[giansean]

Hi All,

I squared off a corner for a shed pad in my "way" back yard, which is pretty slopey with a lot of different angles, and put up an inside corner timber retaining wall. The wall is back filled well with gravel protected with landscape fabric and both sides have 4" perforated HDPE pipes to drain out water. As both sides point downhill, I suspect that the majority of water that falls nearby rolls away instead of into the back of the wall.

So anyway, the tall/long side runs to daylight.. no problems. The issue I have is with the short side. The pipe ends below the grade I'm after, due to the surrounding area (I'd either have to flatten everything another 50-ish feet, or else daylight the pipe in the middle of the yard). I don't really feel like doing more trenching all the way to the treeline and I have a lot of tree roots and the gravel in the way. Given the size of it, can I just cap the end of the pipe and let it act as more of a french drain? I have doubts it could ever fill up and from my understanding, walls below a certain height may not even get drain tiles. The tall end is holding up about 18-22 inches of soil tops.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[3onthetree]

How about extend the wall another 3'-4' and turn the El out to the wall face?
Or even turn a short wall extension angled back into hillside to expose the top of pipe to the flat grade?

 

[giansean]

Possible and I have actually thought of both (in fact I left that course extended in the event I wanted to continue the wall further someday, but I definitely want to keep it straight and getting that pipe exposed in any event requires a ton of digging and levelling. The grade is such that I'd almost have to extend the entire wall the width of the yard and do a step down.

 

[Nealtw]

 

[giansean]

Nobody likes the french drain idea? But kidding aside, the goal is to have as little wall and as much yard as possible.

 

[Nealtw]

Nobody likes the french drain idea? But kidding aside, the goal is to have as little wall and as much yard as possible.

That thing would get you to day light for your drain pretty fast.

 

[giansean]

That thing would get you to day light for your drain pretty fast.

Yes and no... unfortunately the only direction down is through the shed area, and besides it being done already, the other problem is a ton of roots due to all these trees.

Maybe I can work out some sort of drywell at the end for now? gravel in bucket maybe? It rained a bunch today so tomorrow I'll go out and check whether that pipe is even wet inside.

 

[giansean]

Here's a couple of different shots that I forgot I had (before it was done)

 

[3onthetree]

I didn't understand the french drain idea. It is a french drain already. If you cap it, and it is level with and connected to the other leg, water will find its way to the other pipe. However the purpose is to not allow water to sit back there, so with this long length and daylight you might as well exit here.

Why can't you extend the pipe towards the shed a little with an emitter to the flat grade? If its perforated it will also dump water here, the emitter is for when its completely saturated. Or run the pipe all the way next to the gravel area and dump there (roots should be small fibrous)?

 

[Bondo]

I squared off a corner for a shed pad in my "way" back yard,

Ayuh,..... Do you own behind the wall,..??

If so, carve out a swale, 'bout 3' wide above the wall, pitched both ways,.....
The pipe will see little to no water with a swale above, 'n behind it,......

 

[giansean]

I didn't understand the french drain idea. It is a french drain already. If you cap it, and it is level with and connected to the other leg, water will find its way to the other pipe. However the purpose is to not allow water to sit back there, so with this long length and daylight you might as well exit here.

Why can't you extend the pipe towards the shed a little with an emitter to the flat grade? If its perforated it will also dump water here, the emitter is for when its completely saturated. Or run the pipe all the way next to the gravel area and dump there (roots should be small fibrous)?

No it's actually not connected to the other leg as the first course of each is at two different levels (the long side is one course lower). As for extending the pipe, technically I could but at this point I'm hoping to avoid more digging (even with a trencher). There is 12" of gravel as backfill and the first course of wall (and the pipe) sit on 6" of clean gravel all surrounded by fabric. Really the only concern I have is will the pipe ever get enough so saturated that this will not be enough. I get that the only way to fill the pipe is from the bottom (holes are correctly facing down. What if I just extend the pipe straight up then put an emitter there, for a doomsday scenario? I know it's not correct or ideal, just looking for good enough at this point.

 

[giansean]

Ayuh,..... Do you own behind the wall,..??

If so, carve out a swale, 'bout 3' wide above the wall, pitched both ways,.....
The pipe will see little to no water with a swale above, 'n behind it,......

I do, and that's a good idea too...and if I do it with decorative stones or the 20,000 new england potatoes that I dug up, it will be less to mow. It's already pitched down so am hoping gravity will already be doing it's job. All I am after is keeping water from puddling on the wall section that is parallel with the shed - the adjacent side is pitched to daylight (to the left and behind the shed)

 

[Bondo]

I do, and that's a good idea too...and if I do it with decorative stones or the 20,000 new england potatoes that I dug up, it will be less to mow. It's already pitched down so am hoping gravity will already be doing it's job. All I am after is keeping water from puddling on the wall section that is parallel with the shed - the adjacent side is pitched to daylight (to the left and behind the shed)

Ayuh,..... I'd still daylight the pipe ya put in there, so it drains too,.....

 

[3onthetree]

No it's actually not connected to the other leg

I know it's not correct or ideal, just looking for good enough at this point.

The pipe needs to exit then. You already did the heavy work for the wall and shed, this is nothin compared to that. Wood walls lean over easier and obviously rot quicker than retaining blocks, so anything you can do to help is worth it. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do, next week you'll have forgotten any sweat and pain you experienced from a little more hand diggin.

 

[giansean]

Meh... at least I have nowhere to go for a while