I've got a serious drainage issue in my backyard—it just stays super wet, with standing water lingering well into the summer. It's not just me; my neighbors are in the same boat. Regrading the entire neighborhood might help, but the backyards are about 2 inches lower than the street, making it tough. I did have a tiny French drain that went under the sidewalk to a discharge pipe at the curb, but recent gas line work messed that up.
I'm thinking of putting in a sump pump to move water from a low spot in my yard (it's in the back corner) out to the street. The distance is roughly 215 feet, but I anticipate it being closer to 240 feet because I need to navigate around some large trees. I'm located in North-East Ohio, where the frost line is about 32 inches deep.
I know I'll have to remove the pump during the winter, but what else should I plan for? Do I need to bury the discharge pipe below the frost line? Should I connect it directly to the street or sewer, or would it make sense to set up a larger French drain in the front yard to handle the water? Also, what diameter hose or pipe should I use? I'm just starting to plan this out and haven't even contacted a plumber or checked zoning yet, so I want to make sure I'm not missing anything important that could complicate things later on.
1 Answer
First things first, you should definitely check with your local regulations—drainage laws can be tricky! It's possible that your approach might not even be legal, depending on your area.
When it comes to the piping, I’d recommend using at least a 2-inch PVC pipe, maybe 3 inches for good measure. If you slope it correctly, it should be able to self-drain before winter hits, reducing the chances of freeze damage. Think of it like how sprinkler lines work.
For the discharge, you might want to use a pop-up emitter—those usually drain themselves too. You might need to dig a bit to add gravel underneath, but you shouldn’t have to bury the whole discharge low down; the key is to keep it dry in winter so freezing isn’t an issue. Just keep in touch with your county's drain commissioner to figure out what's feasible and legal in your town!
That’s a solid suggestion about checking legality first! I'd hate to spend time on this just to find out I’m not allowed to discharge water like that. It sounds like your plan to raise the back area should work if you've got the right setup. Just make sure everything's permitted.