Drainage problems!

[WarriorMonk]

Any drainage experts here? I'm hoping to get some advice for my mushy property. I have about an acre that is really mushy in the spring. The land is pretty level, and the melting snow, plus a seasonal spring in one corner combine to make a squishy bog for a month or two. In the summer, the ground is pretty hard to dig in. So I'm thinking there's probably a lot of clay in the soil?

I was reading a book on drainage, and it says that if I put in some drainage lines, it not only reduce the mush, but will help aerate the soil, and encourage the plant roots to go deeper as well. It says to trench down to about 3 feet, and lay down some 3" tile in the trench. There needs to be a descent of no less than an inch per 50 feet.

I want to make sure this is done right, but I don't have the money to pay a plumber to do it! I was thinking of having a professional come do an estimate, and then I'll use his plan and do the work myself.

Does anyone here have experience with drainage problems? How exactly were you able to fix them?

PS - I have planted a few fruit trees, and plan to put in a big garden, and a house someday.

Thanks!

WM

[rambler]

Your state is about as EPA regulation happy as mine - what you are propsing is highly regulated, and I can't do it to raise more crops. You probably have regulations preventing you from doing it too. I have miles of tile in my farm, could use a few miles more, but the govt red tape takes months & months these days, and if it has not previously been tiled you or some out of luck.

You shouldn't need much of a plan - probably not real ethical to waste a profesional's time in that way????

Rent a trencher, dig a trench, and the water will need to drain somewhere - to a creek or out the side of a hill, etc. More drop to the ditch or hill is not a problem, just make it slop that direction. It is really nice to get 2 feet of dirt over the top of the tile, you don't _have_ to be 3 feet deep.

In the wettest spot, might be good to put in some gravel to very near the surface as you fill in the trench, let the water a quicker path down to the tile.

That about covers it, not a big deal other than the legal issues. Well, and don't dig through a power, gas, or telephone line. Duh.

--->Paul

[WarriorMonk]

Thanks Rambler. Question - how do I make sure that it's sloping downward over several hundred feet?

thanks

[cfabe]

If you don't have the knowledge then go to the library and get some books on drainage. Or look online. I consider your plan of tricking a professional to come out to give you an estimate with the intention of using his estimate to base your DIY system on immoral. How would you like it if you used your gas to drive out to a potential job, talked with the owner for an hour about what you planned to do, and then had them say okay thanks for the advice, I think I'll just do it myself.

[WarriorMonk]

Yes, I've decided I don't need to consult with a plumber or such. I've got a decent plan now on how to do it myself. Thanks for the advice.

WM