Have you noticed recently that your lawn is turning into a swamp? We don’t mean literally, as even a puddle or a wet spot in the backyard are signals that you are having drainage problems. This should worry you too much, as every Australian homeowner faces this problem at one point in time.
However, you should act fast and learn how to properly take care of drainage problems on your property.
Let the water run
One of the strategies to fight a large forest fire (we Australians have had a fair share of those) is to start a smaller fire. If we fight fire with fire, we can fight water with water. Namely, if a downspout cannot be extended long enough, then you should dig an artificial trench to let the water run down it.
This way, you divert rainwater away from the lawn but it’s hard work, as you have to dig long. The trench itself should be shallow but in some cases, it will run the length of the property to reach the nearest drain.
Since a trench down the middle of your property is a real eyesore, be sure to decorate it with gravel and, rocks, and (yellow) bricks. This way, you are essentially creating a water stream(let) in your backyard which will be active only during the rainy season.
Growing a garden for rainy days
In order for the aforementioned drainage trench to function properly, the ground should be sloped. However, many properties feature a low spot where water collects, as in a pond or a lake. In these instances, the solution is to make a soggy patchwork where you’ll grow a rain garden.
These gardens are designed in such a way they catch rainfall while acting as an ecosystem of their own. The rain garden should be populated with plant life, such as water lilies, ferns, hostas, and ornamental mosses that can all be found near ponds and stagnant water.
All of these plants are excellent at drying out saturated patches of land. Keep in mind that planting these species won’t solve the poor drainage problem but at least you won’t have a muddy patch in the middle of the yard. The garden should be located at the endpoint of a downspout or a creek bed.
Extending the downspout
Speaking of the downspout, we have mentioned what you should do when it’s impossible to extend it. However, in many cases, it is possible to extend the downspout to take the water away from your house. This way, you avoid the formation of a basin in landscaped areas and more importantly, dangerously close to the foundations of your house.
The trick to extending the downspout the right way is to direct it toward a functional storm drain or another public drainage system. Don’t just hook up the spout to your neighbors drain or attach it to a drain you know clogs and overfills every time it rains.
Give the gutters a quick checkup
When it comes to the gutters, they are the least likely culprit for drainage problems. Even so, during autumn, the gutters on the roof can get clogged with dead leaves and branches, so check up on them really quickly. Mind you, don’t disregard safety precautions when inspecting the gutters.
Moreover, gutters are often made from low-quality metal that can corrode or develop pinholes through which water seeps through. As a result, your property can suffer residential damage or a puddle might appear on the lawn.
Are you perhaps overwatering your garden?
You would be surprised by the number of cases in which homeowners unknowingly overwater their lawns, creating a problem in the process. Before you start inspecting the gutters or digging a trench, try to decrease the amount of water you use.
If there is a noticeable change in the speed of drainage, then you have solved the problem! Try to figure out what is the exact amount of water your lawn requires and stick to this new watering schedule. When using a sprinkler system, set it to turn on at shorter intervals.
Call a plumber when dealing with a burst pipe
Another reason why there is a wet spot on your lawn is a burst or a leaking pipe underground. When a pipe bursts, this is fairly easy to detect, as the ground will soak quickly and the puddle will expand fast. However, a leaky pipe is harder to detect.
In any case, you should call professionals to investigate. Luckily, finding a plumber in Canberra isn’t all that hard, as many of them offer emergency repairs around the clock. In some cases, the local water company might be in charge of the repairs but you cannot always afford to wait for them to respond.
A French drain versus a dry well
If nothing of the methods listed above works, then you are probably dealing with poor soil quality. After you confirm this by sending a soil sample to a certified laboratory, it’s time to act. The problem can be solved by digging a well below the topsoil that will disperse and redirect water.
There are two main types of wells used for this purpose: a French drain and a dry well.
A French drain
This type of well consists of a long trench that is filled with gravel or a similar substrate. There is also a drainage pipe that connects the house to the street drain. The pipe is covered with filter and soil (river stone at grade level will do just fine).
Because they are easy to make and versatile, French drains have a wide array of use. Unlike the shallow drainage trench we have described above, a French drain is located underground, redirecting runoff directly into the drain.
A dry well
A dry well, on the other hand, is installed at the endpoint of a creek, trench, or even a French drain. Its main use is to collect and disperse water into the soil, rather than a drainage pipe. To construct a dry well, you need a sizable concrete or metal basin and/or a weighted sleeve of drainage fabric.
The basin has holes on the side, allowing collected water to drain out once it reaches porous soil. The best thing about a dry well is that segments of it can be purchased ready-made at garden centers and hardware stores across Australia.
The combination of a French drain and a dry well
Finally, if you wish to reap the benefits of both a French drain and a dry well at the same time, you can do so by combining the two systems. In this case, a French drain is directly connected to a downspout that leads away from the house.
The spout would end in a dry well where water would seep into the nearby porous soil. Of course, you should have the soil tested before installing a dry well. Some types of soil, such as clay, don’t dry well and aren’t porous enough, so any type of well built there would cause an even greater problem.
Tools of the trade
The most common way homeowners test the soil in their garden is by digging a small hole using a post digger. Then you pour water down the hole and wait to see how fast or slow it drains.
This method seems fairly simple but as you have seen from the previous example, you’ll have to dig a lot to solve drainage issues. This doesn’t come as a surprise, as in most cases, the root of the problem lies beneath the ground. Before digging a drainage trench or a dry well, make sure you tool up.
Some of the tools and materials you should have include a shovel, the post digger we have just mentioned, waterproof plastic pipes old cloth used for drainage, wheelbarrow, river rock, etc.
Prevention is half the maintenance
Once you solve the drainage problem regardless of the cause, you should maintain your lawn, so the issue doesn’t reoccur. Firstly, you should actively take care of the soil composition, never allowing it to become clay-like.
Secondly, you constantly have to be on the lookout for unwanted standing water wherever it might appear. When you notice aerating problems with the soil, drill tiny holes in the ground using an aerator. In other cases, decorative rocks and boulders might act as a dam, preventing excess water to run freely.
Consider installing overhead protection
The final piece of advice we have to give you concerns those parts of Australia where it rains the most, such a Tasmania. Here, the climate is to blame for most of the wet spots, as the ground doesn’t have enough time to dry properly before the next rain.
In these cases, preventing the ground from getting wet in the first place is the best prevention. You achieve this by erecting some sort of overhead protection, such as an opening roof. The roof should be built over the section of the yard that had a depression.
Having listed the most common drainage problems in your garden, we have prepared you to tackle them completely on your own. You are not as powerless as you thought at first, as only a burst pipe requires professionals to step in.