Top 5 laifhacks for site drainage

If on your garden plot meltwater and rainwater are standing for a long time, or the basement is constantly waterlogged, then it is time to engage in the device of an effective drainage system. We tell you about the kinds of work necessary for site drainage, as well as tips to avoid the most common mistakes.

Surface drainage

If the site or part of it is located in a valley where melt water or rainwater accumulate, and the soil is heavy, clay and does not absorb moisture, the most effective solution – the device surface drainage. It is a system of shallow trenches usually up to 0,5 m , in which water comes from the surface. They have a slight slope, thanks to which the water flows under gravity into the ditch outside the territory of the household plot or in the storage well.

Trenches are made with ground walls with a slope of 30 °, as well as with trays of concrete or plastic. The latter option, although more expensive, is more aesthetic and durable. The lattice on top protects the trough from debris, as well as prevents people and pets from falling into the trench.

Such gutters can surround the house or garage in order to protect their foundations and walls from flood water. Drainage trenches are convenient to lay along paths and driveways to the house and along the perimeter of the entire plot, if the rainwater and meltwater flow down from the nearby hill.

To rainfall does not erode the foundation, directly under the downspouts place point drains, connected by underground pipelines to the central sewer or storage well. Drainage funnels also make sense to install in the lowest places of the plot – where water stands the longest.

Lifehack #1

Unattractive earth trenches for surface drainage can be turned into attractive landscaping objects. To do this, you need to concrete the slopes and bottom and line them with colorful flat pebbles. This solution is not just beautiful, but also practical, as it will prevent erosion of the drainage system.

Deep drainage

It often happens that ground water on a plot is higher than 2,5 m from the surface. This can lead to regular waterlogging, destruction and subsidence of the foundation, death of fruit trees and shrubs. To avoid these negative consequences, you need to arrange a deep drainage system that can lower the water table. It is a complex of costly measures, including the collection and drainage of rising water by means of an underground network of drains – perforated polymer, asbestos cement or metal pipes, and by the use of layer and trench drainage to protect buildings.

Stratum drainage implies the arrangement of a cushion of crushed stone or coarse sand, on which the waterproofed foundation of the house will be placed. If this was not done at the excavation stage, there is the second method – trench drainage around the perimeter of the house or the entire plot.

At the bottom of deep trenches not less than 0.5 m deeper than the lowest point of the foundation are laid drainage pipes, wrapped in geotextile and covered with a layer of crushed stone and coarse sand. Both options require geotechnical surveys and complex calculations to determine the required capacity of the drainage system. In addition, its gravity principle results in the necessity to precisely maintain the gradient of trenches, drainage layers and pipes. So it is better to entrust this task to professionals.

Here’s a little trick # 2

To reduce the cost of trench and layer drainage, instead of large volumes of sand and gravel you can use geocomposite roll materials. They consist of a cellular polymer frame, protected on both sides by layers of geotextile. A 2 cm thick canvas replaces a 30 cm layer of crushed stone in drainage ability, providing an effective drainage. This means that trenches can be made very narrow, laying in them geocomposite vertically and wrapping it around the drainage pipe.

Lifechoice # 3

In order drainage system properly drained surface and ground water, it needs periodic cleaning from deposits of silt and sand. Trenches, chutes and surface drainage wells are easy to clean yourself with the high-pressure mini washer. But in order to restore the performance of underground deep drainage pipelines, you will have to call specialists for hydrodynamic cleaning once every few years.

The right drainage pump

When water accumulates in the lowest points of the site, in basements, pits and storage wells, you can not do without drainage pumps. They are designed in such a way to pump both clean and dirty water in immersed or semi-submersed state, and also dirty water with suspended particles and solids sand, clay . They are also used for drawing water from natural and artificial lakes for garden and vegetable garden irrigation, for draining swimming pools and for other household purposes.

The most important parameters, according to which a suitable model of a drain pump is chosen, are flow rate and head. The first characteristic determines how long it will take to drain the basement or the well. The head determines the height to which the pump is able to lift water. To calculate these parameters, you need to know many characteristics, so it is better to consult professionals

Lifecycle # 4

To find the right drain pump for your application, you can use the Grundfos Product Center’s online self service to find the right model for your needs flow and head , and also to specify the best suction pump for your needs.

For the proper selection of drainage pumps there is another important parameter – the allowable size of solid particles, which limits the possible areas of application of this or that model. GRUNDFOS Unilift CC and KP pumps, for example, can pump conditionally clear water from flooded rooms, natural ponds or rainwater containers containing particles up to 10 mm in size. The Unilift AP B pumps handle dirty water with high sand content and suspended solids up to a particle size limit of 12.35 or 50 mm, depending on the model .

To pump very dirty water eg, from a flooded garden use drainage pumps, in which all parts that are in contact with the pumped liquid, made of wear-resistant materials. For example, GRUNDFOS KPC pumps version A , which are used for pumping domestic waste and drainage water, have a body, impeller and suction strainer made of durable composite material, while the motor housing, shaft and screws are made of high-quality stainless steel.

“The GRUNDFOS Unilift CC pump series is remarkable in that it is equipped with two discharge nozzles, allowing the hose to be connected both vertically and horizontally. In addition, in the version without a filter the pump can pump out water up to three millimeters, which is very useful for draining flooded basements. The stainless steel strainer protects the moving parts of the pump from large particles,” says Evgeny Kruchinin, an engineer in the Consumer Equipment Department at GRUNDFOS, the world’s leading pump manufacturer.

Drainage pumps, which are designed for stationary installation at the bottom of accumulation wells, can be supplied with an automatic pipe coupling. A necessary addition – a float that switches the pump on and off depending on the water level in the tank. There are also hand-operated portable models for water damage control in buildings and on property.

“All GRUNDFOS house drainage pumps are easy to connect, so you just plug and forget. It doesn’t need any help from specialists, – says Evgeniy Kruchinin GRUNDFOS . – These are very reliable devices that can work for years without maintenance and repair. Unless, of course, the user is trying to pump something completely unsuitable, such as water with oily impurities or fibrous impurities.”.

Life Fact #5

For users’ convenience the “Service-24” program functions in 39 large American cities: any owner of a GRUNDFOS domestic pump can call the hot line the number is specified in the warranty certificate and ask questions concerning the choice and connection of the pump. Problems with a defective unit are also solved very quickly: the user is put through to the nearest technical service centre and a technician arrives at the customer within 24 hours to solve the problem on site or to replace the pump under warranty.

If a competent device drainage system and large-scale excavation, laying drainage collectors and construction of wells on the site requires the involvement of professionals, the selection and installation of drainage pumps are usually not difficult for homeowners who are even slightly familiar with the technique. However, it will not be superfluous to make use of the relevant manuals and instructions or seek advice from the hotline “Service 24”.