French Drain on a yard with little slope - How to terminate?

4 years ago

I have some standing water in my yard (https://imgur.com/a/alYVRdX). Fortunately, it's near an easement that leads to a swale at the street. However, unfortunately, my yard doesn't slope very much (https://imgur.com/a/tfZK46s). Therefore, we get the standing water. I'm struggling to understand how I can add a french drain when my yard doesn't slope much at all. Sorry for the terrible paint pictures. I tried my best haha.

The french drain will need to run ~100 ft. My yard slopes about .15" per foot (or 1.5" per 10'). I've read online that 1" for 8-10 ft is all that is needed. So if I’m running 100 ft at 1.5” drop per 10 feet, then the start of the drain will be about 15" higher than where it ends.

How do I terminate the french drain? I've read and researched so much, but terminating the french drain in a swale with only a slight slope is not something I have figured out. If I dig down 15", I won't be able to maintain that 15" depth as I get closer to the end. See this picture. You can see at the end, it's daylighted and gets shallower as it nears the end. See this picture: https://imgur.com/a/9KdUuyo

My second idea is that I dig down the recommended 18" and maintain that 18" depth so that the drain is sloping with the yard. Then, when I get to the end near the swale, I have a vertical extension that goes into a pop up, grate, or some termination like that (see this picture showing termination: https://imgur.com/a/IVQlVjB). As long as the termination is at the lowest point in my yard, the swale in my case, then the water should make its way out at the terminating end and not overflow the yard. However, water would remain in the gravel/ drain until the level is high enough to make it vertically out of the drain. See this picture showing that: https://imgur.com/a/isyBc9g

I watched this video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n01DKxvDaQ4) that basically sums up what I was thinking in the second idea, however they never really specify how to terminate it.

Here is another picture of my second idea that would have water in it: https://imgur.com/a/hhCrhnl. In theory, I think this should work. For instance, if I take a 5 gallon bucket and poke a hole in it near the top, water will always drain from that hole and not overflow from the top (unless the hole can't expel water quicker than the bucket is taking in). Similarly, the water will fill the gravel/drain but should exit from the terminating end as it is lower and will not overflow into the yard.

Is this how I should terminate the french drain?

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Comments (8)

User
4 years ago
First, do you live anywhere where water freezes? The end of that drain would be a slip/fall hazard in cold weather, which may or may not be a major issue for the exit point. It's always better for it to drain clear where possible, of course, and keep in mind that water freezing in the piping will eventually crack the pipe unless you have pipe built for that. And eventually, even if you do have pipe built for that. Ask me how I know. :-)

I'm not a water-type person, so I'm just spitballing here before bed with personal experience. I did put in my own irrigation system and I...well, didn't stay at a Motel 6 last night, I've been at home for a friggin' month and a half due to the Coronavirus.

Other than that, listen to the experts and, if you have any questions, consult a local expert and your local ordinance people to make sure you're following the rules. :-) Building a mosquito trap is not a good idea in southern California or Florida...
PRO
Yardvaark
4 years ago
If you add any more pictures, please put them directly in the thread.

In the first picture, the puddle looks like only a depression in the surrounding surface. Add topsoil to fill it flush with the surrounding soil, then water can't collect at that spot and will join the rest of the sheet flow drainage.
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I still don't see a series of pictures that, to the best of your ability, show the path of where the water is going when it leaves your property. I almost see a picture of the right portion of your dry river bed. Then, I see nothing beyond... how it enters the neighbor's property to the right...how it flows through, and how it leaves his property and what's next. Does neighbor to right have same problem? Position the camera so as to reveal the grade, if possible. Guess what... if it's dammed up anywhere along that path--intentionally or inadvertently--the water's going to back up. We need to see the path. To imbed pictures here, on another tab/window, go to the picture where it's hosted. Look for the word "share" or maybe at your site they call it something else, but similar. Explore around a little until you find a way to get the html code for the picture. Copy it. Go back to GardenWeb where you are creating your message. Paste the html code for the picture into the message. Go back to your photo-hosting site and get the code for any other pictures you're including and paste in GW by the same process. Click on "preview message" and you'll see that if you grabbed the right code, the picture will show up in the preview. One site I use has MANY options for different codes for each picture (depending on the size you want) so it may take a little trial and error, but you'll find it. Based on your diagram (and thank you, pls8xx, for posting it here) I think I understand the general concept of your dilemma... but not at all the details that are necessary to put the puzzle together... or to know if it CAN be put together via forum. Need to see the path of drainage. One thing I'll say that appears not right from your photos: the gravel looks to be at a slightly higher elevation than the patio surface. It seems that for a device like this dry river bed, it should be lower than the patio, creating a "trough" of sorts as a channel to carry the water away before the water gets up onto the patio. If it's higher than the patio (since water doesn't flow uphill) it's making the patio (the lower elevation) become the trough to carry water. Please confirm which surface is higher, relative to the other. If the patio is lower, the solution would be to remove soil from below the dry river bed and lower it's elevation, so that the patio was at an elevation above it. BUT THIS COULD NOT BE DONE BEFORE KNOWING WHAT'S BEYOND or you stand a fantastic chance of making the situation dramatically worse! Did I mention we need to see that drainage path?
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Seabornman
4 years ago
Why are you going down 15" to start? Try a search for "golf course French drain" and see if you like anything you see. I have a line that terminates in a flattish area. I cut a fairly long, shallow depression at the end. I can mow over it.
stephen pluhar
3 years ago
I also have no place to end my french drain. I have 22" vertically from the back corner of my house to the sidewalk, 80' away. The 50' of yard beside my house is completely flat, and a mess for days after even minor rain. I am planing to just end my french drain. I am going to severely bologna-cut (probably similar to Seabornman) the end of the pipe (4" high x 72" long) and surround the end and inside of the pipe with gravel, and wrap it all in cloth. I'm hoping that the gravel pushed up into the pipe will help support it where it's shallow. The bottom tip of the cut will be 3' in from the side walk and ~1/2" up vertically. It will have 2" of dirt/sod covering the end. The little bit of drainage that my yard does, runs across the sidewalk anyway, so I am adding to, what is already there. I've looked into tunneling under the side walk and boring the curb but there's not enough space vertically from the under-side of the sidewall to the street at the bottom of the curb, and looks wayyy too complicated.
krnuttle
3 years ago
Before I went out and spent a lot for a french drain, I would fill and re contour the area so it drains properly. As said above create a swale with the proper slope so the water runs down the swale for its entire length. Once you have a swale where water will flow, either open the wet areas to the swale or fill them so they will drain.

I don;t know where you live but this is a perfect time to work on a swale since you have plenty of product to ensure you have the swale sloped properly. Even after living in this house of about 8 years, there are time I put on my boots, and a poncho, and go into the yard in the rain to work on draining the low spots. I currently have one spot that I got a shallow trench that drains the area. As soon as the weather turns, I intend to dig that area out, to match the slope of the trench and sod the area.
stephen pluhar
3 years ago

Krnuttle, to me, some pipe and some gravel and some landscaping fabric and a weekend digging a trench seems like a lot less work than re contouring and re sodding the entire right side of my house. My opinion.
krnuttle
3 years ago
Unless all area of the yard drain, even with the french drain you will always have standing water.

From the looks of the picture a shallow 3' deep swale would drain the water from that area. That could be done in a couple of minutes with a hoe or shovel.
dchall_san_antonio
3 years ago
I agree 100 to 200% with krnuttle on regrading instead of resorting to the band aid of a French drain. At least, at least, at least get estimates from several landscapers in your area. They will come out and wave their arms around and explain the problem to you. They will tell you how much soil needs to be removed (or, sometimes, brought in) to fix the cause of the problem. Assuming they have access to the area, a talented guy on a tractor with a box blade can fix a yard that size in 30 minutes. Whereas even the most talented guy on a skid steer or bobcat might take 3 days to get it right, so ask about the equipment they plan to use. When I was in college I picked up extra cash working for a guy who drove a tractor and did finish grading, so I've seen your problem before. He was not a landscaper per se, but when he left the land was ready for seed or sod. My guy worked commercial projects like entire neighborhoods where the water had to flow from each unit to the street and not onto adjacent units. Look for someone experienced, and see what they tell you.

French Drain on a yard with little slope - How to terminate?

Comments (8)

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Yardvaark

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