STANDING WATER IN BACKYARD ELIMINATED!

We were contacted by a client from Holt, MI recently that had 2-3" of constantly standing water in their backyard.  Please see the picture below.

The homeowners had a beautiful inground pool installed last summer (2010) and the pool installer had suggested alleviating this water problem by using a trencher to install a drain tile 280' to swamp on the back of the property.  I was contacted and showed up a year later and they still have standing water in the yard.  The homeowner and I had a great conversation and I worked out an estimate for their drainage job.

I chose to use the E-Z Flow System from NDS and create a 'fish-scale' system that would drain to a main line of 4" slotted sewer pipe with a filter sock, and would include drainage vents/ports in any standing water areas, as well as possible future maintenance of the french drain system.

We hired our good friend and excellent excavator operator Jim Plesscher to excavate the trenches.  We need to point out that we do not use trenchers to install our drain tile.  Trenchers generally leave very loose soil in the bottom of the trench that is often not hand shoveled out by the installers and can allow the pipe to go up and down similar to a rollercoaster.  The loose soil will absorb water, especially during the spring thaw and this will further cause the drain tile to move up and down even more.  This up and down motion interrupts the ability of the pipe to drain and will hold large amounts of water in the pipe.

We are committed to installing our pipe on a solid base (no loose soil), whether we hand dig the trench or use an excavator to do the digging.  We are also committed to excavating the trench with the proper fall which is a minimum 2" fall every 20' (the trench in the picture was draining the entire time we were excavating it).  We installed drainage vents/ports to the surface every 100', as well as in any areas of standing water such as where you see the white Dodge pick-up parked in the pictures.  Our systems are able to be either router-rooted or water-jetted if the need ever arises.  This is done so that are systems are installed with the intent that they can drain forever!

After this system was installed, our area over the course of 36 hours received approximately 9.5 inches of rain.  I visited the system to look at some additional work the client wanted done, and was extremely surprised to walk up and down the length of the area that we had excavated and backfilled for the trench, and it was extremely firm to walk on.  That was an immediate indication that the french drainage system was performing perfectly.  The homeowners were trying to get this area drained properly so that they could proceed with installing a rather large paver patio.  As long as they used a layer of GeoTextile and built the base material out of rock, they had my blessing to proceed with their patio installation plans.

I would have to say that this french drain project was working better than even I had anticipated...I expected due to the composition of the clay soil for the drainage of the area to be a little slower.  Although, I can't argure with the smell of victory over another homeowners drainage dilemma!

Thank you and STAY DRY!!!



2010-The Year of Drainage Problems Continued

After the excavation and demolition were complete, Paul and I proceeded to set grade and design the gravity drain system, as well as the downspouts from the corners of the building were installed underground (but kept separate) with the gravity drain system.  Drainage behind the retaining walls had to be installed, as well as a sump crock and sump pump were installed under the walkway.

The entire walkway that was removed was re-located and re-constructed out of brick pavers.  The base material for the pavers was designed and installed as a permeable paver system, although it is important to note that we did not use actual permeable pavers.  We used traditional Holland brick pavers because of the smaller joints that would be less maintenance in the long run for the property owner.  The maintenance of the 'permeable paver' system would consist of a Spring cleaning of the leaves and then a vacuuming of the joints with a shop vac.  This procedure would also be completed in the Fall, after the leaves had fallen.

The base material under the brick pavers, 6A clean Limestone was installed starting at a minimum depth of 6" gradually creating a depth of approximately 3'.   The 6A was installed in 4" lifts and compacted.  Once the grade and slope of the handicap ramp were set, the entire brick paver area was screeded with Crushed Peastone for the leveling course of the brick pavers.  The Holland pavers were installed, all cuts made, soldier course cut and installed, and the brick pavers were compacted several times.  The brick paving portion of the job was complete.

Towards the end of the project, we experienced several all day rains where the mid-Michigan area received approximately 1" to 1-1/4" of rain.  The gravity drain system worked flawlessly.  The drainage system also helps to clean the water that drains down from the parking lot, collecting a good portion of the oils, salts, dirt, residues, contaminants, before it drains out to the pond behind the property.  The concrete sidewalk that was removed from the project was broken up and moved to the back of the property where it was re-utilized to build a retaining wall along the entire back of the property where it has been eroding for several years, helping to make the project sustainable.

Drainage...Are You Ready For The Spring Thaw?

Mid-Michigan has just experienced it's first mild thaw.  On the evening of Monday, January 26th I noticed that the local T.V. stations were reporting Flood Watches.  The brief thaw that we experienced late last week and through the weekend was filling up the drainage ditches, streams, lakes, rivers, wetlands, etc., causing potential difficulties for people living in flood-prone areas.  We urge you to watch your property and note where you may find problems with water.

Landscape Labor Solutions offers many drainage solutions to help clients manage or solve their drainage challenges.  Possible remedies can be as simple as spreading topsoil around the foundation of the house or building; or adding pipe extensions to downspouts to move the downspout discharge away from the foundation of the house. 

Sometimes more elaborate systems are required.  Landscape Labor Solutions is always more than happy to look at your specific problems and see if we can provide you with a solution(s) to help you with your drainage challenges.  Call (517) 646-8990 to schedule your drainage consultation.  We travel all over mid-Michigan to assist people with their drainage problems.