Rant: That 100 Degree Week Exposed a Big Problem With My Backyard Drainage

Last July we had that brutal stretch, 5 days straight over 100 in Austin, and my backyard turned into a swamp every single evening when I ran the sprinkler. I thought my grading was fine, but the water just pooled right along the fence line and seeped toward the foundation. I dug down 8 inches and found a solid clay layer that was basically acting like a bowl, trapping everything. The fix was a 40 foot French drain with a cheap perforated pipe, cost me about $120 in parts and a full Saturday. Now the water moves to the alley drain in under 2 minutes instead of sitting there for hours. Has anyone else had a hidden clay layer ruin their drainage plan, or am I the only one who found out the hard way?

1 comments

1 Comment

colegarcia12d ago

Wait, it rained 2 minutes and that fixed everything? Seems like overkill for one bad week.