# Help with downspout drainage issues



## Blivit (Sep 1, 2015)

Hello.  I recently found this forum.  I have posted in several other forums like this as I really need to get to the bottom of my issue and do so as cost effectively as I can.  If you have seen me post on other forums I do apologize but I am trying to gather as much information as possible.

This may be long, so please bear with me.

Purchased home last year and this is the first "rainy season" in central florida for us in this house. In heavy rains, which is almost every day, I get pooling on the side of my back patio. This includes in the yard and on the patio itself.

Setup: Covered/screened patio with a pool. There is a channel drain in the patio that exits on either side. Also on either side there is a downspout. Both sides flood but this one is the worse and what I want to tackle first. I set out to figure out the problem and discovered a few things. There was an existing "system" there but it is not functioning as intended as far as I can tell.

Pictures: (file names correspond to numbers below)

1. Overall view of what I am working with.  Roof area here calculated to be around 700 sq ft   This includes the main roof and the roof of the patio.  This produces a lot of water runoff, especially being in central florida.  You cannot see the channel drain but it runs the entire length of the patio and exits on both sides.  There are two 4" downspouts (one seen here, the other on the other side of the patio.)  The green extender was temporary while I worked. 

2. Closeup of "system" that was there when I started. The channel drain can be seen near the top above the drain basin. That basin I didn't even know was there as it was buried under those rocks. It is very small with a single  output in front. The output is connected to a y-pipe where the gutter downspout fed into as well (using only the dark green tube just shoved inside) From there is goes out to black corrugated pipe. 

3. Where the current drain pipe terminated. It does slope down and appears to be designed as a french drain. Closer to the end there were a lot of rocks and the pipe is socked. Where I stopped digging is where it just ends. No pop up, just ends underground covered in the fabric material surrounded by rocks.

I dug up the existing system and discovered the pipe was clogged and was not installed well anyway.  Most of it was connected with duct tape and I have no idea if it ever functioned as intended as this is our first rainy season here.

This is on the side of my house bordered by my home on one side and a fence then the neighbors yard and house on the other.  To continue the existing trench out to the front yard would be 100+ feet of pipe plus it would run into the start of my irrigation system and the city water line before needing to go under a sidewalk.  I realize this may be the best route but it will be very expensive and time consuming and is something I would like to avoid right now.

I instead, did the following:

1. Removed existing system.
2. Put in a larger basin at the front under the channel drain.  Downspout directed into basin.  Output of basin to 4" pipe
3. Dug new trench toward the tree in the back
4. Ran new 4" solid pipe back to the tree, terminated with a "t" and a pop up

The idea was the water would fill the basin then excess would go back to the tree where it would exit out of the pop up if it was too much.  Well, that doesn't work.  I discovered the water gets to the t but then has no place to go.  Because of the depth of the basin and the slope of the pipe, the pop up is too high for the water to escape.  So, it sits there then backs up and I have a flooded patio again.

The idea of a drywell was brought up...possibly with a submersible pump in it should the water be too much.  Some said putting in a drywell at either end would not be recommended as it would either be close to the house or close to the pool.  There is also no electrical back there so I would have to put in a GFCI outlet or wire up the pump somehow.

I am not sure what to do.  My patio flooding is causing me to lose sleep lol.


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## bud16415 (Sep 1, 2015)

Welcome to the forum.

You have a limited number of options with water you have to let gravity take it away or you have to pump it someplace. Hard to tell from photos but is there a natural grade to the land and is the lowest point an area where water can be absorbed. The problem is we cover so much of our land with buildings and hard surfaces and all that rain water has no place to go. All new planning&#8217;s require retention areas and calculate that based around how much land you are covering up. Running your water over to a neighbor is not a good solution. Is there a storm drain system and are you allowed to connect to it? 
Using your eye to look for fall is not always the best. Get a string level and some cord and do a little survey of the land. Keep in mind the area you are hoping will soak up the extra water is also getting the same amount of rain as the roof and deck. For those pop up things to work you need a good deal of fall to make some pressure.


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## Blivit (Sep 1, 2015)

bud16415 said:


> Welcome to the forum.
> 
> You have a limited number of options with water you have to let gravity take it away or you have to pump it someplace. Hard to tell from photos but is there a natural grade to the land and is the lowest point an area where water can be absorbed. The problem is we cover so much of our land with buildings and hard surfaces and all that rain water has no place to go. All new planning&#8217;s require retention areas and calculate that based around how much land you are covering up. Running your water over to a neighbor is not a good solution. Is there a storm drain system and are you allowed to connect to it?
> Using your eye to look for fall is not always the best. Get a string level and some cord and do a little survey of the land. Keep in mind the area you are hoping will soak up the extra water is also getting the same amount of rain as the roof and deck. For those pop up things to work you need a good deal of fall to make some pressure.



Thanks.  The temp pipe was only for 1 day while I was working, it has been moved already.

There is a slight grade down from back to front.  The issue is, getting the line out to the front will be a lot of work.

There is no storm system that I can tie into...that I know of.  The home was built in 1990, I am not sure what was planned in at that time.  I did have the yard marked before I started any digging and a storm system was not marked.

The issue currently with the pop up is that the pipe leading to it is roughly 2' below grade.  That means the water has to travel up that far to escape...yeah, we know that isn't going to work lol.  Hindsight, yes I messed up and should have surveyed before digging.  

Can/should I put a drywell at either end? (picture 1 or 3)  That would put it next to the house or next to the pool.  I have been advised this would not be a good idea and the only real solution is to continue the existing trench out to the front all the way to the curb.


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## frodo (Sep 1, 2015)

install a dry well/ sump pump

because you do not have the room to run drain lines.

out from a tank

use 50 gallon blue barrell,  drill holes in it
set into a hole, with 3' of 1 1/2 ''  rock surrounding it

pipe a 2'' pvc pipe to the curb from barrel
install a float activated pump in barell with check valve [very important]

your yard is to small  for the water to disapate, or perc

a good storm will over power a simple dry well


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## Blivit (Sep 1, 2015)

frodo said:


> can you install a 4'' drain line out to the curb on the street?
> 
> my thought, is a combination dry well with over flow to daylight at street
> 
> because you have limited space to perc your well.



Could that be done?  It can but it will be very difficult.  I do understand that this is probably the best solution but I am really trying to avoid it if at all possible lol.

Your illustration is spot on location wise.  To do this would require 100'+ of pipe.  This would require me to go through where my irrigation system starts so I am sure there is a lot of obstacles there.  This would also go right where the city water line to the house comes in so again, another obstacle.  It would also need to go under a sidewalk before traveling another 8' to the curb.


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## bud16415 (Sep 1, 2015)

Could you run the pipe along the base of the house from a sump like Frodo described and out to the driveway. Assuming the driveway slopes to the road. Discharge the water like it was a gutter drain line and let it run down the drive and out to the road. The only reason I said use a pump as that will also collect the water off the pool deck. If roof water is your only concern just pipe it down hill to the front of the house and let it go down the driveway.


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## frodo (Sep 1, 2015)

your line from the tanks,  does not have to be deep at all

peel the grass back, dig a 4'' deep trench put grass back

a 2'' line will be good,  its being pumped


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## Blivit (Sep 1, 2015)

bud16415 said:


> Could you run the pipe along the base of the house from a sump like Frodo described and out to the driveway. Assuming the driveway slopes to the road. Discharge the water like it was a gutter drain line and let it run down the drive and out to the road. The only reason I said use a pump as that will also collect the water off the pool deck. If roof water is your only concern just pipe it down hill to the front of the house and let it go down the driveway.



Driveway is on the other side unfortunately.  If this were all on the same side it it would be much easier.  You are correct, part of the reason I see so much water is the combination of deck run-off from the channel drain and the gutter downspout.


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## Blivit (Sep 1, 2015)

frodo said:


> your line from the tanks,  does not have to be deep at all
> 
> peel the grass back, dig a 4'' deep trench put grass back
> 
> a 2'' line will be good,  its being pumped



The digging would be no problem both for the barrel and a smaller 2" discharge.  This is actually exactly what was recommended on a different board so thank you.  

My biggest hurdle with having a pump is electrical.  There is an outlet on my patio and with my pool equipment there is a separate panel in my backyard (on the other side of the house though) where I could install a breaker and run power for a pump; but what would be the best way to get power to a pump?


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## frodo (Sep 1, 2015)

under ground conduit..

mount a box on the wall,,run conduit down under ground to the tank


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## frodo (Sep 1, 2015)

pump with ck valve


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## beachguy005 (Sep 1, 2015)

Welcome to Florida. You should check with your city for any laws regarding handling of storm water runoff. A couple of things to consider.  We get a lot of rain in the summer and your house has probably had its drainage issue for a very long time, so don't lose any more sleep over it.
Check with your neighbors and see how they're handling it.  I have friends that have the same type of issue but they learned to just live with it.  Their water drains off pretty quickly after the storm.


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## Blivit (Sep 1, 2015)

frodo said:


> under ground conduit..
> 
> mount a box on the wall,,run conduit down under ground to the tank



I suppose I have 2 options:

1. On the wall where you are suggesting I mount a box, there is an outlet already.  This outlet is more to the left next to the door.  It is a GFCI outlet (I think, I need to verify as I never use it.)  Could I put the new outlet on the wall with the source coming from the existing outlet?  Or better yet just move the existing outlet to this new location through conduit along the bottom edge of the house?  Or am I mis-interpreting this and I would basically just be putting in a junction box and hard wiring the pump in?)

2. On the other side of the house is where all of my pool equipment is located.  There is a separate breaker panel there with space in it.  I could install a breaker here and run wire/conduit from there around the pool and either add an outlet or just have the pump hard wired.

#2 would be more difficult but possibly safer?


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## Blivit (Sep 1, 2015)

beachguy005 said:


> Welcome to Florida. You should check with your city for any laws regarding handling of storm water runoff. A couple of things to consider.  We get a lot of rain in the summer and your house has probably had its drainage issue for a very long time, so don't lose any more sleep over it.
> Check with your neighbors and see how they're handling it.  I have friends that have the same type of issue but they learned to just live with it.  Their water drains off pretty quickly after the storm.




It probably has always been there.  It does all typically dissipate rather quickly.

I do intend to speak to neighbors as almost every house around me has a pool and patio setup much like mine so I am sure others either have the same issue or have something in place to handle it.  The reason I lose sleep is because when the patio does flood it occasionally reaches the house edge.  Granted, it would have to be 3"+ of standing water to actually make it into the house but I get uncomfortable when it is that close.


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## Blivit (Sep 1, 2015)

Side question, if I do set up the dry well and pump, does the well need to be as large as the 55 gallon drum?  Could it be smaller since I will be pumping the water out?  If so, how much smaller could I get away with?


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## frodo (Sep 1, 2015)

the pump needs [i believe by code] its own circuit



would not advise to go less than 30 gallons,  50 is bettter


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## beachguy005 (Sep 1, 2015)

I'm just curious.  Given that your downspouts are directed away from the patio, is that water flowing out of them and back flooding the patio, or is coming from somewhere else?  Such as out of the roof gutter.


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## nealtw (Sep 1, 2015)

Dig that trench a whole bunch deeper and wider and go in both direction, perferated pipe and fill the trench with crushed gravel.


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## oldognewtrick (Sep 1, 2015)

:agree: what he said.....


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## Blivit (Sep 2, 2015)

beachguy005 said:


> I'm just curious.  Given that your downspouts are directed away from the patio, is that water flowing out of them and back flooding the patio, or is coming from somewhere else?  Such as out of the roof gutter.



It is a combination of things.  The channel drain collects water from the pool area as it is sloped to do so.  That means it also collects rain water from the patio from the area that is not covered.  Then the downspout feeds into the basin and that downspout is responsible for all run off from the entire roof area you see in picture 1 (main house sloped down to the flatter patio roof.)  There are 2 downspouts, one on each side but still only the two.  Overall it is just a lot of water to handle.  I have noticed too that the gutter itself is leaking on that end and that is falling directly down to the catch basin as well.


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## bud16415 (Sep 2, 2015)

nealtw said:


> Dig that trench a whole bunch deeper and wider and go in both direction, perferated pipe and fill the trench with crushed gravel.



Just some rough calculations here if the area under roof and the slab was 20x30 or 600 sq. ft. and you got a rain fall of 1 per hour that would be approximately 400 gallons of water per hour. With a 50 gallon drum that would need dosed 8 times per hour or approximately every 8 minutes. or a 6 gallon per minute flow rate pump running continually during that rain. The idea behind a larger dosing tank and higher flow pumps is based around duty cycle. Some pumps are not rated to run nonstop for long periods of time. The estimate of one inch of rain per hour is also not any kind of record rain fall for Florida there are reports of 3 to 6 inches per hour during storms with flooding conditions.

These type calculations are why you see a 5 acre retention 10 foot deep pond next to a Walmart now. Where land is a premium the ponds are going in under the parking lot. We have a new dairy queen here and the whole parking lot is gravel except a tiny road for the drive thru. I asked them when they would pave the lot and they said never. The cost was unbelievable as they would have to buy several homes and tear them down to build a retention area for rain water.  

If the OP was to try and leach the water away by digging wider and deeper trenches on that narrow strip of lawn he may well not have enough area. You also have to take into account that it is raining on that area at the same time. Just like a septic system I would have the soil tested for peculation times and then decide if that plan was feasible.


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## Blivit (Sep 2, 2015)

bud16415 said:


> Just some rough calculations here if the area under roof and the slab was 20x30 or 600 sq. ft. and you got a rain fall of 1 per hour that would be approximately 400 gallons of water per hour. With a 50 gallon drum that would need dosed 8 times per hour or approximately every 8 minutes. or a 6 gallon per minute flow rate pump running continually during that rain. The idea behind a larger dosing tank and higher flow pumps is based around duty cycle. Some pumps are not rated to run nonstop for long periods of time. The estimate of one inch of rain per hour is also not any kind of record rain fall for Florida there are reports of 3 to 6 inches per hour during storms with flooding conditions.
> 
> These type calculations are why you see a 5 acre retention 10 foot deep pond next to a Walmart now. Where land is a premium the ponds are going in under the parking lot. We have a new dairy queen here and the whole parking lot is gravel except a tiny road for the drive thru. I asked them when they would pave the lot and they said never. The cost was unbelievable as they would have to buy several homes and tear them down to build a retention area for rain water.
> 
> If the OP was to try and leach the water away by digging wider and deeper trenches on that narrow strip of lawn he may well not have enough area. You also have to take into account that it is raining on that area at the same time. Just like a septic system I would have the soil tested for peculation times and then decide if that plan was feasible.



I did some of these same calculations using NDS website.  I calculated square footage of around 790 sq-ft.  NDS lists the 25 year average rainfall for my area at 3" per hour.  Using these numbers and their drainage calculator it says 24.6 GPM of liquid flow.  What I am not sure of though is if I would split the sq-ft in half since there are 2 downspouts.  That would obviously split everything in half but either way, it is a lot of water.  Granted, unless it is a hurricane or tropical storm, the heavy rains here do not last for very long.

I too am not sure I will have enough area/proper soil to leach the water.  It is mostly sand where I had stopped digging but I think it is more clay deeper.  Putting in some sort of dry well with a pump may be my only choice here.


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## bud16415 (Sep 2, 2015)

Of course I didnt have your dimensions I was just taking a guess based around the photos. If the other downspout is taking the water a different direction then you wouldnt add it in to this problem location. 

The way they do peculation test here is they dig a hole so large and so deep and then pour in X amount of water and time how long it takes to be absorbed. Then they wait so long and do it again. Based on the times they can recommend the type of system needed. For septic systems you can fail two ways one being too fast the other being too slow. In your case too fast isnt a problem. But you are dealing with much greater amounts of water than a septic sees over a shorter time span. Many of the new mound systems they are building here for septic are 30x30 or 900 sq ft of leaching surface and only dosing the ground once every few days. 

25 GPM is a good size pump if you decide to go that way. Not sure what size pipe that requires right off hand. You are right though it needs to be sized for the peak usage or you need lots of capacity for storage. 
I put a French drain about 200ft long in my old house. My friend had a backhoe with an 18 inch shovel so thats the width I made it and went about 4 foot deep and filled it to the top with baseball size pieces of a product they sell here made from recycled concrete. The drain allowed for holding and absorbing lots of water and the end was open to a ravine to take away flash flooding. It worked great.


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## Blivit (Sep 2, 2015)

bud16415 said:


> Of course I didnt have your dimensions I was just taking a guess based around the photos. If the other downspout is taking the water a different direction then you wouldnt add it in to this problem location.
> 
> The way they do peculation test here is they dig a hole so large and so deep and then pour in X amount of water and time how long it takes to be absorbed. Then they wait so long and do it again. Based on the times they can recommend the type of system needed. For septic systems you can fail two ways one being too fast the other being too slow. In your case too fast isnt a problem. But you are dealing with much greater amounts of water than a septic sees over a shorter time span. Many of the new mound systems they are building here for septic are 30x30 or 900 sq ft of leaching surface and only dosing the ground once every few days.
> 
> ...



The other downspout is on the other side of the patio so I guess I can split the calculations.

Regardless of the results of the soil percolation, it would occur next to the house or next to the pool depending on which direction it went.  Being close to either structure...is that even advised?


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## nealtw (Sep 2, 2015)

So if you get the water to the road, where does it go?


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## Blivit (Sep 2, 2015)

nealtw said:


> So if you get the water to the road, where does it go?



There are storm drains that it flows to.  I've watched the flow at the curb and it is actually quite strong in one direction.  I haven't looked yet to see where the closest drain is to my house but I have yet to see my street flood.


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## bud16415 (Sep 2, 2015)

nealtw said:


> So if you get the water to the road, where does it go?



Away.

When you have a state that the tallest mountain er hill is 350 ft above sea level and most of the state is maybe 20 ft above there is nowhere for water to go. I guess its better than being below sea level though.


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## nealtw (Sep 2, 2015)

So you have to find out what that drain is sized for. I would be talking to the city for suggestions.


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## nealtw (Sep 2, 2015)

bud16415 said:


> Away.
> 
> When you have a state that the tallest mountain er hill is 350 ft above sea level and most of the state is maybe 20 ft above there is nowhere for water to go. I guess its better than being below sea level though.



So if the street drain gets to much water, there is some where it will go, just maybe not next door.


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## bud16415 (Sep 2, 2015)

In Erie after a big rain it&#8217;s not at all uncommon to be driving along the Bayfront and the man hole covers blow off and you get a 3&#8217; column of water blowing up like old faithful in the middle of a busy road.


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## Blivit (Sep 2, 2015)

IF I went the route of putting in a barrel/dry well/whatever you want to call it with a pump, would this effectively be what I would be doing?:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-KAOdOHwKA[/ame]

What is the container they are using here?


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## slownsteady (Sep 2, 2015)

A couple of thoughts: First, how is the downspout situation on the other side? Where does that water go, and how well does it get there? You could create the mirror image on this side if it's good.
Second, the drywell has to either hold the water long enough for it to dissipate into the ground or long enough for the pump to send it someplace. You notice in the video above that the guys still had to lay a discharge line out to the street from the sump pump. That is something you were resisting. But if you have to lay the line anyway, maybe you don't need the pump, if gravity is on your side.
Third, about the obstacles on the way to the street: dig a couple of exploration holes to find the location and the depth of the water main and the sprinkler line. The sprinkler may be so close to the surface that you can go right under it, and the water main may be so deep that it is not a problem. Sandy soil is a pretty easy dig, or you can hire a machine (or a guy with a machine) to make that part easier.

BTW: use primer before you cement plastic pipe together.


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## Blivit (Sep 2, 2015)

slownsteady said:


> A couple of thoughts: First, how is the downspout situation on the other side? Where does that water go, and how well does it get there? You could create the mirror image on this side if it's good.
> Second, the drywell has to either hold the water long enough for it to dissipate into the ground or long enough for the pump to send it someplace. You notice in the video above that the guys still had to lay a discharge line out to the street from the sump pump. That is something you were resisting. But if you have to lay the line anyway, maybe you don't need the pump, if gravity is on your side.
> Third, about the obstacles on the way to the street: dig a couple of exploration holes to find the location and the depth of the water main and the sprinkler line. The sprinkler may be so close to the surface that you can go right under it, and the water main may be so deep that it is not a problem. Sandy soil is a pretty easy dig, or you can hire a machine (or a guy with a machine) to make that part easier.
> 
> BTW: use primer before you cement plastic pipe together.



The other side floods as well, just not as bad.  It is also easier to deal with so I am starting with this, the difficult side, first. 

You're right, I was hesitant to run a line out to the street bit that was when I thought it would be a 4"pipe in a deep trench. For some reason the idea of just the discharge line from a pump didn't cross my mind. A 2" pipe relatively close to the surface would be much easier to deal with.  It is possible too that gravity could be on my side in this case. But, I am not sure if a 2" gravity discharge would be enough. 

I am not sure how far down the irrigation lines or water main is, I will need to check those.


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## oldognewtrick (Sep 2, 2015)

I don't know about your area, but around here we can call the utility company and they will come and mark where all underground services are located.


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## Blivit (Sep 2, 2015)

oldognewtrick said:


> I don't know about your area, but around here we can call the utility company and they will come and mark where all underground services are located.



Same here. I had that done last month so that is how I know where the water main is. I don't know how deep it is though. Nothing else was marked on that side but I know my irrigation lines start there.


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## nealtw (Sep 2, 2015)

In the great scheme of things an irrigation line would not be a big fix.


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## slownsteady (Sep 2, 2015)

4" pipe does not have to be very deep under a lawn. Just make sure your outlet end is lower than your inlet end. You don't have frost conditions to tend with.


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## beachguy005 (Sep 2, 2015)

Frankly, I think you're making the proverbial mountain out of a mole hill.  It's Florida....we get a ton of rain and most often it happens very quickly over a short period of time. You have a gable roof which doesn't help.  Hip roofs are better in Florida not only for wind resistance but for shedding rain water also.
You can lay a bunch of pipe and put in a couple of pumps, but your patio is graded away from the pool and toward the house and that's part of the issue.  Rainy season will be over soon but in the meantime you should do as most Floridians do and that's to except that anytime you're getting rain amounts of 2 or 3 inches per hour, you're going to get some flooding.


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## frodo (Sep 3, 2015)

nealtw said:


> Dig that trench a whole bunch deeper and wider and go in both direction, perferated pipe and fill the trench with crushed gravel.



with the limited yard area.

what happens to the water during a sur-nuff frog strangler rain?

the yard will flood,

In my opinion,  the yard area is not big enough to use perf pipe and gravel

  my opinion, and a dollar, might get you a cup of coffee  :beer:


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## Blivit (Sep 3, 2015)

beachguy005 said:


> Frankly, I think you're making the proverbial mountain out of a mole hill.  It's Florida....we get a ton of rain and most often it happens very quickly over a short period of time. You have a gable roof which doesn't help.  Hip roofs are better in Florida not only for wind resistance but for shedding rain water also.
> You can lay a bunch of pipe and put in a couple of pumps, but your patio is graded away from the pool and toward the house and that's part of the issue.  Rainy season will be over soon but in the meantime you should do as most Floridians do and that's to except that anytime you're getting rain amounts of 2 or 3 inches per hour, you're going to get some flooding.



I have been here long enough to know we get heavy, short rain for the most part and I have been dealing with this.  In the grand scheme of things, no it's not that bad but it is more of an annoyance and something I would like to address before it gets worse and possibly reaches the house.


The patio is sloped in both directions toward the channel drain so it is more of a "V" with the drain in the center.  Good in theory but once that water is coupled with the downspout on either end it is just too much to handle.


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## frodo (Sep 3, 2015)

they are called catch basins.   google them


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## Blivit (Sep 3, 2015)

frodo said:


> they are called catch basins.   google them



The patio has a channel drain that runs the length of the patio and exits at both sides.  The pool area is sloped to that on one side and the patio is sloped to it as well on the other side making a V essentially.  I do have a 12x12 catch basin that I put in (replaces the small one shown in my original post) on the outlet on one side of the channel drain.


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## bud16415 (Sep 3, 2015)

I think you have a good plan in process. You now have to finalize the planning and then execute the plan. Being in Fla you have the benefits of not having to worry about things freezing up. You also have the disadvantage of the potential for lots of water coming down in a short period of time. No one can tell you if your plan is overkill or not. What one man calls a small annoyance of water collecting for a day or so after a big rain can be a major annoyance to someone else. The system you are proposing is not going to be something that&#8217;s going to save your house in the event of a tropical storm lasting several days bring 6&#8221; of water per hour. That most likely will happen at some point and will be out of everyone&#8217;s control and will require a clean up after it&#8217;s over. What you are dealing with is after a normal heavy rain of a couple hours and the sun comes out you can go out and enjoy your pool area without having to walk thru an inch of water and you can walk on your grass without sinking in etc. 

I wouldn&#8217;t run a cord from the outlet to the sump with a plug on the end. I would do it some way with a dedicated breaker and run sealtite into the tank and make my connections there. I would even think about having the tank come up above ground level so all my wiring is out of the wet zone. Get a real tank designed for this with a lid you can secure on. You don&#8217;t need kids messing around in there. 

Lastly I would make 100% sure that what I was doing was approved by whoever is in charge of such things in advance. For sure someone will be walking their dog after a big rain and see water being pumped and the water might be muddy or something and they will be calling in a water leak to whoever. Once you get a bunch of people looking it over you don&#8217;t want someone saying you can&#8217;t do that.


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## frodo (Sep 3, 2015)

Blivit said:


> IF I went the route of putting in a barrel/dry well/whatever you want to call it with a pump, would this effectively be what I would be doing?:
> 
> 
> 
> What is the container they are using here?




i was answering your question,  they are called catch basins.

different sizes, plastic, concrete, fiberglass, etc




I agree, install a pump, run a 2'' line under the grass..shallow

to the curb..

the reason i keep saying run the pipe shallow,  you will have to daylight the pipe at the street..you do not want the pipe elbowing up to exit at the street

if the pipe is below the street crap will accumulate in it and blah blah blah


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## Blivit (Sep 3, 2015)

frodo said:


> i was answering your question,  they are called catch basins.
> 
> different sizes, plastic, concrete, fiberglass, etc
> 
> ...



Apologies, I thought you were correcting me.

I too think this is the best method and like I said this isn't the first time it has been suggested.  I have more or less convinced myself I will be doing this even though I don't "want" to do it lol.  The reason I don't want to do it is because of the work involved and the money spent but I can get over all of that if it functions for everything other than hurricane/tropical storm level rains.  I know that will be unavoidable.

If there is a pump inside I am assuming the basin will need to be easily accessible in case of service correct?  Ideally I would want to put a top on then rebury so it isn't seen.


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## bud16415 (Sep 3, 2015)

You can do it however you want, but I would have it extend above ground level and have a screw on cover on it. If you get a flood and its below ground level when you open it everything floating around is going in.  I have several tank type things above ground level and you can hide them ok.


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## frodo (Sep 3, 2015)

If you cut your grass 4''    then have the top of the tank at 3 1/2''  grass will creep over it in time, 
st augustine/ bermudia 

 you will find it when needed

as long as it is above the dirt,your ok.


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## rogar6 (Sep 16, 2015)

It seems like you've got your plan sorted out so I'm only suggesting this because you mentioned the potential difficulty of bringing your run-off to the front of the house. I apologize if this was mentioned already but perhaps you could make that entire side yard a retention area by burying several water collecting tanks with them all connected by a pvc pipe, cover it with gravel then mulch or bark. Perhaps this could be adequate.


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