Dry Wells

[Thudz]

Anybody have any experience building dry wells for yard drainage?

The previous owner of our house didn't do a very good job of draining the rain water away from the foundation and many of the down spouts went straight to the ground. I have them all cleaned out and cut off about a foot from the ground with plastic tubing draining about 5 feet away from the house. However I have more issues with yard drainage thanks to a couple small valleys on the property and this damn Georgia Red Clay. I've identified three spots where water is pooling and think I need to put in dry wells to get the water down to the sub soil so it can drain properly.

I understand the design, dig a deep hole, fill it with gravel or sand and channel water to it but is there more I should consider?

Oh and **ck all this rain!

[Vllad]

I had to build two of them for my place in Georgia. That damn red clay creates more water build up then normal soil.

I would have had to build more but instead I had my yard re-done to create better run off. It wasn't a good long term solution but it did work.

They really aren't any more complicated then the pictures you see at Home Depot. You can't mess it up. I would rent some good equipment to dig it up though. Digging up Red Clay looks easier then it actually is.


Vllad

[1000xZero]

Step-Father is a Civil Engineer and we built one for all our drainage off our last house.

Basically ran line from the down spouts to a single dry well that was 6' deep half filled with gravel and then topped with dirt.

The lines were perforated tubing that sat on gravel and covered with dirt.

Probably way overkill but my step-father is a perfectionist and a civil engineer.

[Hoofhurr]

If you're going to build it. Build it once and build it to last imo.

[Trotts]

I know what your going through Thudz, our area is built up much the same, red clay comes almost to the damn surface and water pools around the foundation and has in the past led to some of our neighbours basements flooding.

I've installed a french drain at the back of my yard and a dry well, to get rid of the back yard did a bunch of contouring to make sure that the water moves away from the house. Overall not that complicated, Gravel Bed, Perforated Piping 4" - 6" diameter (wrapped in silt screen so it doesn't plug up), more gravel, some sand overtop of that then some more damn cloth overlay then topsoil. Seems to be working so far.

Just trying to get the water away from the house, and into the ground as quick as possible!

And yes, clay sucks.

[Kakarat]

Top soil absorbs water.... clay sheds water... make sure the clay around your house is sloping away somewhat. But of course if there is enough water, Clay can't shed it all.

I would recommend the weeping tile... that is trotts' perforated pipe. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weeping_tile

If you click on the image... that is at the window and filled with crushed rock... but you could apply a few of these in your dry wells so your crushed rock doesn't disappear over time.

[Thudz]

Below is where I plan on installing a french drain this winter. The red areas are pooling. I have fixed the two circular pools created by poorly designed downspouts but the yard pooling is still a problem. The blue line is the proposed french drain path. I need to channel all the water around the house and down the front slope of the property because to the rear is a steep slope into my neighbor's backyard. The property naturaly slopes from a burm at the back side of the property lines to the front of my property. The purple lines are where the downspouts will connect in to the drain.

[Kakarat]

that is exactly what you need to do. Perfect sketch... I would add one more thing... make sure the deck area is sloping back to your french drain... It may be already.

Good luck and have LOTS of fun!

[Trotts]

Let us know how it all works out =).

Ahhh home ownership and the projects never end...

The Honey to Do List includes... (what ever crazy whim she reads in a Home Magazine and changes on a weekly basis !!!)