Drip System - Backyard Drainage

[dxdx]

I have my drip system draining to my backyard. It's currently running at .5gph but next time I buy drip emitters I was gonna bump it up to 1gph. It's been running 5 months now and I haven't run into this problem until the last few weeks. I thought the warmer months would help it evaporate quicker, but the opposite is happening - it's making a mud pit in my backyard.

Is there anything that I can do to stop this from happening? I can move the drain pipe around I guess, and I was thinking of extending it out to a tree that's in the sun, but is there other options? It's currently in a shaded area so that might be part of the problem.

I know some of you are draining much more than that - what's happening with your drainage?

 

[anarekist]

build a pond! lol

 

[DIDYSIS]

Dig a large hole fill with gravel make your own drain area back there. The gravel will make is to the water won't pool up and give it space also. This way it will drain into ground. Kinda like a French drain or any drain you would setup and fill the area with gravel.

 

[DIDYSIS]

Forgot to say that's amazing that much water is pooling up. I would have thought that much would go into the ground easy. I am kinda glad I'm going to send my drip down the drain. Question do you have a pee trap on your drain line or just a strait pipe?

 

[swedeboy78]

Dig a large hole in the ground and fill it with small stones from your local stone/gravel/landscape place. You might also want to line it with weed mat before adding the stones. Then just let the water drain into the top of rocks and Voila!

 

[dxdx]

thanks for all the suggestions.... pond. lol. I thought of that too, and I wish I could but it's just not happening right now.

Looks like I'll have to try the hole filled with gravel. I was hoping to be able to water the yard with the excess water, and I probably still can by moving the drain around - but the gravel will be a good place to keep it most of the time.


And the drain is just a straight pipe. It's flexible tubing coming out of the tank through the crawlspace, then outside the flexible tubing goes into a 6ft pvc pipe to take it farther away from the house.

 

[Oughtsix]

Yep, you basically have a leach field for a septic system. All of the same rules about ground permeability, area and flow will apply. You want to spread the incoming flow out over a greater area. Try gravel or coarse sand like the other said. You will not want the leach field right next to your house. Move it at least 10 feet away from your foundation.

 

[Egon]

I have a garden hose attached to my drain and I move it from tree to tree or bush. Recently one of my garden hoses fell apart and had major leaks so I cut it up and basically made an irrigation system under all my bushes and trees. I have been testing it for the last week and I think I have all the kinks worked out. I was going to burry it tomorrow but I will take a few pictures first to show you what I did.

One of the key benefits for me running a trickle system is the recycling of the water part. I hate to just run the water down the drain. That water is full of nutrients the plants love and it's free. I already paid for the water putting it in my tanks LOL. I'm up to trickling 4 gallons an hour in my four large tanks, I completely turned off the water to my bushes because of all the flow going to them from my fish tanks.

Too dark to take pics now, I will post some tomorrow.

 

[dxdx]

Thanks Egon I look forward to the pics.

I like the irrigation idea more than the gravel pit since the water is recycled. Maybe I'll set up both since it gets dry mid summer and I can use the water then when I don't need it I can just use the pit/leach field.


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[Egon]

Thanks Egon I look forward to the pics.

I like the irrigation idea more than the gravel pit since the water is recycled. Maybe I'll set up both since it gets dry mid summer and I can use the water then when I don't need it I can just use the pit/leach field.

First pic is the 1.5 inch line coming out of my house going underground to the bushes in the yard.

Then the stand pipe in the bushes, cant be seen. Basically the water level rises in the stand pipe to a point then pushes out the garden hose. I needed to go a foot and a half high to get the water to drain at the end of my hose 30' away. Note: you can see the different sizes of stand pipes I used to test the water level needed. Advantage to this system is if I need to drain a tank or I'm gravel vacuuming the extra water will spill over the top of the stand pipe and not my living room floor.

Next pics is the garden hose line "T" off to each bush/tree. I will go out every few days and cap one drain and open another. Today I'm going to burry the line so just the white cap shows.