Can anyone recommend a drainage expert?

[mkultra25]

Does anyone have any recommendations for a drainage expert or consultant in or near the Heights/Near Northside area? We've had persistent drainage issues that are most noticeable during periods of heavy rainfall since we moved into our house several years ago, namely:

1) part of the house is very close to one corner of the property, and there are some elevation changes between our neighbors' property and ours, with ours being lower

2) there are also elevation changes within the backyard that cause rainwater to pool in certain areas

3) I suspect our gutters are inadequate for the volume of rain they need to handle

The original part of the house is on a pier-and-beam foundation; what used to be the garage was converted to a den and attached to the house, and as it's on a slab, it is about a foot lower than the rest of the house. Not surprisingly, it's around the den/former garage where we have the most pronounced drainage issues.

I had several drains put in a couple of years ago along one side of the den, where the drainage problems are the worst, but they haven't solved the problem. I'd like to get someone who's experienced at dealing with residential drainage issues to take a close look at the property and make some recommendations to fix the problems once and for all, and I'd like to do so before the summer monsoon season kicks into high gear.

Thanks in advance for any pointers.

[musicman]

Does anyone have any recommendations for a drainage expert or consultant in or near the Heights/Near Northside area? We've had persistent drainage issues that are most noticeable during periods of heavy rainfall since we moved into our house several years ago, namely:

1) part of the house is very close to one corner of the property, and there are some elevation changes between our neighbors' property and ours, with ours being lower

a swale along the property line may hold the water to their side of the property line

2) there are also elevation changes within the backyard that cause rainwater to pool in certain areas

as long as the low spots are not near your garage that's ok.

3) I suspect our gutters are inadequate for the volume of rain they need to handle

The gutters can be VERY helpful as long as downspouts are in the optimal place. does water overflow from them? have you cleaned them out recently?

The original part of the house is on a pier-and-beam foundation; what used to be the garage was converted to a den and attached to the house, and as it's on a slab, it is about a foot lower than the rest of the house. Not surprisingly, it's around the den/former garage where we have the most pronounced drainage issues.

I had several drains put in a couple of years ago along one side of the den, where the drainage problems are the worst, but they haven't solved the problem. I'd like to get someone who's experienced at dealing with residential drainage issues to take a close look at the property and make some recommendations to fix the problems once and for all, and I'd like to do so before the summer monsoon season kicks into high gear.

Are the gutters on the side where you installed the drains functioning properly? i.e. is all the water from the roof being directed away from the area of concern? do they feed into your drainage system?

Thanks in advance for any pointers.

[lwood]

Does anyone have any recommendations for a drainage expert or consultant in or near the Heights/Near Northside area? We've had persistent drainage issues that are most noticeable during periods of heavy rainfall since we moved into our house several years ago, namely:

1) part of the house is very close to one corner of the property, and there are some elevation changes between our neighbors' property and ours, with ours being lower

2) there are also elevation changes within the backyard that cause rainwater to pool in certain areas

3) I suspect our gutters are inadequate for the volume of rain they need to handle

The original part of the house is on a pier-and-beam foundation; what used to be the garage was converted to a den and attached to the house, and as it's on a slab, it is about a foot lower than the rest of the house. Not surprisingly, it's around the den/former garage where we have the most pronounced drainage issues.

I had several drains put in a couple of years ago along one side of the den, where the drainage problems are the worst, but they haven't solved the problem. I'd like to get someone who's experienced at dealing with residential drainage issues to take a close look at the property and make some recommendations to fix the problems once and for all, and I'd like to do so before the summer monsoon season kicks into high gear.

Thanks in advance for any pointers.

A few years ago I used Long Horn Lawn Drain Company with very good results. I'm not sure if they are still in business.

[mkultra25]

as long as the low spots are not near your garage that's ok.

Unfortunately, the garage is situated on one of the lower points of the property - there's not a huge elevation change, but it's enough to cause water to drain toward that area. Which would be OK if the drains were able to evacuate all of the water effectively.

The gutters can be VERY helpful as long as downspouts are in the optimal place. does water overflow from them? have you cleaned them out recently?

Yes to both. But:

Are the gutters on the side where you installed the drains functioning properly? i.e. is all the water from the roof being directed away from the area of concern? do they feed into your drainage system?

The side where I installed the drains has gutters with the downspouts flowing into the same small trench housing the drains, which basically is the area of concern. In a heavy rain, the trench starts to fill up with water, eventually overflowing the trench onto the side of the garage, then spilling out onto the driveway where the garage wall ends. In addition to the trench providing some natural drainage, all three drains are plumbed into a PVC pipe buried under the trench which empties into the storm drains through the curb at the end of the driveway.

I suspect what needs to happen is a combination of reconfiguring the gutters, adding to or enlarging the drains currently in place, and deepening the trench, but I'd like to get a professional opinion from someone else who specializes in fixing these kinds of problems.

[Gary]

This is a good question as I'm in the same boat with my backyard. I've done some research on putting in a couple of french drains myself, but quite frankly am afraid to do it. I've considered shortening how far i would run the drain line by installing pop up emmiters, but have been advised by one company not to do it, but to run the line out to the street. Problem is that it more than doubles my cost.

Anyone have experience with pop up emmiters?

[musicman]

Unfortunately, the garage is situated on one of the lower points of the property - there's not a huge elevation change, but it's enough to cause water to drain toward that area. Which would be OK if the drains were able to evacuate all of the water effectively.

I did my system and have had no problem with capacity. i have 4 downspouts and 3 yard drains feeding into a 4" pipe...I think i would concentrate on the drain system you already have. fortunately i used good pipe (like used for home plumbing) so you won't have to ever worry about tree roots, collapse of the pipe, etc. the corregated black plastic pipe isn't a good long term solution because over time, those tend to collapse. Yes it is cheaper short term, but in a few yrs you'll have problems. What size is the pipe? On a project like this you really need capacity.

Yes to both. But:

The side where I installed the drains has gutters with the downspouts flowing into the same small trench housing the drains, which basically is the area of concern. In a heavy rain, the trench starts to fill up with water, eventually overflowing the trench onto the side of the garage, then spilling out onto the driveway where the garage wall ends. In addition to the trench providing some natural drainage, all three drains are plumbed into a PVC pipe buried under the trench which empties into the storm drains through the curb at the end of the driveway.

This sounds as if the pipe is too small to handle the volume of water.

I suspect what needs to happen is a combination of reconfiguring the gutters, adding to or enlarging the drains currently in place, and deepening the trench, but I'd like to get a professional opinion from someone else who specializes in fixing these kinds of problems.

I think working on the current drainage system is where you need to start. Maybe there's dirt in the pipe which has lessened the capacity.

Edited January 13, 2007 by musicman

[musicman]

This is a good question as I'm in the same boat with my backyard. I've done some research on putting in a couple of french drains myself, but quite frankly am afraid to do it. I've considered shortening how far i would run the drain line by installing pop up emmiters, but have been advised by one company not to do it, but to run the line out to the street. Problem is that it more than doubles my cost.

Anyone have experience with pop up emmiters?

I was going to use the emitters instead of cutting thru the curb however i decided against because i would have lost some of the height advantage. The water is already underground so to exit the system it comes up thru the emitters. I believe i ran mine 125' and total cost was less that 400 which included the 100 i paid to the 5 workers who had the ditch digging machine. i tried to do that myself and realized it was just too hard. they were in and out in less than 1 hr. well worth the 100.

[Gary]

I was going to use the emitters instead of cutting thru the curb however i decided against because i would have lost some of the height advantage. The water is already underground so to exit the system it comes up thru the emitters. I believe i ran mine 125' and total cost was less that 400 which included the 100 i paid to the 5 workers who had the ditch digging machine. i tried to do that myself and realized it was just too hard. they were in and out in less than 1 hr. well worth the 100.

Wow! That's way less than what I was quoted to run the line to the curb, and my run is only 85'. Can you give me any contact info?

[musicman]

Wow! That's way less than what I was quoted to run the line to the curb, and my run is only 85'. Can you give me any contact info?

I did the work. i think the cheapest bid i had was 10/linear foot (includes materials) which would have come out to 1250. I also think that most landscapers use cheap pipe. just stay away from the corregated black piping.

[Gary]

I did the work. i think the cheapest bid i had was 10/linear foot (includes materials) which would have come out to 1250. I also think that most landscapers use cheap pipe. just stay away from the corregated black piping.

I've looked at the pipe and decided to go with the PVC. In reference to the pop up emmiters VS Running to the curb..... The research I've done shows that the PVC used for drain lines has small holes the length of the line, thus any water that can't make it to the pop up emmiter slowly drains into the ground. That's where my question came in.

As far as the guys with the digging equipment and the $100.00... Where did you find them?

[musicman]

I've looked at the pipe and decided to go with the PVC. In reference to the pop up emmiters VS Running to the curb..... The research I've done shows that the PVC used for drain lines has small holes the length of the line, thus any water that can't make it to the pop up emmiter slowly drains into the ground. That's where my question came in.

As far as the guys with the digging equipment and the $100.00... Where did you find them?

I wanted all the water to go to the street therefore i elected to use standard 40 pvc.

The guys were actually sitting on the side of the road waiting for a job they had scheduled at 10am. We asked and they said they'd come right over. They gave the 100 estimate and i asked when they could start. They did it all before their 10am job. I think my dad got their number. I will ask him

[mkultra25]

I did my system and have had no problem with capacity. i have 4 downspouts and 3 yard drains feeding into a 4" pipe...I think i would concentrate on the drain system you already have. fortunately i used good pipe (like used for home plumbing) so you won't have to ever worry about tree roots, collapse of the pipe, etc. the corregated black plastic pipe isn't a good long term solution because over time, those tend to collapse. Yes it is cheaper short term, but in a few yrs you'll have problems. What size is the pipe? On a project like this you really need capacity.

I used regular PVC, not the black corrugated pipe. I think it's 3" pipe.

I think working on the current drainage system is where you need to start. Maybe there's dirt in the pipe which has lessened the capacity.

I don't think the pipe is clogged, but after reading through the replies here I'm thinking that part of the problem is that the downspouts are draining into the trench downstream of the main drain. The main drain is a 12" box drain, and there are two additional smaller (4") drains along the first 50' or so of pipe. The smaller drains probably need to be replaced with larger ones, but there's really not enough room to upsize them to 12" box drains.

I'm leaning toward a combination of reconfiguring the downspouts to exit just upstream of the drains, and either installing additional drains along the length of the pipe or increasing the size of the existing ones. I can't complain too much, as my neighbors (who are contractors) dug the trench, laid 100' of PVC, plumbed the drains into the pipe, and poured concrete around the drains for $400, including the cost of materials. I knew I was getting it done on the cheap at the time, and the drains have served their purpose, but it's time to upgrade the system.

[musicman]

when is it raining heavily how much water is coming out of the pipe at the curb? i know that my 4" pipe has never completely filled but it sure has been 3/4 full. The gutter downspouts direct a large amount of water in the pipe vs. a standard drain. i in my parents system, they have 6 yard drains and a 3" pipe and it is almost at capacity. A gutter downspout would be too much water volume

What part of town are you in? i would like to see it if i'm in the hood.

how long is your run between the curb and the first drain?

Edited January 16, 2007 by musicman

[stolitx]

I'm also looking for a drainage company. I have one area of my house where water drains into the house with heavy storms (very heavy storms not the average t-shorm).

My house is an "L" shape and the drainage problem is in the corner of the L. I would look into installing french drains myself but the majority of space filling the L area is concrete and a pool. The house also sits at the back of the property line so the distance to the curb is huge. I think I need an expert to appraise what my options are.

[icanluv2]

I'm also looking for a drainage company. I have one area of my house where water drains into the house with heavy storms (very heavy storms not the average t-shorm).

My house is an "L" shape and the drainage problem is in the corner of the L. I would look into installing french drains myself but the majority of space filling the L area is concrete and a pool. The house also sits at the back of the property line so the distance to the curb is huge. I think I need an expert to appraise what my options are.

I have a weird issue with my gutter. There is one part that seems to drain through it instead of draining at the end of the gutter. I climbed up my ladder to see if there is a hole causing it to drain directly out through this kink. You would think that it would drain water off to the side, but it doesn't. I couldn't see any hole or cracks, so it is perplexing me why this is occurring.

[Guest Marty]

I have a weird issue with my gutter. There is one part that seems to drain through it instead of draining at the end of the gutter. I climbed up my ladder to see if there is a hole causing it to drain directly out through this kink. You would think that it would drain water off to the side, but it doesn't. I couldn't see any hole or cracks, so it is perplexing me why this is occurring.

Try lowering one end of the gutter about a 3/4 inch it sounds like you don't have enough pitch/angle.

Edited January 18, 2007 by Marty

[musicman]

I have a weird issue with my gutter. There is one part that seems to drain through it instead of draining at the end of the gutter. I climbed up my ladder to see if there is a hole causing it to drain directly out through this kink. You would think that it would drain water off to the side, but it doesn't. I couldn't see any hole or cracks, so it is perplexing me why this is occurring.

When you say kink? is the gutter deformed? is there a seam there?

[icanluv2]

When you say kink? is the gutter deformed? is there a seam there?

Yes, it's kinda deformed with a downward bent at this part of the gutter. I'll try to get a pic soon. Thanks for replying.

[apower]

For people who aren't as bold and willing to get a little dirty, I was hoping this thread to have a little more discussion about specific companies rather than DIY. I found a thread about foundation that was extremely helpful. Are there any companies/procedures that are notoriously excessive/unneccessary and should be avoided, any stories in general about dealing with drainage companies? It seems like there are just a ton of people out there, and truthfully don't know who to call first.