Drain tiles around barn

[Steve in IL]

Looking to get some advice. I’ve got a barn in a low lying area that tends to have very soft and wet ground around it. Unless it’s a dry spell, just getting machines in and out make a horrible mess. The interior of the barn however is a bit higher, and stays dry. It’s just the surrounding ground that is wet.

I believe I have enough slope to get some improved moisture drainage out one side of the barn yard.

Wondering if anyone has run tile (slotted corrugated plastic) around a barn yard to dry it up. How close do the tiles need to be? How deep? Any other suggestions?

Thanks.

 

[zuhnc]

A couple of years ago I installed French drains (regular drain pipe with holes in it) around my barn; same situation, always wet around, and sometimes inside. 18" wide trench, 30 inches deep. Lined with landscape fabric to keep the dirt out of the pipes, 2" rock base, then the pipe, then more rock. Covered with fabric, and then a 4" dirt cover. Barn and surrounds have been dry since. All that water drains through additional solid pipe to a small catch pond about 50 feet away. The "Frog Pond" and a nice watering hole for the horses. The slotted corrugated pipe tends to clog with the dirt and becomes somewhat useless after a few years.

Use Google to find suggestions for installing French Drains. zuhnc

 

[Steve in VA]

A couple of years ago I installed French drains (regular drain pipe with holes in it) around my barn; same situation, always wet around, and sometimes inside. 18" wide trench, 30 inches deep. Lined with landscape fabric to keep the dirt out of the pipes, 2" rock base, then the pipe, then more rock. Covered with fabric, and then a 4" dirt cover. Barn and surrounds have been dry since. All that water drains through additional solid pipe to a small catch pond about 50 feet away. The "Frog Pond" and a nice watering hole for the horses. The slotted corrugated pipe tends to clog with the dirt and becomes somewhat useless after a few years.

Use Google to find suggestions for installing French Drains. zuhnc

Helped neighbor do the same except we filled to top with stone and skipped the dirt cover. His barn has been bone dry ever since.

 

[zuhnc]

Needed the dirt cover for the horses; they don't do well on rocks with their feet. zuhnc

 

[waugh621]

Looking to get some advice. I’ve got a barn in a low lying area that tends to have very soft and wet ground around it. Unless it’s a dry spell, just getting machines in and out make a horrible mess. The interior of the barn however is a bit higher, and stays dry. It’s just the surrounding ground that is wet.

I believe I have enough slope to get some improved moisture drainage out one side of the barn yard.

Wondering if anyone has run tile (slotted corrugated plastic) around a barn yard to dry it up. How close do the tiles need to be? How deep? Any other suggestions?

Thanks.

Perf tile would do a great job of removing exess water. Depending on what soil is around your barn determins if you need/want stone in it. Other wise just burry it no less than 24" and they say pipe has a 'reach' of 25'-30' spacing. Again depending on soil type.
Nate

 

[showcrop]

Looking to get some advice. I’ve got a barn in a low lying area that tends to have very soft and wet ground around it. Unless it’s a dry spell, just getting machines in and out make a horrible mess. The interior of the barn however is a bit higher, and stays dry. It’s just the surrounding ground that is wet.

I believe I have enough slope to get some improved moisture drainage out one side of the barn yard.

Wondering if anyone has run tile (slotted corrugated plastic) around a barn yard to dry it up. How close do the tiles need to be? How deep? Any other suggestions?

Thanks.

When new roads are being built the ground is first excavated to subgrade which is approx. 3 feet below finished grade, and then a trench is dug down about 10 inches for drainage. It will follow along even with where the edge of where the pavement will be. They lay in fabric, then the perforated drainage pipe, and conduit for utilities if specified. They then fill the trench with 1.5 inch stone, fold the fabric over, and cover the whole subgrade with 12 inches of sand. In your situation you should be good with just one run of pipe just a foot or so out from the eaves drip line. I installed drainage for a wet area 33 years ago with just three inches of sand under and twelve inches over the pipe, then just the native material the rest of the way. It has been working as expected ever since. You should perhaps fill up to six inches of the surface with sand with fabric over it because of the roof run off. I would install it primarily 2-3 feet down, but your depth will probably be dictated by the maintenance of1/8 to 1/4 inch/ft pitch. Do some rudimentary surveying starting at the outlet and work back to find your depth of pipe at the high point..

 

[cityboy]

I live on the side of a hill. Had a pole barn built. I put a french drain on all 4 sides, open exit. About 8' out from barn I used my rototiller. Made 3 passes on the up hill side. Removed the dirt from the middle pass. Graded to make a swale to direct any run off around the barn. I also added golf ball size rock covered with 3/4-minus on top to both tractor exit doors. Been 15 years, still good.

HTH...Don.

 

[560Dennis]

I suggest surface drainage using wide (5 to 6 feet )swale step one (1/4 inch fall per ten feet ) .That way you see and fix the problem s Then if necessary the perforated drain tile with 57 gravel wrapped with landscape fiber clothing to keep silt out of tile. Need clean outs , Put tile center swale to an egress.


(Get the eve trough’s on that building first. )
borrow or buy a landscaping transit, shoot the fall right first time.

 

[Dean]

Looking to get some advice. I’ve got a barn in a low lying area that tends to have very soft and wet ground around it. Unless it’s a dry spell, just getting machines in and out make a horrible mess. The interior of the barn however is a bit higher, and stays dry. It’s just the surrounding ground that is wet.

I believe I have enough slope to get some improved moisture drainage out one side of the barn yard.

Wondering if anyone has run tile (slotted corrugated plastic) around a barn yard to dry it up. How close do the tiles need to be? How deep? Any other suggestions?

Thanks.

Built two new barns on sites of old barns in the past 12 years. Both old building had poor drainage on uphill side and both were soggy most of the year.

Trenched about 36" from new foundation and installed river pebbles, rigid tile with holes on bottom third or so, sock on tile, more pebbles, fabric, and covered with dirt and grass.

Both dry as a bone.

Installed separate tiles for downspouts in same trench, connecting only well away from barn but before extended run to gulley.