Home Page link

Drainage question

Home| Search | About
Login Password
Register Now! Lost Password?

Building Construction - Building Construction Industry Discussions. 

Bookmark this page:  YahooMyWeb Yahoo!  Google Google  Windows Live Favorites Windows Live  del.icio.us del.icio.us  digg digg  Add to Netscape Netscape
Subject Author Date
Drainage question jeffc 09-18-2006
If you were  Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options
Posted by jeffc on September 18, 2006, 11:05 pm
I see in many cases it's recommended to put in gravel for drainage. For one
example, you are installing a retaining wall. It's usually recommended to
put in some gravel behind the wall for drainage. How does this help
exactly? You haven't really done anything here except provide a bigger
space for water to collect into. But it's not really big enough to hold all
the water anyway. It seems that it would be more important to have a place
for the water to go to, rather than have a bit of extra room to sit in
before overflowing.



Posted by RicodJour on September 18, 2006, 11:17 pm
jeffc wrote:
> I see in many cases it's recommended to put in gravel for drainage. For one
> example, you are installing a retaining wall. It's usually recommended to
> put in some gravel behind the wall for drainage. How does this help
> exactly? You haven't really done anything here except provide a bigger
> space for water to collect into. But it's not really big enough to hold all
> the water anyway. It seems that it would be more important to have a place
> for the water to go to, rather than have a bit of extra room to sit in
> before overflowing.

There should be drain tile at the bottom of the gravel to allow water a
convenient exit. Gravel alone is okay for low retaining walls of
interlocking block or dry laid stone as the water can exit through the
face of the wall. Filter fabric should be used to prevent fine
aggregate from filling the voids.

The gravel is meant to promote swift drainage. It is not meant to act
as a catch basin, so the amount of water it would hold is not a
meaningful measurement. The gravel also allows a bit of expansion
space - not really sure how much that actually accomplishes, but it
can't hurt.

R


Posted by richard on September 18, 2006, 11:56 pm

>I see in many cases it's recommended to put in gravel for drainage. For
>one example, you are installing a retaining wall. It's usually recommended
>to put in some gravel behind the wall for drainage. How does this help
>exactly? You haven't really done anything here except provide a bigger
>space for water to collect into. But it's not really big enough to hold
>all the water anyway. It seems that it would be more important to have a
>place for the water to go to, rather than have a bit of extra room to sit
>in before overflowing.

Learn more about "french drains".

At my parents house we had to rebuild a retaining wall that fell. The
contractors dug a line in front of the wall, layed in holy pvc pipe then
covered it with gravel. The pipe was extended out farther into the main yard
for better drainage. They also built into the wall drainage holes which
helped the water be guided into the drain.




Posted by RicodJour on September 19, 2006, 12:27 am

richard wrote:
> >I see in many cases it's recommended to put in gravel for drainage. For
> >one example, you are installing a retaining wall. It's usually recommended
> >to put in some gravel behind the wall for drainage. How does this help
> >exactly? You haven't really done anything here except provide a bigger
> >space for water to collect into. But it's not really big enough to hold
> >all the water anyway. It seems that it would be more important to have a
> >place for the water to go to, rather than have a bit of extra room to sit
> >in before overflowing.
>
> Learn more about "french drains".
>
> At my parents house we had to rebuild a retaining wall that fell. The
> contractors dug a line in front of the wall, layed in holy pvc pipe then
> covered it with gravel.

Plastic blessed by an angel.

I hope you meant in back of the wall, like this:
http://perfectscapes.com/custom/images1/wall_cross_section.jpg
Putting a drain in front of the wall wouldn't accomplish much.

R


Posted by Mike on September 19, 2006, 10:34 am
Richard your parents don't have a home, they live in a trailer.



Similar ThreadsPosted
drainage question November 10, 2006, 4:00 pm
Drainage October 4, 2006, 4:33 am
Drainage problems near foundation. July 29, 2007, 3:06 am
One drainage pipe serving 2 baths September 5, 2006, 9:28 am
Providing drainage for a garden which floods September 18, 2007, 3:12 pm
Replacing stones in driveway after drainage installation May 12, 2007, 8:23 am
Question: October 7, 2006, 2:31 pm
Flashing Question July 7, 2006, 2:56 am
Drywalling Question October 13, 2006, 6:16 pm
concrete question October 30, 2006, 9:34 am

Contact Us | Privacy Policy

XML SitemapXML Sitemap