I am trying to get the water away from in front of my building and could use some help on the right drain for my situation. Initial instinct would say a trench drain but I have not seen them in a gravel driveway. Would a simple box drain with metal grate stay put or a French drain handle it? Currently I have #11 rock (chat) out in front but I normal like a little bit larger rock for my driveway. The drive is sloped towards the barn and settles in front of the middle to right door. I will eventually be connecting the gutters into two 6” drain pipes that cross the field to the ditch out back and maybe this proposed drain also.
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Selecting the right drainage
- Thread starter stevelh
- Start date
Bondo
Well-known member
Ayuh,..... It'll work better, 'n last longer to just pitch the driveway to the lower self-drainin' side, than puttin' in mechanical drainage,.....
SJR033
Well-known member
The problem that you will face with a trench drain is that a lot of them rely on being set in concrete for stability. Without the concrete you will not get the load rating necessary to drive over it. Grading the drive to sheet drain the water away will probably be your best solution.
Ayuh,..... It'll work better, 'n last longer to just pitch the driveway to the lower self-drainin' side, than puttin' in mechanical drainage,.....
Yes, correct the driveway to flow away from the shop. Letting it drain towards the shop will only continue to cause future problems.
firebirdparts
Well-known member
Downhill works wonders. An area of that driveway should go downhill immediately from the shop. You don't need featurism. Just change the grade everywhere until you get it draining off the driveway to lower ground that's not the driveway.
If you had to run a drain underground, you can put that in the grass somewhere, where it's a little easier to take care of.
FWIW, my best friend in the whole world let a concrete contractor talk him into what you are considering, using concrete. What he got for that was loooooong regret.
If you had to run a drain underground, you can put that in the grass somewhere, where it's a little easier to take care of.
FWIW, my best friend in the whole world let a concrete contractor talk him into what you are considering, using concrete. What he got for that was loooooong regret.
Bretny
Well-known member
I would also remove that large pile of gravel thats not letting the water flow down hill as fast as it can.
Radix2
Well-known member
Regrade around the building and drives to fix it. In the winter/spring when you need it the most, your drain will be full of snow and ice and do nothing.
Proper grade works every day and under every condition.
Proper grade works every day and under every condition.
Thanks for the replies. I moved the rock the best I could at this point. Ground is so wet the backhoe would just make a huge mess. As a temporary band aid until ground dries up a little I dug a few ditches away from the building to the lower areas. Just trying to get the inside dry so I can pack it and they can pour concrete. Oh, and if anyone can keep it from raining in southern Indiana for a little while, that would be great!