Hey r/DIY,
I have tried my best to google, youtube, and scour reddit for some solutions but I can't find anything. Most anything I find relates to French Drains, or dry-creek beds and not whatever...this is.
PICTURES OF THE PROJECT (Further info below)
Tl;Dr: Previous homeowners have left me with a rock path/drain that is simply a small trench with rocks on the bottom, an open-faced corrugate pipe in the middle and more rocks on top. There is no fabric or anything. This leads to a box drain at the edge of the mulch-bed as seen in the pictures.
Okay, I am having issues trying to DIY anything that is meant to "fix" whatever previous owners did in and outside of this house. I am ready to get after this but after my track record I think I need some help.
As I stated above this rock trench is simply rocks, a corrugated pipe cut in half and more rocks leading to a box drain that is being fed from one of my downspouts as well. My wife likes the rocks, but they keep getting clogged with dirt and weeds and the water will pool at the beginning of the path where the driveway meets the pathway to the front door. (In the album above)
What should I do here? I was thinking of just removing the rocks and putting them aside and maybe washing some of the dirt off while tossing that damn pipe. I was thinking about landscaping fabric and a metal or plastic edger to keep it separate from the sod (or would geotextile fabric be better?)
I am honestly not sure what to do here. It should be noted that the water doesn't really drain into the box drain unless there is enough force and amount to spill over the rocks into the drain.
Any idea what I should do?
Would it be best to get a small box drain/catch basin and corrugate to pvc (due to bends) and tie it into the box drain where the downspout meets it and just have the rocks as decorative?
Further info: NW Georgia, mix of brown dirt and red clay - the trench may all be black/brown dirt. Negative slope from top of yard down to this area, but from the start of the trench to the box drain it's only a slight (nearly level - kinda) slope.
Thank you all so much!
Edit: Fixed NW Georgia instead of original NE Georgia.
ShuRugal t1_jdr3vmw wrote
What's the back yard like? Can you continue the trench around the house to drain around back?
If not, your best bet is probably to rip it out and build a proper French Drain. Judging by that slope, it'll need to be a right big one. 1,000 cubic feet or more.