'PUDDLING' in garden

[LooPrEvil]

I have an area in my gardens that puddles after heavy rain.

I do have some 60mm diameter perforated land drain. Can I dig a trench, put in the land drain, surround with limestone, put a couple of inches of soil on top and replace the turf?


The big question is: can I break into my underground drain and run the land drain into this, again using a range of stone sizes to keep the plastic land drain in position at the clay underground drain, then top up with soil and replace the turf?

Thanks.

 

[stem]

I'm not sure what you mean by " can I break into my underground drain" if you are referring to the drains your WC discharges into, no you can't.

 

[merlin50]

you can but you will be in deep sh1t if you get caught

 

[digdilem]

You need to plan land drains properly. Just plonking a bit of tube down with some stone without a clear plan of where that's going to discharge is just moving the problem or delaying it. Oh, and you'd want some geotextile membrane too or your new drain will just fill up with soil.

Why is it puddling? Would decompacting the soil help? What's the soil like below, has it been driven on, etc etc. Does plunging a garden fork in make any difference at all?

 

[LooPrEvil]

Puddling = saturated.

I do fork the area a few time a year but the sub soil is very clayie so it does not really have anywhere to drain to, hence I would like to insert some land drain say a foot below the surface and run it into the underground drainage system (I was thinking about using an angle grinder to cut a small piece out of the top face of the drain). I take your point re the membrane - thanks.

The drain carries both surface water and foul.

No vehicles have access to the garden.

Thanks for replies so far.

 

[stem]

The drain carries both surface water and foul.

Then you can't do it. For good reasons it's prohibited by the building regulations. I refer you to merlin50's post. What he describes may well happen literally. Unwanted ahem.. items may end up in your land drainage system, and smells / foul air can permeate through the soil to the surface, (ever wondered why sinks, toilets and grates have a 'U' or 'S' bend filled with water?) You could also get rats escaping into your garden from the sewer.

When I was faced with the same problem, I dug a soakaway and ran land drains down into that with a mixture of perforated land drain pipe, and a trench filled with rubble leading to it, called a French drain. I'm on clay and it works just fine.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

I would like to insert some land drain say a foot below the surface and run it into the underground drainage system (I was thinking about using an angle grinder to cut a small piece out of the top face of the drain). I take your point re the membrane - thanks.

The drain carries both surface water and foul.

You're not listening, draining your water from your infinite water table source into surface or foul drainage is illegal.

 

[LooPrEvil]

I have previosly dug a soakaway, but that just becomes a well.

Could I not form some type of u-bend (using say gutter down pipes and bends) where I break into the drain and seal the joint with mortar?

 

[merlin50]

I have previosly dug a soakaway, but that just becomes a well.

Could I not form some type of u-bend (using say gutter down pipes and bends) where I break into the drain and seal the joint with mortar?

do you park on double yellow lines

 

[stem]

I have previosly dug a soakaway, but that just becomes a well.

Then it wasn't deep / large enough

 

[digdilem]

I have previosly dug a soakaway, but that just becomes a well.

Then it wasn't deep / large enough

There are circumstances when a soakaway will never work. However, breaking into public drains is definitely not an acceptable answer.

 

[LooPrEvil]

I have previosly dug a soakaway, but that just becomes a well.

Then it wasn't deep / large enough

There are circumstances when a soakaway will never work. However, breaking into public drains is definitely not an acceptable answer.

Thank you for realising that digdilem.

Lets say I wanted to install a grid instead, surely you must be allowed to break into the drain. These are not public drains by the way, they are on MY property, and I am responsible for them.

 

[merlin50]

you are not allowed to put surface water into a foul water sewer

 

[merlin50]

if you were to drain the swamp your house is built on it would dry out and shrink and your house would fall down.

 

[merlin50]

put some decking by the back door remove several feet of soil, leave an island in the middle, moore a boat to the decking, water lillys in the pond ducks on the island, job done.