Flooded Garage when snow melts.

[DRH1175]

This only happens before the frost goes out since I live in a very sandy area. The person that owned my house before I built the back garage in the lowest part of the yard. When the snow melts like this last week. I get about 6" of water in my garage. It stays below the blocks so my sheetrock etc... stays dry. Has anyone ever installed drain tile to get the water below the frost line? If I put some catch basins in will this effectivly drain the water or is this a lost cause?

[sparcebag]

Not positive but I think I remember drains are not allowed in garages,you'd have to ask your local inspecter.

Think I'd start digging a ditch to drain it.It probably would have wise to fill the area before creating the problem

[nofishfisherman]

I'm certainly no expert here and have not personally dealt with the situation but I am just thinking the problem through in my head and it seems tricky.

Is it possible to regrade the land around the garage at all? Maybe find a way to regrade that will direct the snow melt somewhere else.

It sounds like your area drains well in the summer but freezes solid in the winter. I'm not sure how you would prevent any extra drainage you add from freezing up solid as well. The drainage would certainly work if it leaves room for water to penetrate and flow away during the winter, the trick would be to keep snow and ice from freezing up the new drainage as well.

If you get the first thaw like we just had it might work to drain away water but the water could also freeze up in the drainage as the temps drop back down. Then the second thaw we get your drainage would be useless again.

[eric29]

Did the back of the garage actually sink or something sisnce its in the low part. Just wondering why it doesnt drain out your doors. My garage gets wet too when the frost melt but just a coating of water not 6 inches, but i have a drain.

[DRH1175]

The area the garage is built in is the lowest area of my yard. Most would have hauled in some fill before building a garage to raise it.

[Eric Wettschreck]

I have the same problem. My garage is built on the lowest part of my land, and no fill was brought in when it was built. So, I get the big flood every spring.

I bored a few holes in the block on the back side of the building to let the flow go through. I've thought about jacking the building up and raising the grade, but that's a lot of work. I guess I'm just used to the spring flood and have a few fans and squeeges in preperation.

[Surface Tension]

Any solution pretty much has to wait for the ground to thaw. One temporary fix is to pick a hole in the lowest spot. Put a 5 gal bucket in that with some holes to keep it sunk and gravel out. Stick a pump in it with a garden hose far enough away to a get to lower elevation. You might find if you drain the area for a few hours each day the water at least won't flood the garage. If you have enough drop suction will take over and you can shut the pump off.

After the ground is thawed make that above set up a permanent one. Only you'll dig a trench, lay pipe with heat tape in it.

The outlet in the bucket will be a couple inches off the bottom for sediment. You'll find you'll only have to plug the once for an hour in the Spring. I have that as a backup. I have a bank 15' from one side of the house. Because of my landscaping I've never had water up to the house but that drain is there just in case. If water was let to get close enough its going to hit that thawed ground around the perimeter. We all know what happens then.

Landscaping is the best solution and if you have to use a pump or a ditch. Every situation is unique but there is a way to get rid of water, you just have to be creative. If Holland or New Orleans can do it you should be able to keep the water out of your garage. If there is any grade at all a swhale around the building and out and away is all you need. If your truly in a hole you'll need to use a pump. Addressing freezing temps is the biggest hurdle into making a system you don't have to mess with.

[DRH1175]

I was thinking of 2 soloutions. 1. would be to put in a sump drain and hooking drain pipe to about a 50' run of drain sock that goes below the frost line. Like 48" down. Being I am in pure sand I figured as the snow melted it would seep in the ground via the sock. I could put some heat tape in the pipe to keep it thawed. 2. Would to build a drainage sump with a pump and hose. use a 2' concrete stucture that goes about 4' below grade with washed gravel on bottom. Then place a pump about a 1' above bottom with a hose to drain the water away to the ditch in front of my house. Will these work you think?

[sparcebag]

Post edited

[Tom7227]

I had a problem with frost heaving my driveway up to the point where there was a clearance issue getting my truck into the garage - low garage roof. When I had a new drivway put in I first of all had the contractor dig it down to make a low spot that would keep most of the water farther away from the house. I use the snowblower to keep this area open so when the thaw comes the water has a pretty fast way to get out of my way.

I rented a trencher and put in a 4 inch perforated line with a sock and pea rock and ran it way down away from the garage and driveway and put in a 'french drain' which is simply a box 2 X 8 filled with rock that allows the water to drain out. You have to use a surveyors transit or something to make sure that your line is downsloped all the way. You could possiblly try something like this.

The other suggestions would get the job done but my concern in part would be the continued influx of water into the structure and the effect on the concrete over time, as well has the hassle of pumping/pump failure etc.

[walleyeseeker]

You could tile all around the garage, backfill with pea rock, put down some landscape cloth and add four inches of dirt for grass, and let the water drain out before it gets to the garage floor. At the door, you could add a trench drain so the water has to run in before it gets inside. I have also seen where someone reshaped their yard so that any water that ran toward the garage was diverted around it. No matter what you decide to do, there will have to some type of excavating to fix the problem.

[DRH1175]

My only problem in when the frost is in the ground still. As I live in a sandy area the water drains fast the rest of the year. So making a drain that is frost proof is the key.

[Nutty Fisherman]

From being in the drainage business for over 35 years about the only way to not have you drain freeze in the winter is to either put some bales over the drain opening till you get a thaw then take the bales off. You could use bags of leaves.

Just make sure your drain goes below the frost line. I would say dig a hole about 5 feet deep put some drain tile in coils at the bottom bring the drain tile to the top of the ground. Fill the rest of the hole with 3/4 inch washed rock (not crushed rock). You can bring the rock to the top of the ground making sure you don't fill the tile with rock. Put a cap on the tile so you won't get junk washing down the tile.

I hope this helps.

[DRH1175]

I bought a 1/3hp pump and 150' of garden hose. It has ran for the last 2 days. The water now droped just below my floor. very slow though. This spring I am for sure going to try and make a more permanent fix. What I am thinking is putting in a 5' piece of 24" plastic riser At the bottom keeping it open with some pea gravel to drain. Than about a 1' from bottom hook in some perferated pipe downsloped away from the basin trenched in. My hopes is that this will be enough to drain the water as it melts. do you think it will work?

[tazmn01]

Nutty has the right idea. Get the water below the frost and it will go away. Put it in an low spot or grade around the garage to it. Being 5 feet down it should drain it out to the sand.

[DRH1175]

Thanks for all input. I am getting so sick of the spring flood!

[53orbigger]

I have the same problem in Wyoming only whoever built my house built it in the low spot of the lot, so I have water ponding next to my house every spring before the frost goes out. I have been in the house 5 years and this is the first spring that I have gotten water in the basement. It is a finished basement so once I get it repaired from this flood I really don't want it to happen again.

Since there is no way to regrade to keep this water from ponding next to the house I am thinking of digging a pit that goes below the frost line and putting a drain from the surface to this pit. My question is, this drain will have to come above the surface to remove the ponded water when the ground is frozen, so is there anything available designed for this purpose? I would hate to have an open drain at the surface that would allow dirt and debris to get down into the pit and it seems that it would be a bit of an eyesore.

Any help or suggestions would be great. Does anyone know of a HSOforum that may have more details regarding the design of the pit?

Thanks

53orbigger

[DRH1175]

NDS makes storm water produncts. They make catch basins and dry wells to fix our problems. I am going to keep them sealed in the summer since not needed. And the keep a bail of straw over it in the winter to keep it ice free. Basically geting the well below the frost line.

[Surface Tension]

DRH1175, we can't allow the link but folks can do a search and find more info on the product you speaking of.

It looks like it could be a good solution if diverting the surface water with grading isn't an option. I would think though and depending on soil types and how large an area your draining that at some point absorption couldn't keep up.

[DRH1175]

Sorry, didn't think about it when I added the link sorry. Yes if you do a search you will find what I am talking about.

[slurpie]

if your worried about debris going into the tile put a plug on it. If you use 4" tile take a 4" plug put some slits in the plug i would think that would help with the debris, and let in the water. And to get the situation right as soon as the ground thaws the water goes down right away? If thats the case then the water level in the ground would be low and the flood is all caused by runoff.Correct?