Drainage system made of branches. Drainage from scrap materials is cheap and cheerful. How to determine the groundwater level

Experienced builders and country residents know well that “excess” water on the site is bad. Excess water leads to flooding of the foundation and basement floor, washout of the foundation, flooding of beds, swamping of the area, etc. As a result, in spring, autumn and even summer you cannot walk around your summer cottage without rubber boots.

In this article we will look at:

• How to arrange water drainage on the site.
• How to make a budget storm drain with your own hands.
• Drainage device. How to make inexpensive drainage and drain a wetland.

What kind of water interferes with the life of a developer and a country homeowner?

A whole book could be written about the types of surface and ground water, as well as drainage and storm sewer systems. Therefore, we will leave beyond the scope of this article a detailed listing of the types and causes of groundwater occurrence, and will concentrate on practice. But without minimal theoretical knowledge, taking on the independent arrangement of drainage and storm sewer systems is throwing money away.

The point is that even an improperly designed drainage system functions for the first few years. Then, due to clogging (silting) of a pipe wrapped in geotextile, which was placed in clayey, loamy, etc. soil, drainage stops working. But money has already been spent on drainage construction and, most importantly, drainage construction involves a large amount of excavation work involving equipment.

Therefore, simply digging up and relaying a drainage pipe 3-5 years after it was laid is difficult and costly. The site has already been inhabited, landscaping has been done, a blind area has been arranged, a gazebo, a bathhouse, etc. have been installed.

You will have to rack your brains on how to redo the drainage so as not to ruin the entire area.

From here - drainage construction should always be based on geological soil survey data(which will help you find a waterproof layer in the form of clay at a depth of 1.5-2 m), hydrogeological surveys and clear knowledge of what kind of water leads to flooding of a house or waterlogging of an area.

Surface waters are seasonal in nature, associated with the period of snowmelt and abundance of rain. Groundwater is divided into three main groups:

• Capillary water.
• Ground water.
• Verkhovodka.

Moreover, if surface water is not drained in time, when infiltrated (absorbed) into the ground it turns into underground water.

The volume of surface water usually exceeds the volume of groundwater.

Conclusion: surface runoff must be drained using storm drainage systems, and don’t try to do surface drainage!

Storm drainage is a system consisting of trays, pipes or ditches dug in the ground, discharging water from drains outside the site + competent organization of the relief on the personal territory. This will allow you to avoid stagnant zones on the site (lenses, pools), where water will accumulate, which simply has nowhere to go, and further waterlogging.

The main mistakes that are made when installing drainage yourself:

• Failure to maintain the correct slope of laid drainage pipes. If we take an average, then the slope is maintained in the range from 0.005 to 0.007, i.e. 5-7 mm per 1 running meter of drainage pipe.

• Using a drainage pipe in a geotextile wrap on “wrong” soil. To avoid siltation, pipes in geotextiles are used on soils consisting of clean medium- and coarse-grained sands.

• Using cheaper crushed limestone instead of granite, which is washed away by water over time.
• Saving on high-quality geotextiles, which must have certain hydraulic properties that affect the quality of drainage. This is an effective pore size of 175 microns, i.e. 0.175 mm, as well as transverse Kf, which should be at least 300 m/day (with a single pressure gradient).

Inexpensive do-it-yourself storm drain

The first thing that comes to mind in order to equip a budget option for storm drainage on a site is to lay special trays.

Trays can be made of concrete or plastic, but they are expensive. This forces users of our portal to look for cheaper options for installing storm drainage and drainage systems from the site.

Denis1235 FORUMHOUSE Member

I need to make an inexpensive storm drain, about 48 m long, along the edge of the fence, to drain the melt water that comes from the neighbor. The water must be drained into a ditch. I was wondering how to drain the water. At first it occurred to me to buy and install special trays, but then they would be left with “extra” grates, and I don’t need any special aesthetics for the storm drain. I decided to buy asbestos-cement pipes and saw them lengthwise with a grinder, thereby getting a homemade tray.

Despite the budgetary nature of this idea, the user was not attracted to the need to cut asbestos-cement pipes on his own. The second option is the opportunity to buy gutters (plastic or metal) and lay them on a prepared base in a concrete layer of about 100 mm.

Portal users dissuaded Denis1235 from this idea in favor of the first option, which is more durable.

Hooked on the idea of ​​an inexpensive storm drain, but not wanting to deal with cutting pipes on my own, Denis1235 I found a factory that produces asbestos-cement pipes, where they will immediately cut them into pieces 2 m long (so that the 4-meter one does not crack during transportation) and ready-made trays will be delivered to the site. All that remains is to develop a scheme for laying the trays.

The result is the following “pie”:

• Soil base in the form of a bed.
• A layer of sand or ASG about 5 cm thick.
• Concrete about 7 cm.
• Tray made of asbestos-cement pipe.

When installing such a storm drain, do not forget to lay a metal mesh (for reinforcement) at the joints and leave a deformation gap (3-5 mm) between the trays.

Denis1235

As a result, I made a budget rain shower at the dacha. It took 2 days to dig the trench, another two days to pour concreting and install the route. I spent 10 thousand rubles on trays.

Practice has shown that the route “overwintered” well, did not crack and intercepts water from its neighbor, leaving the area dry. Also interesting is the option of rain (storm) sewerage for the portal user with the nickname yury_by.

yury_by FORUMHOUSE Member

Because The crisis doesn’t seem to be ending, then I started thinking about how to install a storm drain to drain rainwater away from the house. I want to solve the problem, save money, and do everything efficiently.

After some thought, the user decided to make a storm drain for water drainage based on flexible double-walled corrugated pipes (they cost 2 times less than “red” sewer pipes), which are used for laying power cables underground. But, because the depth of the drainage route is planned to be only 200-300 mm with a pipe diameter of 110 mm, yury_by I was afraid that the corrugated pipe might break in the winter if water got between the two layers.

Eventually yury_by I decided to take a budget “gray” pipe, which is used when installing internal sewerage. Although he had concerns that the pipes, which were not as rigid as the “red” ones, would break in the ground, practice has shown that nothing happened to them.

yury_by

If you step on the “gray” pipe, it turns into an oval, but there are no significant loads in the place where I buried it. The lawn has just been laid and there is foot traffic. Having laid the pipe in the trench and sprinkled it with soil, I made sure that they kept their shape and the storm drain was working.

The user liked the option of installing an inexpensive storm drain based on “gray” sewer pipes so much that he decided to repeat it. All the nuances of the process are clearly demonstrated by the following photographs.

We dig a hole to collect water.

Level the base.

We install a concrete ring.

The next stage is to fill the bottom of the well with gravel of fraction 5-20.

We cast a homemade well cover from concrete.

We paint the manhole cover.

We insert a drainage plastic “gray” sewer pipe into the well, maintaining a slope of 1 cm per 1 linear meter.

We spill the pipe with a mixture of sand and water so that there are no voids left between the walls of the trench and the pipe.

To prevent the pipe from floating, it can be pressed down with a brick or board.

We put the lid on, install the hatch and fill everything with soil.

This completes the production of the budget rain shower.

Construction of low-cost drainage and drainage of wetlands

Not everyone gets the “right” plots. In SNT or in new cuts, the land may be very swampy, or the developer may have a peat bog. To build a normal house for permanent residence on such land, and not a light summer cottage, is both difficult and expensive. There are two ways out of this situation - sell/exchange the plot or start draining and putting the plot in order.

In order not to deal with various expensive alterations in the future, users of our portal offer budget options for drainage and drainage of the territory based on car tires. This option allows you to save your family budget.

Yuri Podymakhin Member of FORUMHOUSE

Peat soil is characterized by a high groundwater level. On my site, the water is almost level with the surface, and after rain it does not go into the ground. To drain the top water, it must be thrown outside the site. I didn’t spend money on buying special pipes for drainage, but made drainage from car tires.

The system is installed as follows: a ditch is dug, tires are placed in it, and the tires are covered with polyethylene on top so that the earth from above does not fall inside. Polyethylene can also be additionally pressed with pieces of slate that are “unnecessary” in the household. This will increase the overall rigidity of the structure. Water enters the “tire” pipeline and is then discharged outside the site.

But there are also “harder” places where much more needs to be done.

Seryoga567 FORUMHOUSE Member

I have a plot in SNT with a total area of ​​8 acres. There is a building on the site that I plan to complete and expand. The place is very low. Because drainage grooves for drainage in SNT they are in a deplorable state, where they are buried, littered or clogged, then the water does not go anywhere. The water level is so high that you can draw water from the well with a bucket, holding it by the handle. In the spring, the water in the dacha sits for a long time, the area actually turns into a swamp and, if it dries out, it is only in the summer when it is very hot. Nobody wants to put the drainage ditches in order, so everyone floats. Therefore, I decided that it was useless to fight with my neighbors. You need to raise your site and find a way to dispose of all the “unnecessary” water from the site.

Water is an essential component for the life of all living organisms. Without moisture, all living things will die. But excess water can cause great harm. For example, if your summer cottage or garden plot is flooded, then plants will not grow on it. In addition, excess water can damage buildings. But this often happens, especially if the site is located in a lowland or on water-repellent soil. What to do in this case? There is only one way out - to create a drainage system on the site. One such, simplest, option will be discussed in this article.

Quite often you can encounter a situation where, after melting snow or heavy rainfall, the cottage is flooded with water. This situation may lead to waterlogging of the soil, as well as to the violation of the strength of the foundation of buildings on a summer cottage. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to create an efficient drainage system. It will drain excess water outside the site.

The drainage systems themselves can be either superficial and deep. The former serve to drain water from precipitation. It is not difficult to make such a system, and it will require small investments. More complex and expensive deep drainage systems are designed to drain groundwater close to the surface.

Both options for drainage systems work on the same principle. There are pipes or trays throughout the area. Rain or groundwater, penetrating into them, flows by gravity to the lowest point of the site. A container can be located here or the training system can be brought out into a natural pond or ditch.

For surface drainage, trays are installed in places where water accumulates. To protect them from clogging, grates and sand traps are installed. This system is considered the cheapest, since it does not require large expenses for land work.

More expensive option - deep drainage system. In this case, pipes or sods must be laid in the ground to a depth depending on the occurrence of groundwater. In addition, deep drainage requires the installation of inspection wells. These designs allow you to clean the system from blockages and monitor its operation.

Since it is very expensive to install expensive drainage for a dacha, many owners try to resort to various tricks. There are many options to create a working system and at the same time spend a minimum of money. We will talk about some of them in the following chapters.

A simple open drainage option

Drainage in a summer cottage, the easiest way to do it is to surround the entire area with a ditch around the perimeter. This method suitable for flat terrain. But a ditch around the perimeter will not help if the site has depressions or has a large area.

It is enough to simply create an open drainage system. To do this you need to do the following:

A network of such simple ditches throughout the territory of the dacha can quickly remove water from precipitation. At the same time, you will not have financial problems creating such drainage. All work can be done with your own hands, and the materials used can always be found in any household.

If you do not want to see many open trenches at your dacha, or you need to divert groundwater close to the surface, then it is better to use simple deep drainage. Of course, ideally such a system should be carried out using special perforated pipes. Through holes in the turf, water will enter the system and flow to a certain place.

But using plastic pipes for drainage will require financial costs. In addition, such a system requires the installation of inspection wells. Therefore, to create deep drainage, instead of special pipes, you can use the following materials:

• Fachines are a bunch of branches and brushwood. The material is tied into bundles with a diameter of up to 30 and a length of up to 50 centimeters;
• Stone. Ordinary natural stones or large fractions of broken bricks are used.

The principle of creating such a drainage system is quite simple. First of all, the places where water accumulates after precipitation are determined. Next, pits are dug with a depth of 50 to 150 meters, depending on the proximity of groundwater.

When creating a standard deep drainage, the next step will be laying pipes on a crushed stone bed. In our case, we lay fascines or stones. If the second option is used, then large fractions are placed on the bottom, and small ones are placed along the walls of the ditch.

Next, it is necessary to protect the fascines or stone layer from silting. For this, it is best to use geotextiles. But this material costs money, so most summer residents use improvised means. You can line the trench with moss or upturned turf. After this you can fill up the soil.

Instead of fascines or stones, plastic bottles can be placed in the trench. Used containers of any volume are placed in rows and covered with soil. Since plastic does not decompose for a long time, the bottles will form voids. As a result, water will have a place to flow, and it will be freely discharged outside the site.

Once the trenches are backfilled, your drainage system will not be visible. At the same time, it is quite effective. The advantage of this method is no financial costs. Brushwood, broken bricks and used plastic bottles can be easily collected from any landfill. And you can dig the trenches yourself by hand.

Conclusion

The drainage system at the dacha is an important component. It is especially necessary in areas that are subject to flooding during floods or heavy precipitation. It is not difficult to make such a system with your own hands. At the same time, there are many options for drainage without spending money on it. The main thing is to choose the right location and direction of the trenches, depending on the terrain.

In some regions, groundwater is very close to the surface. So close that they threaten the integrity of buildings (their foundations) and prevent plantings from growing. All these problems are solved by site drainage. In general, this event is costly both in terms of the amount of funds required and the time required. A considerable part of the time is spent on planning. If you do everything wisely, then you need hydrogeological research data and a project drawn up by a specialist. But, as usual, only a few do this; the majority make the drainage system with their own hands.

What water is removed by drainage?

Drainage of a site is a costly and labor-intensive undertaking that requires a large amount of excavation work. The best time for construction is the process of planning and arrangement of the site. Late deadlines lead to a lot of chaos, which doesn't make everyone happy. However, if there is water on the site, you have to do this too.

There are several types of water on the site that bother us and that need to be drained. They are of different nature and require different measures.

Surface water

They are formed during snowmelt and heavy rainfall, during work on the site (watering, washing paths), discharge of water from a reservoir, etc. What all phenomena have in common is their one-time nature: surface water appears after certain events. A more reasonable way to divert them is a device. She copes with the task “excellently”, and the costs of arrangement are much lower.

To drain surface water, mostly open channels are installed; water intake is point-wise under storm pipes or linear along the entire roof overhang. From these receivers, water is carried through solid plastic (asbestos-cement) pipes into a drainage ditch or discharged into a river or lake into a ravine. Sometimes we allow output to the ground.

Groundwater

Those groundwaters that have a seasonal level (higher in the spring after a flood, lower in the winter), have a recharge zone (where they come from) and an outflow zone (where they go) are called groundwater. Typically, groundwater is present on sandy, sandy loam soils, less often in loams with a small amount of clay.

The presence of groundwater can be determined using self-dug pits or several wells drilled with a hand drill. When drilling, a dynamic level is noted (when water appeared during drilling) and a steady one (some time after its appearance, its level stabilizes).

If we talk about draining water from a building, then a drainage system is installed if the groundwater level (GWL) is only 0.5 m below the foundation. If the groundwater level is high - above the freezing depth - then it is recommended with measures taken to drain water. At a lower level, other options are possible, but careful and multi-layer waterproofing is required. The need for foundation drainage should be assessed by specialists.

If high groundwater (groundwater level above 2.5 meters) prevents plants from growing, drainage of the area is required. This is a system of channels or special drainage pipes laid in the ground at a certain level (20-30 cm below the GW level). The depth of laying pipes or ditches is below the ground level so that water flows to lower places. In this way, the adjacent areas of the soil are drained.

Verkhovodka

This groundwater occurs on soils in highly located impermeable layers, but its appearance is often a consequence of construction errors. Usually this is water that, being absorbed into the soil, encounters on its way layers with a low ability to absorb moisture. Most often this is clay.

If after rain there are puddles in the area and do not go away for a long time, this is perched water. If water accumulates in dug ditches, this is also high water. If, a few years after building a house on clay soils or loams, the walls in the basement begin to “cry”, this is also high water. Water has accumulated in crushed stone pockets under the foundation, in the blind area, etc.

The easiest way to drain high water is with the help of ditches, but it is better to prevent its occurrence - backfill the foundation not with crushed stone and sand, but with clay or native soil, carefully compacting it in layers. The main task is to eliminate the presence of pockets in which water will accumulate. After such backfilling, it is necessary to make a blind area that is wider in width than the backfill and an obligatory touch is the drainage of storm water.

If the site has a slope, consider installing terraces and retaining walls, with the obligatory installation of drainage ditches along the retaining wall. It is most difficult to deal with perched water in low areas, which are located at a level lower than neighboring ones. A reasonable solution here is to add soil, since there is usually nowhere to dump water. Another possible option is to drain the drain through neighboring areas or along the road to the point of possible discharge. You have to decide on the spot, based on the existing conditions.

To avoid drainage

Installing a drainage system is an expensive undertaking. If it is possible to make do with other measures, it is worth doing so. Other measures include the following:

If after all these measures the situation does not suit you, it makes sense to make a drainage system.

Types of drainage

Site drainage is a complex system with many nuances and features. In structure, it can be local (local) - to solve a problem in a specific area. Most often this is drainage of the foundation, basement and semi-basement (basement) floors. Also, water drainage systems on a site can be general - to drain the entire site or a significant part of it.

By installation method

According to the installation method, the drainage system can be:

• Open. Concrete or stone trays are used and ditches are dug around the site. They remain open, but can be covered with decorative grilles to protect the system from large debris. If you need a simple solution for draining surface water at your dacha, these are ditches along the perimeter of the site or in the lowest zone. Their depth should be sufficient so that the water does not overflow at maximum flow. To prevent the unreinforced walls of drainage ditches from collapsing, they are made at an angle of 30°,

Drainage option for a summer cottage - cheap and cheerful

• Closed. Water is captured by laying special water-permeable drainage pipes. The pipes are led into a storage well, into a drainage ditch, a ravine, or a nearby body of water. This type of site drainage is good for permeable soils (sandy).
• Backfill. This type of site drainage is usually used on clay soils or loams. In this case, the pipes are also laid in ditches, but they are filled with layer-by-layer sand and gravel backfill, which collects water from the surrounding soils. The worse the soil conducts moisture, the more powerful backfilling is required.

  

The specific type of site drainage is selected based on site conditions. On clays and loams, an extensive gravel-sand zone is required, into which water will flow from surrounding areas of the soil. On sands and sandy loams there is no need for such a cushion - the soils themselves drain water well, but only a specialist can say specifically based on the results of geological research.

By type of implementation

There are several types (schemes) of drainage devices on the site:

When draining a site, the central drain or collector is made from pipes of larger diameter (130-150 mm versus 90-100 mm for conventional drains) - the volume of water here is usually larger. The specific type of drainage system is selected based on the problems that need to be solved. Sometimes it is necessary to use combinations of different schemes.

Site drainage - device

The drainage system consists of a network of interconnected pipes that are located around the perimeter (or area) of the area protected from water. Drainage wells are installed at intersections or turns. They are necessary to monitor the condition of the system and clean silty pipes. From all drainage areas, water enters the collector well, where it accumulates to a certain level. Then it can be discharged or used for irrigation and other technical needs. Discharge can occur by gravity (if there is somewhere), and submersible ones are used for supplying irrigation and other technical needs.

Drainage pipes and wells

Special pipes for drainage are used - with holes ranging in size from 1.5 to 5 mm. Water flows through them from the surrounding soil. Holes are located along the entire surface of the pipe. They come in different diameters; for private houses and plots, the most used size is 100 mm; to drain large volumes of water, you can take a cross-section of up to 150 mm.

They are now made mainly from polymers - HDPE, LDPE (low and high pressure polyethylene) and PVC (polyvinyl chloride). They are used for laying to a depth of 2 meters. There are also two and three-layer combined ones, which are made from combinations of these materials; they are buried to depths of up to 5 meters.

Pipes for drainage are selected taking into account the depth. It is necessary to select according to the ring stiffness. It is designated by the Latin letters SN and the numbers following them, indicating the ring stiffness (resistance to loads). For laying to a depth of up to 4 meters, the rigidity should be SN4, up to 6 meters - SN6.

The surface of the drainage pipe is wrapped with filter materials. There can be from one to three filter layers. The number of layers is selected based on the composition of the soil - the smaller the particles, the more layers are required. For example, on clays and loams, pipes with three filter layers are used.

Inspection wells are installed at turning points and in places where several pipes are connected. They are needed for easier cleaning in case of blockage, as well as for the ability to monitor the condition of the pipes. As a rule, all pipes converge into one collector well, from where water is either sent by gravity to the discharge point, or is forcibly pumped out.

There are special wells for drainage systems, but it is quite possible to bury a concrete ring with a bottom and a cover of small diameter (70-80 cm) and bring pipes into it. Depending on the depth of the drainage rings, several rings may be required. Another option is to make a large inspection well and drainage pipe, but in this case you will have to come up with something with the bottom. For example, you can fill the bottom with concrete.

Slope

In order for the collected water to drain on its own, it is necessary to maintain a certain slope towards the direction of movement. The minimum slope is 0.002 - 2 mm per meter, the main slope is 0.005 (5 mm per 1 meter of pipe). If the drainage is shallow, the slope of the pipe can increase to 1-3 cm per 1 meter, but it should be done as little as possible. When the flow speed is more than 1 m/sec, small soil particles are “sucked in”, which contributes to faster siltation of the system.

The slope is changed (relative to the “standby” of 5 mm per 1 meter) in two cases:

• If it is necessary to drain a larger amount of water per unit of time without increasing the diameter of the drain. In this case, the slope is increased.
• If you need to get away from the backwater (when a pipe laid with a given slope is below the water level, i.e. water simply will not drain). In this case, the slope is reduced.

In the practical design of the system, questions may arise about how to ensure a given slope. This can be done using a water level (not very convenient) or a flat board paired with a regular construction bubble level. Having leveled the bottom of the trench, lay a board and a level on it. By moving it along the board, they check and correct the slope of the bottom of the trench in a certain area.

Drain installation technology

Trenches of a given width and depth are pre-dug. The bottom of the trench is leveled and compacted. Don't forget about the slope, but at this stage there is no point in maintaining it exactly. Next, about 100 mm of coarse-grained washed river sand is poured, it is also compacted (spilled, then tamped), leveled. Sand preferably fraction Dsr 1.5-2.5 mm.

Lay on sand with a density of no more than 200 g/m2. The edges of the canvas are lined along the walls of the trench. A layer of crushed granite stone is poured on top. The size of the crushed stone fraction is selected depending on the size of the holes in the drainage pipe. For the smallest holes, crushed stone with a grain size of 6-8 mm is required, for the rest - larger. The thickness of the crushed stone layer is 150-250 mm, depending on the type of soil. On clays and loams, 250 mm is required, on soils that drain water better - sand and sandy loam - about 150 mm.

The crushed stone is compacted, leveling it to a given slope. A drainage pipe is laid on compacted crushed stone. Next, the pipe is covered with gravel in layers, each layer is compacted. There should be at least 100 mm of gravel on top of the drain. After this, the ends of the geotextile are wrapped, their overlap should be 15-20 cm. A layer of sand with grains of 0.5-1 mm is poured on top. The thickness of the sand layer is 100-300 mm, also depending on the water permeability of the soil: the worse the water drainage, the thicker the sand layer. The “native” soil is laid on the compacted sand, and then plants can be planted.

A little about backfill materials

Crushed stone should be granite or other hard, lime-free rocks. Dolomite (limestone) or marble are not suitable. It’s easy to test the existing one: drop vinegar on it. If there is a reaction, he is not suitable.

Please note once again: the crushed stone is laid washed so that the new pipes do not immediately silt up.

The sand required is coarse-grained. Grain size from 0.5 mm to 1 mm. The sand should also be clean. Some of the sand is filled with clean water, stirred, wait until the sand settles and evaluate the purity of the water. If the water is cloudy, with a large number of suspended particles, the sand requires washing.

Some nuances of construction

When draining a site, the central drain or collector is made from pipes of larger diameter (130-150 mm versus 90-100 mm for conventional drains) - the volume of water here is usually larger.

The installation of drainage on the site begins from the lowest point and moves gradually upward. First, a collector well is installed. If the groundwater level is high or the high water has not yet receded, water may accumulate in the ditches. This muddy slurry will roll into the well, clogging it. In addition, the presence of water in the ditch greatly interferes with the work: drains must be laid in dry ditches. To drain them, side pits (sumps) of greater depth are made along the ditch. Crushed stone is poured onto the bottom. Accumulating water is pumped out of these pits.

The main problem that land owners may encounter is related to the accumulation of water on the ground. The main sign of stagnant processes is puddles that do not dry out for a long time. This problem must be solved, since excessive humidity will lead to soaking of vegetation and destruction of buildings. There is a solution - installing drainage. You can do this yourself.

Why is a drainage system needed on the site?

Drainage is the forced removal of water. Typically, this procedure is carried out before the construction of buildings in order to drain the site. Drainage is a combination of outlets and wells that help remove excess water from the surrounding area.

Before building a house on a site, it must be thoroughly inspected. This will help determine whether drainage is necessary, as well as which system is best to install. You must first collect the following information:

If water stagnates on the site, then a drainage system is required.

After collecting this information, you can determine the need for a drainage system. It is needed if:

The need for drainage can also be determined by the plants growing on it. Signs of high humidity are sedge, cattail and other moisture-loving plants, but cultivated trees develop poorly and usually simply rot.

Sedge is an indicator of high site humidity

Advantages of a dehumidification system

The advantages of drainage are obvious:

If you neglect the drainage system, the consequences can be quite unpleasant. It may also be a constant unpleasant odor; water may accumulate in the basement, which will lead to fungal disease in the house and its destruction.

The drainage system provides an optimal microclimate for human habitation

The drainage system of the land plot consists of:

The most commonly used is closed vertical drainage, which consists of a system of trenches several meters high. Drainage pipes are installed at the bottom of these trenches, or the bottom is simply covered with crushed stone, broken bricks, and then earth. This will allow moisture to collect in this particular place, and not spread over the entire area.

A closed drainage system takes up much less space

Methods for arranging a drainage system on a land plot

There are different ways to arrange drainage on a private plot of any size. The choice depends on the characteristics of the terrain and soil. Any of them can be done with your own hands.

Surface

Open drainage is a system of grooves. Suitable for areas subject to heavy rainfall.

Surface drainage complicates the process of growing crops

The sequence of actions is as follows:

You can set up the system without trays. In this case, the trenches must be filled with crushed stone of a coarse fraction to 2/3 of the height of the trench, then a layer of crushed stone of a fine fraction, the last layer is turf. The performance of just such a drainage system can be improved with the help of geotextiles.

Surface drainage can be done very quickly

Video: open drainage system made from scrap iron

Deep

When arranging it, it is necessary to observe the basic rule - the location of the system pipes below the groundwater level.

There are certain standards for the depth of ditches in a deep drainage system:

The optimal trench width is 40 cm.

It is necessary to use special perforated pipes. Their diameter should be about 15–50 mm.

Under no circumstances should old, stale pipes be used to provide deep drainage to the site. You will not save money this way, since such a system will not perform its functions accurately, and you will have to redo everything again.

Deep drainage lasts a very long time

The procedure for performing work for arranging deep drainage:

The advantage of a deep drainage system is that only you will know about its existence, since it is impossible to see the entire trench system with the naked eye.

To arrange soft drainage on the site, geotextiles and tecton are usually used. These materials have many advantages:

No pipes are needed for soft drainage

To arrange soft drainage in a private area, it is necessary to dig a ditch, and the bottom must be at an angle. The bottom of the pit must be covered with tecton and then with geotextiles. The latter must necessarily extend beyond the channels by at least 40 cm. This part of the material will later be used for overlap. Now this material needs to be covered with crushed stone so that the layer reaches half the height of the trench. Now the geotextile can be covered with crushed stone, laying it overlapping. Now the entire structure can be covered with sand and compacted thoroughly.

This type of drainage system is the most preferable because it not only drains water from the site, but also filters it.

Drainage system on a sloped area

Even if the site is located on a slope, water must also be drained from it, both from the surface of the earth and from the depths. This is necessary in order to prevent landslides in the spring, when the snow melts. A system that combines both open and closed drainage will be effective.

The arrangement of a drainage system on an area with a large slope is not much different from a horizontal system, but there are still certain features that must be taken into account. First of all, this concerns wells. They must be located at the threshold of the slope, that is, at the lowest point of the site. Main trenches are dug along the perimeter of the site, and they try to position them as close as possible to the fence. Auxiliary trenches should be located at an angle relative to the main one, and the angle of inclination of their site must also be taken into account, since it may not always be enough for normal water drainage. The total slope should be 2–4 cm per 1 m of the equipped system.

From above the system resembles a river

If the area is quite large, then it can be divided into several parts using a transverse drainage trench.

Remember that installing a drainage system on a house plot with a slope requires more careful and thorough preparation, careful actions, thoughtfulness of every step, as well as larger financial investments.

Drainage of an area with a high groundwater level

To combat high groundwater levels, drainage is indispensable. You can arrange both open and closed drainage systems. Open means the presence of ditches along the entire perimeter and between the beds. Main trenches must be at least 40 cm deep, additional ones - 15 cm. The disadvantage of such a system is that it reduces the usable area of ​​the site, as well as the appearance of some difficulties in growing garden crops.

A more complex, but also more effective, is a closed system consisting of underground channels and water intake wells.

A properly equipped drainage system can reduce groundwater levels

It is necessary to carry out this work precisely in the spring, when the groundwater is at its highest. It is necessary to start digging ditches from a lower place on the site. This is necessary to ensure that groundwater does not interfere with the pipe installation process. The depth of the system’s ditches depends on the size of the drainage well.

Additionally, it is necessary to lower the groundwater level. This can be done using a wellpoint unit. It consists of pipes with wellpoints at the ends; they are connected to a pump and a vacuum convector (it is placed on the surface of the site).

There are also more complex systems that can reduce the groundwater level by 20 m. They include centrifugal pumps and injection water lifts.

Video: drainage of an area with high groundwater

The peculiarity of clay soils is that they are heavier, do not allow moisture to pass through at all, and therefore take much longer to dry. Therefore, the arrangement of a drainage system in such an area is mandatory.

The soil near the drainage pipe needs to be loosened

There are certain rules for arranging drainage on clay soils, which should never be ignored, otherwise the efficiency of the system will decrease:

After installing the system, it is necessary to carry out testing, since clay soil is quite difficult to process. The test is considered passed only if the flow passes through the system from beginning to end without encountering any obstacles along the way.

Clay soil is very difficult to cultivate

Budget simple DIY drainage

Don't think that a drainage system requires investing a lot of money. Pipes can be made with your own hands from ordinary plastic bottles. You can do this as follows:

In a swampy area, the drainage system in its structure resembles a river, that is, there is necessarily a channel and tributaries.

The plastic bottle system has certain advantages:

Video: drainage of a site made of plastic pipes

How to make drainage with your own hands: step-by-step instructions

You can do the installation on site yourself, and it will be quite quick. The main thing is to correctly calculate the system, taking into account all the features of the soil and topography of the site.

Calculation rules

When calculating the system, the following site parameters must be taken into account:

It is better to request some data from specialists, since it is almost impossible to obtain it yourself.

Most often, the entire drainage system is equipped according to the ring principle. To calculate it, the main factor is the height of the foundation of the house. It does not matter what material will be used to insulate the trench, the depth of the trench should be 30–50 cm greater from the base of the house foundation, and the angle of inclination should be 1 cm per 1 m linear system. Therefore, you must first notice the lowest point on the site, this is where the water intake (well) will be located. To calculate the depth of the upper trench, it is necessary to measure the distance between the two extreme points of the system, and then give it the required slope of 1%.

Drainage can be located in close proximity to the foundation

An example of drainage system calculation is given that will help you do it for your site. Let us assume that at the highest point there is a collector well 30 cm above the ground and at a distance of 10 m from the foundation of the house. The length of the trench located around the perimeter of the house is 6 and 9 m. To this value you need to add 10 m of the trench from the house to the well. Total length 25 m.

Now you can calculate the required slope. To do this, you need to calculate 1% of the obtained value, that is, the permissible difference between the extreme points is 25 cm. If this value is greater, then pumps must be introduced into the system.

The pump helps the water move

Additionally, you need to remember to maintain a certain distance between the foundation and the trenches. It must be 3 m or more.

Sand and crushed stone must be poured to such a depth that they can prevent swelling of the soil when water freezes near the foundation.

Additionally, a concrete blind area must be installed at a distance of 1 m from the house.

Video: how to choose a drainage pipe

Drawing up a diagram

To draw up a diagram, you first need to carefully examine the area, and then draw up a so-called project, which should indicate the slope and diameter of the drainage pipes (if they are used). In addition to this, the diagram must contain the following information:

The drainage system itself consists of:

The drainage pattern can be linear or point. The first scheme is more complex. It is a system of shallow trenches that are located at a certain angle. They are made around the perimeter of the site and in places where water accumulates.

Linear drainage is installed throughout the area

A point drainage system consists of water intakes that are installed in isolated areas that are the most problematic.

Point drainage is installed in the most problematic areas

Well construction

There are several types of wells for the drainage system:

Wells can be concrete or plastic.

Video: review of drainage wells

Methods for arranging a drainage system

Different drainage systems are similar in many ways. Usually they differ only in the materials used during installation. It could be:

Each method of arranging the system has advantages and disadvantages. In the first case, simplicity and speed win, but the system will have to be updated periodically. If you combine several methods at once, you can significantly increase the service life of the system many times over.

Video: how to build a drainage system with your own hands

If you decide that your site needs a drainage system, remember that you can do it yourself. The main thing is to correctly determine the type of system, draw up its diagram, and follow the work consistently.

To effectively collect and remove excess groundwater and storm water in a garden plot, the most applicable engineering structure is a drainage system - a self-built drainage network. This system copes well with lowering groundwater levels.

Building a drainage system is quite simple:

• from materials that are always at hand in the garden;
• from specially purchased materials.

Let's consider the installation method for both system options.

Methods for constructing a drainage system

Economical options from improvised means

To decide how to make a drainage system in your garden, you need to clearly understand all the stages of the work ahead. At the first, preparatory stage, you should:

• dig a trench 0.5 m wide along the entire perimeter of the house at a distance of 2-5 m from the foundation to a depth equal to the level of the foundation base;
• determine the highest and lowest points of the site;
• calculate the slope angle of the drainage system, which should be 2-3% - 2-3 cm for each meter of drainage gutter;
• determine the location of water drainage from the site. This could be a general drainage system or a nearby body of water.

At the next stage, drainage construction involves choosing the drain design option (trench designed for water drainage) that is most suitable for a particular site.

The drainage technology of all options is similar. The main ones of any type are:

1. Sand.
2. The crushed stone is small.
3. Crushed stone is large (more than 0.5 cm).
4. Turf.

Let's look at the structures shown in the figure:

1. The simplest option that does not require additional materials. Through such a porous drain, water flows by gravity into the receiver.

Pro tip: Place reinforced concrete slabs (5) on top so that the drainage system does not become compacted during operation.

1. Reinforced concrete slabs (5) are laid in a triangle. Through this channel the water flows to the collection point.
2. The structure in the shape of the letter “P” is laid out from perforated boards treated with an antiseptic (6) or from large stones (7).
3. A plank (6) channel lined on all sides with large crushed stone.
4. Fashina (8) – a bundle of branches. These can be oak, alder, birch branches, or branches of coniferous trees. To form a fascine, thicker branches are wrapped around thinner branches and wrapped with wire.

Pro tip: Lay the branches with thin ends in the direction where the water is supposed to drain. Build this structure on the ground, next to the trench. The width of the finished single (not separate bundles) fascine must be at least 25 cm.

1. Goats made of bars (9) at the bottom of the drain will perfectly ensure the free flow of drained water.
2. The role of the water conduit is played by a perforated asbestos cement pipe (10).
3. A perforated ceramic pipe (11) is also a good solution for drainage.

Such structures will ensure high-quality drainage of groundwater from the house.

Option using special materials

A more reliable way to arrange drainage on a site is to use special ones. Installing a drainage system involves performing several standard operations:

1. You should start by preparing a trench for laying pipes. The best option is trenches dug in a “herringbone” pattern throughout the entire area. Trench width – 20 cm; depth in clay soils is 60 cm, in sandy soils up to 110 cm.
2. To collect storm water, a trench with special gratings is installed at a distance of 2 m from the blind area, along the perimeter of the house.
3. The slope of the entire drainage system towards the lowest part of the site is calculated (for 1 meter of the system - a decrease of 2-3 cm).
4. The location of the wastewater discharge is determined: a well, a ditch, a natural or artificial reservoir.
5. Crushed stone is poured into the bottom of the trench and compacted well in a layer of up to 25 cm.
6. Special perforated pipes are wrapped in geotextile, a material that filters water well, and laid on a bed of crushed stone. The diameter of the pipes for drainage is 6.3 cm, for drainage – 11 cm.

Pro tip: The joints of the pipes should also be well wrapped with geotextile. Such a system will serve for many years.

1. Fine crushed stone or sand is used to fill pipes. A layer of turf is laid on top of the backfill.

Drainage installation technology

Stage-by-stage drainage technology on the site:

1. Preparation of drains - special channels of the drainage system. Depth – 1 m, width – 0.5 m.
2. Maintain a slope of 2-3% throughout the entire system towards the well, drainage ditch or reservoir.
3. Filling the channels with crushed stone, gravel, sand and covering with turf on top.
4. Placement in the gravel layer, if necessary, of drainage pipes or selected material (fascines, bars, etc.).

In large areas without buildings, the most commonly used method is to lay drains in a "Christmas tree" pattern. The central channel collects all the water from the adjacent side trenches and removes the collected water beyond the border of the site to the collection point.

Used when using pipes or when there is no other way to discharge wastewater.

Installing a drainage system on your own is not very difficult. But in the case of draining a large area, where it is necessary to use a pumping station and construct a rather complicated drainage system, it is impossible to do without engineering calculations and drawing up a project carried out by specialists.