Backyard drainage problems are really pretty simple to locate. Just go out into your yard after a rain shower. If you have standing water you have a drainage problem. In the Houston area, communities such as League City, Friendswood, and Pearland. Really most communities have serious drainage problems due to the flat terrain and the gumbo clay.

Backyard drainage problems are really pretty simple to locate. Just go out into your yard after a rain shower. If you have standing water you have a drainage problem. In the Houston area, communities such as League City, Friendswood, and Pearland. Really most communities have serious drainage problems due to the flat terrain and the gumbo clay.

If you find surface water pools during a rain shower and the ground is waterlogged for several days afterwards. These problems are caused by unleveled ground and poor soil drainage.

The slope of the grade terrain is the difference between two measured points in the yard. The key to successful drainage and evaluation is remember water will not drain up hill. So if you don’t have the right slope on your yard. You probably will end up with drainage problems.

I get calls all the time people asking my company to come in and level there yard. By trying to fix drainage problem with leveling is a waste of money. At best what normally happens is you move the standing water a few feet away. (To the next low spot).

What we do and have experienced 100% success is by adding PVC pipe and catch basins. I personally don’t like the black flex pipe. Roots will penetrate easily trough it. It also is easily crushed when backfilling your ditches.

We look to see if the house has roof gutters, if so we add adapters to downspouts. By taking the water off the roof and putting it in the street without ever having to remove it from the lawn. Then we shoot the yard with a transit to find the lowest spot in yard. We don’t change the elevation of the yard. We work with the yard and add catch basins to the troubled areas. This is where we add the catch basins to let the water drain into the underground piping and deliver it to the street or ditch.

1. Locate low spots and trouble spots
2. Add downspout adapters to gutter downspouts
3. Dig trench from troubled spot to street or low ditch
4. Install catch basins in low spots
5. Install pipe (remember must have negative fall)
6. Backfill ditch and install sod back on top
7. If you have to break curb, then repair curb

If you decide to tackle the drainage project yourself. It can be done but it is a lot of work. My crew of about 4 experienced workers can install about 100 foot of drain in about an 8 hour day.