How to install backyard drainage system
A backyard drain will help you solve the problem of water pooling and will protect your yard. You just need to find out where the high spots and low spots are and build the drain between these points.
Materials needed:
- Spade
- Perforated drain pipe
- Pipe wrap
- Gravel
Decide a route
You need to find out on what route you can dig at a constant depth.
Digging a trench
The trench must be about 6 to 8 inches wide and at least 2 feet deep. Make sure the slope you make is always facing downward and keep the depth of the trench constant.
Compacting the trench bottom
After you have dug the trench, compact the bottom of the trench walking up and down it or using a compacting tool.
Adding the gravel
Distribute 2 to 3 inches of small stones or gravel along the bottom of the trench. Makes sure you do it evenly.
Pipe wrap
Put the pipe wrap on top of the gravel. Make sure you cover the whole trench from one end to another.
Laying the drain pipes
Place the perforated drain pipes in the trench along its center. After that, cover them in pipe wrap. That will assure you that the perforated holes in the pipes won’t clog with mud or sand.
Filling the trench
Use small stones or gravel to fill the trench almost to the top. Make sure you don’t move the pipes out of position when doing so and compact the gravel inserting a spade a few inches. Move it backwards and forwards.
Replacing the sod
Just use the sod you cut at the starting of the trench construction to cover the top of the gravel.
This drainage system should solve your problem but if it doesn’t, consider building a second one. You could also try digging a trench across the flow so it empties at two different low points if the water is flowing from a certain direction.