To drain or not to drain, that is the question?!?

[maf20]

Untitled

• maf20
• 18 Mar 2008
• 7

Untitled

• maf20
• 18 Mar 2008
• 6

Untitled

• maf20
• 18 Mar 2008
• 6

As you can see I am building a step with new railway sleepers. The garden, even after I've levelled it a bit, will still slope towards the sleepers, and because of this I'm wondering whether or not I need to put a drain in so as to not put too much strain on the sleeper wall. As I see it I have three options: -

1. Leave it and just fill the void with soil
2. Just put gravel behind the sleepers ans hope that will do
3. Put in some perofrated pipe behind the sleepers to take away the water.

I only moved here in August so don't know how (if at all) waterlogged that garden gets when it's all settled.

Other hurldes I need to overcome if I'm going to drain is, as you may be able to see are: -

1. As you look at the sleepers I can drain the left hand side away no problem as that leeds to a communual grassed area in the corner of my garden.
2. But trying to do the same on the right hand side won't work as there is nowhere for the water to go.

a. Do I need to bother?
b. If so how can I drain the right hand side?

Cheers

 

[maf20]

Does anyone have any suggestions with this?

I was hoping to try and crack on today with it, weather pending that is!

Thanks in advance

 

[r896neo]

what ever you do you will need to have clean stone behind the sleepers as they form a retaining wall. I hope you have set thoses posts in concrete! How big is the area potentially draining towards them? If its not massive and the sleepers have a few holes/ gaps at the joints, get some 1" clean stone behind them upto about 5" from the top. Then the water will not damn behind them.

If there are no holes/ gaps then make some at te bottom of your stone level.

The above idea is assuming you are draining onto lawn/ beds as if its onto patio etc it will be dirty water and you may need to make a drain of some sort or deal with a trail of sand and dirt coming form the holes.

 

[maf20]

Thanks Neo, and much appreciated.

To answer your questions and pointers:

1. Yes. Posts are 2 ft in the ground and rock solid in concrete!
2. Was always going to put clean stone behind them, just wasn't sure if I had to put a drain in also
3. From the house to the back of the sleepers is about 6 metres, with a slight slope away from the house.

Thanks for your help, and can you just clarify one or two things for me?

If there are no holes/ gaps then make some at te bottom of your stone level. Do you mean leave some gaps between the layers of stone behind the sleepers?

It will be draining onto a patio, a natural sandstone one. Do you mean creating a gutter almost along the bottom edge of the sleepers where it meets with the patio?

Thanks again for your help

 

[Thermo]

what sort of soil are you on maf?

it might be an idea to keep all your posts on one thread as you seem to be darting around with umpteen different questions on the same topic, which is making life hard to follow!

 

[maf20]

Point taken Thermo

having never done anything like this before I'm finding it hard to follow myself. Might name the garden 'DIYnot' at the opening ceremony; which I hope isn't too far away.

The soil is really different in places. Ranging from full of crappy old bits of brick and clay soil in one corner, to quite loose stuff and 'airy soil in the other.

I want to do it properly, and if it's a drain that's needed then so be it! Don't want to overkill that's all. And as I mentioned beforedrainingng one side will be easy as I can lead a pipe to 'off premises'. But on the other side (the right as you face the sleepers) it has no where to go. I thought about taking a pipe all the way from the right to left and then down to the road, but I don't think I'd get the slope on the pipe as I'm building a step in the middle.

thanks again for your help

 

[Thermo]

no need, the stone will be more than enough. it sounds as if it is free draining enough.

 

[r896neo]

hey maf, sorry if that wasnt too clear.

By leaving holes/ gaps i meant in the actual sleeper wall. The stones as you know provide fast draining area to remove groundwater from damning behind your wall. If however the sleeper wall is very solid and has no way for the water to drain through it it will just damn the water and eventually take your sleepers down with it.

If there are gaps where it can drain thats great but ground water will usually trail with it a stream of sand/ dirt and can be unsightly when channelled onto a patio. By the looks and sounds of things though it will be no where near enough to be a problem. Looking good so far. keep up the hard work. I can apreciate your labour as i have just spent the last week hand digging founds for a 2.5m retaining wall that is heavily reinforced and the trench was 1.8m wide 1.8m deep and 12m long! our poor backs! Yours more than mine though by the looks of things.

 

[Thermo]

we very rarely put weep holes in sleeper walls, as they dont tend to hold up the water like a masonry wall does. Mind you most of the work we do is on free draining soil!

 

[maf20]

Guys.

Again, hugely appreciate the feedback.

Enjoy the long weekend.

Thanks again

 

[maf20]

Just realised.

Will the fact that I have put DPC behind the sleepers make any difference? Should I remove this so the water can drain away a bit more freely or leave it in to protect the wood?

Cheers

 

[Thermo]

you mean dpm? If its free draining then you dont need it. In fact it will only hold moisture in against the sleepers and help to rot them quicker, but they will still be there for years!

Ive just taken up some softwood sleepers in my garden today, that have been down for 3 years. They still look as good as new

 

[maf20]

Thanks again Thermo

I've just thought about the posts that hold in the sleepers. Is there anything I can do to prolong their life? They are already treated. Or I'm I not giving wood the justice it deserves?

Cheers

 

[Thermo]

STOP WORRYING AND GET SOME WORK DONE!!!!

 

[maf20]

If it would stop snowing, sleeting and hailstoning I would!

Thanks again for your help