Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - Cement yard drainage question.
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bluerus
08-13-03, 10:02 PM
I'm putting in cement slabs in my back yard instead of dirt/grass. The man mentioned putting in a drain system running out to the street, which is a good 70-100' from the middle of the back yard. Sounds like a good idea to me, but I'm not sure? Also, should there be more then 1 drain going to the street as I'm putting cement on the left, right and rear parts of the yard. Right side is approx. 70'x10', rear is about 50'x8' and left side is 4'x70'. Thanks in advance. This site is the best for getting my data straight before I make a mistake. As a female doing this, I really appreciate it!
chfite
08-14-03, 07:54 AM
Water has to go somewhere. Planning beats trying to solve flooding or puddling problems later on. If you will have concrete, there will be nowhere for the water to go other than sit on the pads without a drain. You don't want it to run up to your house and cause problems.
I was told once that grading is all about directing water. Whoever is doing the grading should be able to give you some insight into where the drains should be place, how many drains, what size, and where to direct them.
If you just lay concrete and wind up with water cascading onto your neighbor's property, you may have a problem. The runoff is your responsibility in most municipalities, so your neighbor would have a legitimate beef. Back to drainage.
You might want to get more than a couple of opinions or quotes on the drainage. Everyone has different idea on placement, number, size, and such. It may be that properly sloping and aiming the grade of the pads can handle the drainage needs.
I have a flat lot. Drainage is a concern here, because the house is built on grade, not elevated. When I had my driveway installed, only one of the contractors even mentioned a solution to drainage after I brought it up as a concern.
You could almost say that you can't have too many drains or they be too large. You certainly don't want to have to tear anything out in order to install drains later.
Good to consider this point at the planning stage.
Hope this helps.
I was told once that grading is all about directing water. Whoever is doing the grading should be able to give you some insight into where the drains should be place, how many drains, what size, and where to direct them.
If you just lay concrete and wind up with water cascading onto your neighbor's property, you may have a problem. The runoff is your responsibility in most municipalities, so your neighbor would have a legitimate beef. Back to drainage.
You might want to get more than a couple of opinions or quotes on the drainage. Everyone has different idea on placement, number, size, and such. It may be that properly sloping and aiming the grade of the pads can handle the drainage needs.
I have a flat lot. Drainage is a concern here, because the house is built on grade, not elevated. When I had my driveway installed, only one of the contractors even mentioned a solution to drainage after I brought it up as a concern.
You could almost say that you can't have too many drains or they be too large. You certainly don't want to have to tear anything out in order to install drains later.
Good to consider this point at the planning stage.
Hope this helps.
Hellrazor
08-14-03, 01:38 PM
Do you have a permit for this project yet? Your municipality should have some sort of guidelines for runoff issues.
brickeyee
08-15-03, 02:46 PM
in the back of the plumbing code are 100 year 1 hour rainfalls used to size drainage. I cannot tell your location so I cannot look it up. The library should have a copy, or you can buy one. they are the ultimate 'worst case'. You can move down from them but the curve is not flat. The fifty year rate is not half the hundred. If you design for about 2/3 of the hundred for a residential application you would probably be OK.
Watch out where you send the water. Generally a downhill property must accept uphill water. But if the uphill property does anything to increase the runoff they are responsible.
Watch out where you send the water. Generally a downhill property must accept uphill water. But if the uphill property does anything to increase the runoff they are responsible.