Drainage system of the house. DIY drainage system around the house - device technology

Owners of personal plots located on land with a high level of humidity, as well as all owners of garden plots in the autumn and spring, have to face the problem of installing a high-quality drainage system. Increased level humidity of the earth leads to such unpleasant consequences, such as diseases of various plantings in the garden plot, erosion of the foundation of the house and outbuildings by groundwater, as well as flooding of the basement. One type of drainage system is drainage without pipes, the design of which can be found below.

There are two types of drainage system:

  • Open
  • Closed

The first type is used to remove surface water that forms after snow melts or rainfall. Typically, open drainage looks like this: grooves 0.7 m deep and 0.5 m wide are dug throughout the area with a certain slope. Often plastic or concrete trays are placed in the recesses, covered with a grid on top. A layer of sand about 10 cm thick is poured onto the bottom of the ditches and compacted thoroughly.

The second type of drainage, closed, is used to drain groundwater. Below the freezing level of the soil, ditches are dug with a slope, at the bottom of which pipes are laid to drain water into a drainage well.

In addition to the use of pipelines in closed system drainage, you can use backfill material using broken stone or brick poured inside the trench. This method is inexpensive, but ineffective, since it quickly leads to silting of ditches. An alternative and effective way to create a drainage system from the soil is drainage with crushed stone without pipes, or so-called soft drainage.

Drainage in an area without pipes


The choice in favor of drainage with crushed stone without pipes is often due to the fact that the soil contains an insignificant volume of water, which would require the construction of a volumetric drainage system with pipes. In addition, the reason for choosing drainage without pipes may be that the terrain of the site or its layout is too complex, a large number of plantings, as well as insufficient finances to arrange a complex drainage system. A drainage system using crushed stone without pipes is less expensive and simpler to install: you just need to ensure the correct slope of the grooves without aligning different pipes.

Depending on the type of soil, the urgency of the work, and financial feasibility, drainage on the site can be done in two ways: with or without the use of geotextile material. In the first case, the drainage method will be more expensive, and in the second, less durable.

There are a lot of varieties of geotextile material, as well as their manufacturers, on the market today. The best option for arranging a drainage system would be polypropylene geotextiles. It withstands various environmental influences well and is also characterized by excellent filtering qualities. To effectively work on drainage, you will need a geotextile fabric with a density of 60-110 g/m2. Geotextiles act as a filter material, while it is also necessary to use a waterproofing material. Such material is tecton. Geotextile fabric prevents drainage materials from becoming clogged for a long time and trenches from silting up. With the help of tecton, water does not accumulate in the soil, but is transported outside the site into the drain. Of course, you can replace tecton with more inexpensive materials, such as polyethylene film, roofing felt, and other cardboard-based bituminous materials, but they do not guarantee the long-term service of the drainage system.

Sand and crushed stone are selected as drainage materials. There are no special requirements for sand, and crushed stone should be chosen that is not limestone, because after some time it will cause salinization of the soil. The crushed stone fraction can range from 20 to 60 mm. The backfill material will need to be washed before backfilling the trenches.

How to make drainage in an area without pipes


Before making drainage without using pipes, it is necessary to draw up a geodetic plan of the site with marked places of highlands and lowlands. These sections will determine the direction of the trench lines, since drainage without pipes should begin at the highest point of the relief and end at the lowest. The drainage system layout should consist of: a central conductor with a depth of at least 50 cm, drainage drains at a distance of 7-10 meters from each other, as well as a water storage tank if it is not discharged by the system outside the site.

A trench is dug at an angle that coincides with the direction of the drainage. The bottom of the recess should be made semicircular, like a gutter.

The ditches are cleared of debris and dirt, after which the bottom is lined with tecton. Geotextiles are laid on top inside the ditch so that the bottom and side walls are completely covered with a margin of at least 20-30 cm. After this, crushed stone is poured and covered with geotextile fabric with an overlap of at least 30 cm. Sand is poured on top of the crushed stone and thoroughly compacted. You can lay turf on a sandy surface or use a geogrid or geogrid if the trench site is located in an area with a high load on the soil.

Soil drainage without the use of waterproofing materials is done in a similar way, but has fewer advantages. Soft drainage with the laying of geotextiles and tecton not only removes water from the site, but also filters it, allowing it to be used in the future as process water or for watering plantings.

DIY drainage around the house without pipes


Do-it-yourself drainage around the house has certain features. Depending on the height of the foundation of the house, a ditch is dug to a depth that exceeds the base of the foundation of the house by 30-50 cm. In this case, you should pay attention to the fact that you cannot dig a drainage trench around all the walls at once - this poses a certain danger to the stability of the foundation, so trenches are dug near the walls one by one. The angle of inclination of the trench should be 1 cm per 1 linear meter.

The bottom, maintaining a certain slope, is carefully compacted. This can be done using compacted clay or concreting. The foundation near the wall is waterproofed. Next, a layer of crushed stone of a coarse fraction is laid to a depth of 1/3 of the ditch, a layer of crushed stone of a finer fraction is laid on top of it, and fine drainage is laid on top of them to level it with the surface of the earth.

Soft drainage without crushed stone

Drainage without the use of pipes can also be carried out without the use of crushed stone, since, depending on the depth of the trenches, its quantity is sometimes very large and expensive. One of these methods is fascine drainage: birch, coniferous, or oak brushwood, tied in bundles 30 cm long, is laid at the bottom of the trenches. Crossed pegs are laid along the entire length of the trench, and brushwood (fascine) is placed underneath them. Sand is poured on top.

Instead of crushed stone, it is also advisable to use expanded clay to arrange a wall drainage system around the house. Its main advantage is low thermal conductivity, due to which it performs a heat-insulating function.


A closed method of soil drainage involves using backfill material - pieces of brick, small stones, concrete fragments. The entire trench is filled with these materials, but without the use of geotextiles such a ditch very quickly silts up.

Using conventional plastic bottles– an alternative to crushed stone and fascines, a simple and budget option. To implement such a drainage system, bottles with screwed caps are placed along the trench at the bottom. Turf is laid on top and sprinkled with earth. Drainage occurs in the space between the bottles.

Another alternative method involves the use of poles. Long branches are laid at the bottom of the trench on spacers made of wooden sticks. The poles must be made of coniferous wood, previously cleared of bark.

The last two described methods of site drainage are unpredictable in terms of service life and operational efficiency, but they are the best options when there are not enough funds for laying drainage from pipes or crushed stone.

Drainage of ground and storm water from the foundation will significantly increase the service life of both the permanent building and the country house. An easy-to-use drainage system will protect underground concrete structures from gradual erosion, and basements from watering. But it is extremely important to prevent the destruction of the very foundation of the structure, right?

A well-designed drainage scheme around the house will help to build an efficient system for collecting and draining natural water. We invite you to familiarize yourself with carefully selected and verified information based on regulations and real experience of builders of low-rise buildings.

We will tell you in detail about the types of drainage systems, the features of their design, and the specifics of operation. We will give reasons in favor of choosing a certain type of drainage. The useful information presented to your attention is supplemented with photos, diagrams and video instructions.

When designing a drainage system, the goals that are planned to be achieved are first determined. They may consist of draining the entire area, protecting the foundation and basement of the house from excess moisture.

Of the existing drainage systems, two main types can be distinguished - open and deep (closed). The first one can be used for needs Agriculture, for drainage from cultivated areas. Closed drainage is used to drain water in dacha and cottage areas, to protect buildings from negative impact high groundwater level.

The organization of a drainage system is necessary when the groundwater level is high, which is especially evident during the flood period. Drainage protects the concrete foundation from the aggression of underground water and reduces the hydraulic load

Combined drainage systems are also used. They are often supplemented with storm sewer lines designed for recycling atmospheric water. Provided they are properly designed, they can significantly save on the construction of each system separately.

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The first and main sign that site owners need to arrange drainage is stagnation of water during the snowmelt period. This means that the underlying soils have low filtration capacity, i.e. do not allow water to pass through well or not at all

Drainage is necessary in areas with pronounced signs of soil erosion: cracks that appear during the dry period. This is a manifestation of soil erosion by groundwater, ultimately leading to destruction

Collection and drainage of water is required if, during the period of snowmelt and heavy rainfall, groundwater rises to the level of utility lines.

Drainage systems are constructed in areas with a characteristic slope. But in this case they are needed for a balanced distribution of water and retention of it on elevated areas

Flooding of the area during snowmelt

Erosion and erosion of soil under the foundation

Water at the level of utility lines

Suburban plot with slope

#1: Open drainage device

Open drainage is the simplest and most economical method of draining water, which can be used subject to the following conditions:

  • the underlying soil layer is clayey, poorly permeable to water, which is why the fertile layer, located 20–30 cm from the surface of the earth, is waterlogged;
  • the site is located in a lowland into which rainwater naturally flows during periods of heavy rainfall;
  • there is no natural slope in the terrain of the site to ensure the movement of excess water towards the street.

Open drainage is arranged in areas with high groundwater level, the elevation of which is most often determined by the location of the land plot in a lowland or the clayey composition of the soil, which does not allow or very weakly allows water to pass into the underlying layers.


A drainage system designed to drain excess groundwater works perfectly in tandem with a storm drain, whose job is to collect and drain precipitation (+)

Planning a drainage scheme is best done at the design stage of a house. This will allow you to tie up the work and place the rainwater inlet under the gutters before installing the blind area.

Open drainage is considered the simplest and does not require drawing up a diagram. It consists of trenches 0.5 m wide and 0.6-0.7 m deep. The sides of the trench are positioned at an angle of 30°. They encircle the perimeter of the territory and direct wastewater into a ditch or pit, into a storm drain.

Areas sloping towards the street are easier to drain. To do this, a drainage ditch is dug in front of the house, across the slope, which will retain water from the garden. Then they dig a ditch, it will direct the wastewater towards the street, into the ditch.

If the site has a slope in the opposite direction from the road, then a transverse drainage ditch is dug in front of the fence facade and another longitudinal one is made to the end of the site.

The disadvantage of such drainage is its low aesthetics and the need to regularly clean the gutters from silt and dirt that periodically accumulate in them. This type of drainage is not recommended to be installed under the road surface, as it leads to subsidence of the soil and deformation of the road surface.

The length of lines for water drainage, the number of wells and sand collectors depends on the area of ​​the site, its topography, and the intensity of precipitation in a particular area.

Drainage ditches can be strengthened from erosion using reinforced concrete slabs, stone paving, turf with crushed stone bottom

If the site is considered more or less flat, and its level of swampiness is not too high, then you can get by with the installation of a simple drainage system.

Along the foundation of the fence, in the lowest place of the site, they dig a ditch 0.5 m wide, 2-3 m long and 1 m deep. Although such a drainage system will protect against high groundwater levels, it will also cope well with precipitation.

To prevent the edges of the ditch from collapsing, it is filled with rubble, broken glass and brick. Having filled it, they dig the next one, it is also filled and compacted tightly. The excavated soil is used to fill low-lying areas on the territory

Over time, this simple drainage system may become ineffective due to gradual silting. To prevent this from happening, it can be protected with a geo-textile. It is laid on the ground, and after filling the ditch, the drainage layer is overlapped with it. From above, to hide the ditch, it is sprinkled with a layer of fertile soil.

#2: Construction of an effective storm drain

Storm drainage is necessary for the accumulation and removal from the site of water falling in the form of precipitation. It is equipped with point and linear drainage devices.

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Stormwater sewer systems arranged to collect atmospheric water and prevent its penetration into the soil and then into the underlying soils

Based on the type of water intake devices, storm sewer systems are divided into point and linear. The former are built in areas with organized drainage, the latter - with unorganized

Linear water intakes have a much larger collection area than point ones. They are installed next to houses with unorganized drainage and on areas paved with a waterproof coating

In linear storm drains, water is both collected and transported through a network of channels covered with metal or plastic grating. In point systems, water is drained through a system of pipes laid in the ground

Storm sewer with point water intake

Point storm drainage channels

Linear water intakes

Structure of trays with gratings

The first type of water collectors is installed under the risers of an organized drainage system. The second type of water collectors is located under the slopes of roofs with unorganized drainage.

Water entering the catch basin moves through an open or closed pipeline. It is diverted either to a common catchment well or to a collector well, from which it is transferred to a centralized sewer network or drainage ditch.

A storm inlet is a container for collecting water, equipped with outlets for connecting pipes of a linear drainage system. The devices are made of durable plastic or cast iron (+)

Elements of a storm system with point drainage basins also include drains, ladders, and dampers. Some manufacturers provide the possibility of connecting storm water inlets to roof gutters, as well as to underground drainage systems.

In addition, ready-made production models include sand traps and waste bins to simplify system maintenance.

The device with installed decorative grille should be located 3-5 mm lower than the level of the path or ground

This is a system of drainage gutters made of plastic or concrete, which are installed on the site in those places where water accumulation is most likely, but extremely undesirable.

For a drainage well, choose the most distant place from the house, well, or cellar. If there is a natural or artificial reservoir nearby, then water can be drained into it

When designing with linear water intakes, the first step is to plan the placement of a catchment or collector well. Next, determine the location of the rotary and inspection wells. Their placement will depend on the placement of stormwater inlets, gutters and closed sewer branches.

To prevent water from the street from entering the yard, gutters are installed along the line of gates leading into the yard, garage doors, and also in the area of ​​the gate. When choosing system elements that will be installed on the roadway, the future load on them is taken into account.

To prevent moisture from getting inside the building, the slope of the coating in the garage is made towards the water intake grille. So water, when washing a car or thawing snow on vehicle, will flow into the gutter.

Drainage trays must be installed on the porch, around the pool. They are also installed along blind areas, garden paths, and areas lined with facing material.

To give the storm drain a neat appearance, special trays made of polymer concrete and plastic are used, which are covered with metal or plastic gratings. When entering the house, use a special tray to clean shoes.

The grate for the gutter installed near the pool is chosen to be plastic, white, to avoid burns on a hot summer day.

For intensive use, drainage trays are mounted on a concrete base. The higher the load class on the roadway, the thicker the concrete base should be (+)

The gutters and water intake points are connected to the drainage tank. Inspection wells are provided at the junctions of gutters and pipes. They are designed to facilitate access to the system and clean it from possible clogging.

Inspection wells are made mainly of plastic. In order to obtain the required depth, their design provides for the possibility of extension using special extension elements.

The placement, slope and length of storm sewer pipes - all these characteristics are very individual and depend on many conditions on the site

A wide range of system elements allows you to design the most rationally, which will be optimal from a technical and financial point of view.

The main elements of linear drainage are gutters made of concrete, polymer concrete, plastic, point receivers, sand traps, gratings (+)

#3: Construction of closed drainage options

Underground, closed drainage is used if the installation of an open system will take up too much space on the land plot or it absolutely does not fit into the landscape picture of the territory. The conditions for constructing a closed drainage system are similar to those for organizing a network of open drainage ditches and ditches.

Closed drainage schemes are used to protect foundations and basements from the effects of groundwater and increase their service life. By analogy with open ones, they are used to drain suburban areas from excess groundwater.

IN mandatory It is necessary to organize underground drainage on the site if:

  • it is located in a lowland, wetland area;
  • there is a natural pond near the buildings;

Underground drainage can be divided into two types:

  • wall drainage;
  • trench (stratal) drainage.

Both types of underground drainage are carried out at the construction stage of the building. If it was decided to begin the problem of drainage after the construction of the house, then a trench ring system is used. There are also limitations to the use of trench drainage. It can be used if the house does not have a basement.

The fact is that, after filling the pit with sand or soil, it creates a looser environment between the bedrock and the foundation. As a result, high water penetrates into this environment and then even the presence of a clay castle does not protect the building from moisture.

Therefore, if the house has a basement floor, for effective drainage it is best to install wall drainage. It is used for drainage to drain groundwater directly from the foundation of a building, to protect basements, cellars, and ground floors from flooding.

Trees and shrubs should not be planted near the drain. The distance to the planted tree can be at least two meters and to the bush at least one meter

The wall one limits the rise in water level, preventing it from rising above the line where the drainage pipes are located - drains. It is believed that a drainage pipe 1 m long is capable of draining an area of ​​about 10-20 m2.

When installing wall drainage, the pipe is laid around the perimeter of the building. The depth of the drains cannot be lower than the base of the foundation slab or the base of the foundation. If the foundation is very deep, then laying the pipe slightly above its base is allowed (+)

The distance from the drainage pipe to the foundation depends on the location. They are laid in each corner (or through one corner) of the building, as well as in places where pipes turn and connect.

Inspection wells are also located in places where there is a large difference in the level of the site and when the pipes are long - the distance between the wells should be no more than 40 meters.

In an inspection well, the pipe cannot be solid; it breaks. This is done so that if the pipeline becomes clogged, it remains possible to flush it using a high-pressure hose

The entire system closes to the last well. It should be located in the lowest place. The water then flows into a regular sewer or open reservoir. If it is not possible to drain water from the house by gravity, then pumping equipment is installed and it is forcibly pumped out.

To ensure gravity drainage of water, the pipes are laid to the side of the collecting manifold. The slope should be two centimeters per meter of drainage pipeline. The depth of the pipe must be greater than the freezing depth of the soil.

The pipe is covered with drainage material - gravel, small crushed stone or sand. The minimum layer that will ensure the flow of water into the drain is 0.2 m

To save on geocomposite materials and prevent them from mixing with the soil, geotextiles are used. It freely passes water to the drains and at the same time retains particles that lead to siltation. The pipe itself must also be wrapped in protective material before backfilling. Some drain models are produced with ready-made geotextile filters.

You can increase the efficiency of wall drainage using a profiled polymer membrane, which can be two- or three-layer. One of its layers is a polyethylene film with formed protrusions, the second layer of the membrane is geotextile fabric.

The three-layer membrane is equipped with an additional layer of smooth polyethylene film. The membrane helps filter water from the soil while also serving as a waterproofing layer for the building's foundation.

Closed trench-type drainage protects the structure from flooding and moisture. It is a filter layer that is poured into a trench at a distance of 1.5-3 m from the wall of the house.

It is better that the depth of the drain be 0.5 m deeper than the base of the foundation - this way the water will not exert pressure on it from below. There remains a layer between the trench with drainage and the foundation of the house clay soil, which serves as a so-called clay castle.

As with the installation of a wall drainage system, drains are laid on a layer of gravel or small crushed stone. Both the pipes and the gravel layer are protected from clogging by geotextiles.

#4: Construction of wall drainage step by step

In order to get a clear idea of ​​the process of installing drainage around country house, let's look at an example. The area shown in it required the installation of a groundwater drainage system, because Under the soil-vegetative layer lie loams and sandy loams, which are extremely poorly permeable to water due to their low filtration capacity.

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To install drainage, we develop a trench around the house. Since the work was carried out with a mini-excavator, we retreated 1.2 m from the walls so as not to damage the building. If you save manually, you can do it closer. The bottom of the excavation is 20-30 cm below the foundation

The branches of the trench formed around the house must have a slope towards the common trench intended for the pipe for draining collected water to the collector well

Cover the bottom of the trench with sand. We compact it and form a slope of 2-3 cm per linear meter. We direct the slope towards the common trench, the bottom of which is also filled and tamped. In the case of communications crossing the trench, take into account that the drainage pipes must pass below them

We prepare drains, perforated polymer pipes, for installation in the trench. We wrap them in geotextile, which will prevent clogging of the system and filter groundwater

We cover the compacted bottom of the trench with a second layer of geotextile, pour gravel on it and lay drains

We lay channels for draining water from storm sewers and the drainage system in one trench. It is permissible to divert the water collected from them into one collector and use common inspection wells

Having wrapped the gravel backfill together with the drainage pipe with a second layer of geotectile, we fill the trench with quarry sand. We do not use the soil dumped during the development of the trench; sand will better allow water to pass through for collection by drainage

Water has destructive power, so drainage around the house should be a priority for the owner of a private building. If the walls begin to become damp or stains of mold are visible on them, and puddles appear in the basement, it means that the process of destruction of the building has already begun. The consequence of this is horrific cracks and distortions of doors and windows. It is possible to create a reliable waterproofing system yourself, although it can be quite a complex process. But the result will be that the drainage around the house and the blind area will successfully complement each other, and will also create reliable protection housing from destruction

The Importance of Planning

There are several common reasons why rain and melt water accumulates at the base of buildings. Much depends on:


As a result, intense flows regularly wash away the foundation. As snow deposits thaw, groundwater rises and the soil begins to subside. You simply cannot do without a good drainage system.

However, before making drainage around the house, you need to consider the following points:


All this preparation will end with a carefully designed waterproofing system. It is necessary to mark the places where inspection and storage wells will be located. Calculate the amount of consumables:


This will require various tools. These include several types of shovels: bayonet and shovel. You will need to remove excess soil with a wheelbarrow, and use a hammer drill to make holes. A pickaxe, a stationery knife and other accessories will not interfere with the master.

Step-by-step instructions for constructing a drainage system

There are several options for installing these drainage systems. Some people dig regular ditches around the perimeter of the building.
They are reinforced with boards or other material. The disadvantage of such structures is that they spoil the entire interior of the site and quickly become unusable.

Storm drains (surface drainage around the house) are installed at a certain slope to the base. They consist of pipes, the upper part of which is presented in the form of a lattice, trapping debris. Instead, special gutters or trays can be used.
Unnecessary moisture will fall into them and flow to the designated place. This drainage is ideal for regions with a humid climate, where it rains very often and there is a lot of snow.

Backfill waterproofing is recognized as the most durable and reliable. Each type of house foundation has its own scheme for installing such drainage. For example, before pouring the slabs, the drainage system must already be laid. Otherwise, you'll have to tinker a little. This does not apply to strip and pile supports.

Preparation

It all starts with excavating the foundation of the building. The slabs must be thoroughly cleaned of dirt and building materials. They must dry thoroughly. Then process the outer part of this wall in this way:

  • prime with bitumen-kerosene agent;
  • apply bitumen-based mastic;
  • Attach a mesh for putty to the still wet surface (division of 2 mm);
  • Apply the next layer of coating material 24 hours after the previous one has dried.

Finally, it is recommended to smooth out any uneven surfaces with sandpaper to make the surface smooth. When everything is prepared, you can begin the main process.

Trench dimensions

A pre-designed site plan, even the most primitive one, will help to correctly mark the territory and use material economically. The foundation drainage system includes a system of properly dug trenches and securely laid pipes. Trenches must meet the following parameters:

  • the distance from the foundation is not less than a meter or 1.5 m;
  • the width is calculated as follows: add 20 cm to the pipe diameter;
  • depth 50 cm below the foundation of the building;
  • the slope increases towards the place where the liquid is collected (1 cm every meter).

Plastic, asbestos-cement and ceramic pipes are successfully used in the installation of drainage systems. Manufacturers produce polymer versions of these items, which are covered with a special shell. This non-woven filter fabric protects containers from the formation of sludge.

To make the desired slope, you need to add sand. After this, use a special device to compact the dug ditch and fill it with a 10-centimeter layer of sand mixture. Compact the bottom again, checking the level of inclination.

Pipeline laying

When the trenches are ready, they need to be tightly covered with geotextile material. Each side cut should protrude 30 cm or more, depending on the width of the trench. Pour large-caliber crushed stone/gravel onto the canvas, adjusting it to the slope of the ditch. Laying a drainage pipeline around the house is as follows:


To prevent leaks at the pipe junction, winding is used. Several layers of insulation tape are the key to the tightness of the system.

All these plastic channels must be connected to the main pipe, which carries moisture to the water intakes. Then use river sand to fill the volume of the trenches. Pour the remaining soil on top of it until a good mound is formed. Under the influence of external factors, the land will still sag. As a result, such an embankment will be level with the horizon without the formation of a depression.

During this work, you need to constantly check the selected slope. To do this, you can stretch a cord or rope along the house in advance, which will serve as a level.

Water intakes/wells

To prevent water from accumulating in the drainage under the house, it should be removed. This can be done using special wells. Moreover, they are needed to systematically clean the structure and regularly maintain the system. All excess moisture is collected in these wells, which should be located at a distance of 5 m from the building. They are installed below the sewer pipe (1 m), but not at the same level with groundwater.
Modern designs show that there should be four such water intakes on the site, at each corner of the task.

According to the standards, for drainage systems there are 4 inspection wells, and two are drainage wells. One is assigned to the storm drain.

The well located at the lowest point will be deeper than all the others. Its diameter depends on the size of the container installed in it:

  • plastic tank;
  • welded structures;
  • reinforced concrete rings;
  • ebb structures.

Line the bottom of the hole with geotextile material, and then attach the container to the ground so that it does not move in case of landslides. Fill the voids with gravel mixed with soil.

In some cases, DIY drainage around your home requires additional costs. The receiving point can be placed an order of magnitude higher than the sewer pipes, then a pumping unit is needed. Sometimes the pipeline does not lie deep enough, so you will need to lay a heating cable.

Drainage system around the house with your own hands - design instructions

Are you designing a house and thinking about simultaneously installing a drainage system around it? Or maybe the house has been ready for a long time, but dampness in the basement disrupts the harmony and comfort in your home? In both cases, this is a necessary measure that should not be forgotten. a bunch of. Let's take a closer look at how to lay communications to remove moisture around the house with your own hands.

How to make a foundation with your own hands

Drainage is a system of pipes laid at an angle in special trenches and equipped with inspection wells. Excess moisture from the soil, accumulating in perforated pipes, flows by gravity into the storage well.

We design a drainage system

The effectiveness of the entire system depends on the accuracy of its design. Therefore, it is worth paying due attention to this stage of preparation.

The design of a drainage system begins with geological studies: determining the type of soil, the maximum groundwater level, the highest and lowest point of the site. The entire site is plotted on the plan, indicating trees, structures, and the building itself to scale. You can use checkered paper or a graphic editor. The drains will be laid along the perimeter of the house (at a distance of no more than 1 meter and at a depth just below the foundation level, the optimal slope of the trenches is 3 cm per 1 linear meter), and should be located at the lowest point of the site. Following this rule, we indicate on the drawing the laying of pipes, places for installing inspection/rotary wells and the discharge point (rotary wells should be located at every turn of the pipes, inspection wells - every 30-40 meters on straight sections of the pipeline).

Selecting drainage pipes and preparing for excavation work

So, the plan has been drawn up, it’s time to start purchasing materials for installing a drainage system around the house.

Pipes for drainage systems are made from: plastic (with a smooth wall or corrugated), “Perfokor” (plastic pipes with mineral additives), asbestos cement, ceramics. Pipes have different diameters and stiffness classes; additional filters can be built-in to prevent clogging of the perforation. Pipes Ø100-110 mm are suitable for drainage, and the lower the level of drainage, the stronger the material should be.

It is not recommended to use flexible plastic pipes for drainage due to the difficulty of maintaining an exact slope and possible silt deposits in places of minor bends during operation. You can make drains with your own hands from smooth-walled orange plastic sewer pipes, simply by drilling a sufficient number of holes in the walls.

Do not forget to purchase other materials for arranging the drainage system: fittings (tees, adapters, couplings, plugs), material for constructing the walls of inspection wells (for example, plastic rings or plastic pipes), manhole covers for inspection wells, silicone sealant, crushed stone, sand, cement, geotextile (non-woven material capable of transmitting water and retaining sand and soil particles), shovels, building level and tape measure, nylon cord. You will also need a waterproofing compound to cover the foundation.

Excavation and waterproofing works

Excavation work, which can be done manually or with an excavator, begins with digging a trench around the perimeter of the building, which should be located at a distance of half a meter from the foundation and lie 30 cm below it (at the highest point of the site). From this highest point on the site, the trenches should slope towards the catchment point by at least 1 cm/m.

The walls of the trench can be made rectangular or trapezoidal. The second option is more convenient on loose, crumbling soils. The width of the trenches is assumed to be equal to the diameter of the drainage pipes with a margin of 40-50 cm (for pipes with a diameter of 100 cm, the trench width will be about one and a half meters). Accuracy earthworks check with beacons or a level stretched along the bottom of the trench.

At each turn of the trench and every 30-50 meters of straight sections it is necessary to dig small pits for inspection wells. During the digging process, do not forget to remove sharp stones, large clods of earth and foreign objects from the soil that could damage the drains.

Laying the filter layer and assembling drains

When the trench around the perimeter has been dug with the proper slope, the pits for the wells are ready, you can proceed to further actions.

If you have a sufficient amount of geotextile, lay this material at the bottom of the trench (with allowance for the walls). If you saved money and did not purchase geotextiles, then the bottom of the trench should be covered with a ten-centimeter layer of compacted sand. Next, a layer of fine gravel about 10 cm thick should be poured onto the geotextile or sand. You can begin assembling the drains.

If your pipes do not have filters to protect drainage holes from clogging, wrap them in one layer of geotextile and secure it with polymer twine.

Pipes must be laid in the center of the trenches, connecting them into a single closed loop with fittings and couplings (during assembly, it is advisable to use 2 fittings with 45° angles at turns, avoiding installing fittings with right angles to avoid possible blockages). It is advisable to coat all joints with silicone sealant. If the holes on the drainage pipes are located only on one side, then the pipes are laid with these holes down. Do not forget to install rotary and inspection wells, providing them with covers and plugs at the bottom. Install a drain into which all water collected in the drains will be discharged. The height of the wells (including the receiving well) is selected based on the depth of the trench and the need for easy access to the hatch after completing landscaping work near the house.

After installation work, the pipes should be covered with a layer of crushed stone, after which this filtering layer of backfill should be covered with the edges of the geotextile laid on the bottom at the very beginning (crushed stone is poured just above the lower level of the grillage).

Video - Do-it-yourself drainage system around the house

Ring drainage system around the house

Ring drainage is installed in cases where the house has already been erected and the blind area has been laid. There are no main technological differences between ring and wall, except for the following points:

  • the trench must be laid along the perimeter of the house at a distance of up to three meters from the foundation, while all the rules of earthworks, including slope and depth, remain unchanged;
  • after laying drains and installing wells, you should fill in a ten-centimeter layer of crushed stone, wrap it with the free edges of geotextile, and then fill the soil to zero level;
  • instead of constructing a blind area, backfilled ring drainage trenches are backfilled thin layer gravel (or turf) and decorated as a ring path leading to the spillway point.

How to make linear foundation drainage with your own hands

Linear drainage involves laying drainage trays in the area adjacent to the house, and can also be installed around the perimeter of the building (including near the front door) to collect and drain surface water. The system of communicating gutters (trays) can be supplemented with point rainwater inlets for collecting rainwater from the roof and sand traps with connected drainage pipes through which water will be drained into a collector well. The system protects the building foundation and blind area from the harmful effects of excess moisture.

Preparing a linear drainage plan

In a graphics editor or on checkered paper, we draw a plan of the buildings on the site (top view). Next, we mark the line for laying linear drainage around the perimeter, designate places for installing point rainwater inlets, door grilles, and the water discharge point (the drainage well should be located at the lowest point of the site).

We purchase materials

For work you will need: trowels, shovels, cement, sand, roofing felt or roofing felt, sealant, trays with grates, sand traps, plugs, drainage pipes, nylon cord, building level, grinder.

Excavation and installation work


You can only step on drainage trays after the cement has dried. During operation, the trays should be periodically cleaned with a jet, removing the waste collection baskets.

You can learn more about the intricacies of installing a surface drainage system from the video tutorial.

Sand trap prices

sand trap

Video - Surface drainage around the house

Drainage tray installation diagram

Many have encountered such an unpleasant situation when, after a rainstorm, it is impossible to go out into the courtyard of a private house or dacha. It’s even worse when the entire crop is flooded with rain or melt water. And how to deal with such a scourge? Of course, for this you can also dig ordinary ditches through which water will be drained, but the more acceptable method will still not be the simplest - drainage on a summer cottage or the territory of a private house. But now let’s try to figure out how to arrange it and how difficult it is to do such work with your own hands.

Read in the article:

Do-it-yourself methods for draining water from the house: some practical tips

The issue of draining rain or melt water from a site is very relevant for all owners of houses, cottages, and even garages with a cellar or inspection hole. This is why drainage is very important. And for sure, there is no need to explain once again that without certain knowledge, such work is unlikely to be completed. But still, it is not so complicated that you need to hire professionals for it, which means there is an opportunity to save money. Now we’ll figure out how to remove water from a site with our own hands and what methods exist for this. In addition, it makes sense to understand the prices of both drainage material and the prices of professional services.


Based on the type of device, such drainage can be divided into internal, external and reservoir. In this case, either one of them or combined drainage, in which two or three methods are used, can be used. First, let's look at general rules arrangement of each of them:

  1. Internal drainage– used for cellars and basements and serves to drain water that has already been absorbed into the soil.
  2. External or open drainage removes water from the area directly during rain, preventing it from lingering on the surface.
  3. Reservoir diversion– is almost always used when building a house. Speaking in simple language- This is a kind of “cushion” under the building that absorbs accumulating water.

Draining a summer cottage is a rather labor-intensive process, but sometimes you can’t do without it. This issue is especially relevant for areas located in lowlands, as well as with high groundwater levels.


Drainage - what is it? Precise definition and photographic examples

To be precise, drainage is a system for removing rain and groundwater from a certain area in order to prevent flooding. Those. its installation is necessary in most cases at the construction stage. But still, finished buildings, around which drainage is not provided, can be protected. The main thing is to think through the entire system in detail, draw up a project and make some efforts to bring it to life.

In order to understand in general terms how the drainage system of a yard or building is arranged, it makes sense to consider several photo examples.

Of course, the entire operation algorithm of the drainage system associated with the device cannot be understood by looking only at the photo. This means that there is a need to consider all the nuances of drainage both from the local area, and from the cellar, and other buildings. Well, if we return to the question of why drainage is needed, then you can find a lot of answers to it. But the main function of water drainage, naturally, will be to protect the foundation from destruction, and cellars and courtyards from flooding.

Open drainage in a summer cottage: the easiest way to secure the cellar and foundation

Of course, when installing drainage in summer cottages, you can get by with banal ditches. And yet, nowadays there is a great variety of material that will help make drainage more aesthetically pleasing and beautiful. And it’s quite easy to completely hide highways from view if the need arises. And since the drainage scheme as a whole depends on the purpose of the drained area, it makes sense to understand the nuances, understand how the drainage system on the site should be arranged, and what features there are for drainage from buildings or cellars.


It is important to know! The blind area around buildings and structures, drainpipes and other similar devices are also part of the drainage, and therefore their role should not be underestimated. On the contrary, improperly organized drains from the roof of a building can significantly worsen the removal of water from the local area, nullifying all the efforts of the home craftsman.

So, let's start with the most important, from the point of view of necessity, drainage - around residential buildings.

How to make drainage around the house - practical tips and tricks

The main task before making drainage around the house is to choose the right place for the well into which rainwater will drain. At the same time, it must be designed in such a way that it does not have to be pumped out periodically. Also, do not forget about sand traps in gutters.


In general terms, the work is done as follows. A shallow trench is dug along the perimeter of the building and connected to a well. Moreover, it must have a slope that can be measured using a building level. Next, the bottom of the dug trench is filled with sand and compacted. Gutters are laid inside, which can be either open or closed with a special mesh. It prevents large debris and leaves from entering the drain.

Important tip! How the drainage will function depends on the slope of the gutter and its correctness. Therefore, it is necessary to measure it very carefully.


The nuances of drainage in a summer cottage

Such water diversion is done to protect plantings from flooding. Mainly used in areas with marshy soil and where the groundwater level is quite high. The essence of such a drainage device is as follows. It is necessary to dig trenches along the site, about half a meter deep, into which you will then need to lay perforated pipes. A sand cushion is made for them on a special fabric. Thus, excess water, again, will fall into the well.


Another way to prevent groundwater from entering the site could be to install gutters around the perimeter. But the most convenient method will be the method of reservoir drainage. In this case, gravel of various sizes is poured into the dug trenches, after which they are covered with turf. Today, this is the cheapest of all drainage methods, and therefore the most common. It is worth noting that with all the availability of site drainage systems, few people begin such work. And this is a big mistake. After all, the installed water drainage does not cause any inconvenience, and it has quite a lot of positive qualities.


Video: how to drain a site

Draining soil around garages and other buildings

How to make drainage in a garage and what it is needed for are the most common questions that a home craftsman faces when designing such systems. You need to understand that draining groundwater from a room will not only preserve its foundation. After all, many people have a cellar located in the garage, which means it is necessary to protect it from flooding. Of course, there is another way out, such as installing a sealed box (caisson), but over time it will rot. And this design is quite complicated to install.


But even if there is no cellar or inspection hole, drainage in the garage will not hurt. After all, in winter, melted snow will drip from the car, which, evaporating, will greatly humidify the air. And if there is a drainage system, the humidity will remain normal.

Is installing drainage in the basements of houses an extravagance or a necessity?

Some argue that if there is drainage on the site and around the house, then there is absolutely no need for it in the basement of the building. This is a fairly common mistake. Water can also penetrate below the street drainage. And there is no need to say what consequences this can lead to - probably everyone understands this well.


It is most convenient to carry out drainage at the construction stage, i.e. laying the foundation. But even if this was not provided for, there is still a way out. It is possible to drain water even in rooms with concrete floors. We will look in more detail at how to perform such work a little later.

More details about how to make drainage - a necessity for the project

A responsible approach to such work should begin at the design stage, which is not surprising. After all, its functionality depends on the thoughtfulness and drawing up of a scheme for future water drainage. That is why there is a need to carefully draw up a project with exact dimensions, as well as subsequent strict adherence to it.

First you need to measure the area and in general terms think about the location of the highways. In this case, it is worth taking into account the most flooded areas and the slope of the surfaces. The storm well must be located in the lowest location. Do not forget that at each connection (in the corners) there must be technical wells or cleanings. This is dictated by the need to settle sand and silt to prevent blockages of both the pipes themselves and perforations in them.


Then, before properly making drainage on the site, it must be clearly marked according to the drawn up diagram.

Important tip! If you do not comply with the dimensions of the project, there is a risk that if there are severe blockages and it is impossible to clear without dismantling, you will have to dig up half the site in search of drainage lines. It is for this reason that it is worth saving the sketched diagram.

Constructing a drainage well with your own hands - how to do it right

First, let's look at the three main types of this drainage part. He can be:

  1. Lookout– used for visual observation and prevention of blockages;
  2. Cumulative– excess moisture from the area accumulates inside. Such a device requires periodic pumping;
  3. Absorption– water collected from the territory goes into the ground or into a nearby body of water.

The fact is that before making a drainage well, it is necessary to take into account several factors, such as the slope of the soil, the depth of groundwater, the possibility of drainage into any body of water, etc. Already based on these data, a conclusion is drawn about the appropriateness of one type or another.


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