains, it's common here.

I started to get into this on Friday after work only to uncover existing drain line, I was doing exploratory holes around sprinklers to make sure my path wouldn't cross. Low and behold there was a drain RIGHT where there needed to be one, albeit buried over 3" below the ground. Cleaned it, pulled it up, put on a new larger drain cover (this one went over the pipe vs. inside) and put screen mesh to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. So that really saved me a ton of time. There is another area on the opposite side of the yard where after heavy rains standing water will also accumulate, but seems to dissipate at a decent rate and there is another drain outlet in the concrete driveway so there has to be another drain that is buried as well. I dug around looking for it, but couldn't find it or any pipe. Will continue trying to hunt for it.

 

[MainlineGeek]

I've done this in my own yard and for my in-laws when they had similar drainage issues with their back patio flooding. They had 4-5" of standing water when it would rain heavily.
You're on the right track with your equipment, but I have a couple recommendations that could prevent you from having to do this again in the future if/when the drain gets clogged.

Okay, so when you start laying out the trench please, please, please use some kind of non-woven drainage fabric to line your trench. this is crucial as it will allow the water to pass through but no other dirt/debris will get through and clog up your drain. I typically dig the trench then line the trench with fabric letting it hang out on either side of the trench. After this I lay down the perforated pipe in the sloped trench and fill the trench above/around the pipe with round drain rock. After the rock is filled up i fold the filter fabric over the rock back onto itself. Think French Drain, perforated pipe, drain rock burrito. after that you can put up to 6" of dirt and grass on top of the buried burrito and still have great drainage in the your yard. If you put more than 6" of soil or whatever material on top of the drain then you'll likely have issues with water draining down into the trench/drain.

Tips:
1. If you can physically fit a machine trencher into your yard then go do yourself a favor and rent a 24" - 36" trencher from Home Depot. They cost like ~$170 for a day in my area, but the money spent will totally save your back.
2. Use at least a 4oz nonwoven fabric for your trench, lighter weight than 4oz tends to tear and will ruin the integrity of your "burrito drain", letting in dirt. Drainage fabric can be found all over. I was able to find a good fabric locally, but if you are having a hard time finding it nearby I know a couple people who have had luck buying from these guys: https://www.profabricsupply.com/collections/drainage-filtration-fabric-heavy-duty-grade
3. Ensure your trench is at least slightly sloped, and sloped in the direction away from your house. If the trench is flat then water can pool, or worse case if the trench is sloped in the wrong directions it run back toward your house.