Help with drainage trench

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elsie Aug 27, 2005

I didn't know exactly where to post this so here goes. I have a drainage "trench" along my back patio. It is a few inches deep and filled with stone. Every time it rains the water from the patio roof floods the patio. I have started to remove the stone, a lot of the stone is totally surrounded by soil. After I redig the trench with a decent slope for drainage, what is my next step? The trench was topped with small gravel stone and larger river rock.

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NCffp163 Graham, NC(Zone 8a) Aug 28, 2005

Hi Elsie,

You could dig the trench a little deeper, put a layer of sand in the trench, then put foundation drain pipe (black corrugated plastic w/ holes in it) in the trench. You could then route the pipe to whenever you want past the end of the patio. Then cover the sides and top of the pipe with gravel or river rocks. If you have any questions, just let me know. Hope this helps :)

Eric

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Badseed Hillsboro, OH(Zone 6a) Aug 28, 2005

I agree with the above. One other suggestion would be to lay landscape fabric on top of the corrugated drain tile before putting the stones and gravel back. That helps to keep the tile from filling with fine soil. I laid three runs of it from the rear of my house to the front and I wish I would have used the fabric too!

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elsie Aug 28, 2005

Thanks Eric and Michele. I'm a little wary of digging too deep, I don't know how thick the concrete patio is. Does it matter if I dig deeper than the patio? And now I'm finding tree roots - ugh.

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NCffp163 Graham, NC(Zone 8a) Aug 28, 2005

Elsie,

No, it doesn't matter if its a little deeper than the patio, it would work better if it was, as the pipe is about 4-5 in. across. And Thanks Michele...I had forgot about the landscape fabric :)

Eric

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Badseed Hillsboro, OH(Zone 6a) Aug 28, 2005

Yeah, I forgot the landscape fabric too and all my good dirt washes down to the driveway leaving nice hard clay. LOL

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NCffp163 Graham, NC(Zone 8a) Aug 28, 2005

Ouch

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elsie Aug 28, 2005

Thanks for your help. I guess I have a whole lot of digging left to do.

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barksy Brisbane, Australia(Zone 10a) Aug 29, 2005

My husband (who is going to do a drain for us soon) would recommend digging the trench, laying landscape fabric down with excess laying outside the trench, adding a thin layer of gravel, putting down the perforated pipe, filling with gravel then folding the excess landscape fabric over the gravel. The top could then be covered with decorative rock.

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