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erwin35

Drainage question

Erwin35
12 years ago

Hi all,

we have a very steep rockery in our garden adjacent to our lawn. When it rains we have a lot of runoff water collecting on the lawn. So we are thinking of installing a drainage channel. (this one).

Is this a good solution?

Many thanks

Erwin

Comments (8)

  • inkognito
    12 years ago

    No. Read the description for the application of this system and see if it matches yours.

  • deviant-deziner
    12 years ago

    Ink said it succinctly, No. not the right application for your drainage problem.
    This particular size channel drain ( looks like a standard 4 Inch ) probably will not handle the capacity of water that is running off the hill.

    First you will need to figure out the 'average high' amount of water that is coming off your rockery in order to calculate pipe size to carry off the water once it is set in a drainage trench.
    Then depending on the topography and soil structure , one would design the correct type of system to handle the discharge.

    A trench drain is probably the system that a landscape/ engineering professional might specify. The interior working elements such as the pipe size, type of pipe , drainage medium and where and how it is going to dissipate is all apart of the calculation.

    I wish it were as easy as 'dig a hole and bury it'. ... my life would be so much easier , but my bank account would be all the more worse off because of it.

  • runoff
    12 years ago

    Not knowing what you yard looks like, it's hard to tell for sure what the problem is. It's possible that you just have a low area that needs a little topsoil to fill in the low spot . Then the water will continue to travel across the lawn instead of being trapped in the low area. French drains and piping , a lot of the time, is not needed. Just a little regrading.

  • novascapes
    12 years ago

    It looks commercial and expensive. It would have to be sized to meet your flow, as was said.
    Would a dry creek bed fit your landscape and maybe add to the apeal of you existing landscape.

  • karinl
    12 years ago

    I might look into recrafting the rockery so that water doesn't run off it quite so readily. Making flat spots and even indentations behind rocks that encourage water to seep into the hillside, and channeling water through it so it goes to those flat or indented spots, might help your lawn and also the plants in your rockery.

    Karin L

  • inkognito
    12 years ago

    Without exception drainage is a local problem and so is the fix. I would look for the source of the water first and if it can be diverted there is the solution If it is rain that collects in the rockery and spills over then karin's suggestion needs a look.

    Incidentally a properly constructed rock garden to house alpine plants would contain drainage within it to accommodate the needs of those plants.

  • deviant-deziner
    12 years ago

    speaking of channel drains, have you seen the new channel drains by Iron Age ?
    ironagegrates.com
    We've used them on two different projects and I highly recommend them if you need a channel drain that is located in a high profile place such as at the front door or by a pool.
    Beautiful designs and craftsmanship.
    here are two different designs that we have used from their company - a 6 inch and a 4 inch wide channel.
    {{gwi:47405}}From Oranje project
    {{gwi:47406}}From Smith Project

  • karinl
    12 years ago

    Erwin seems to be in the UK but those are nice!

    Karin L