How to Drain a Lawn With PVC

Remove grass from the trench areas by skimming it off the surface with a shovel. Set aside for later use.

Dig trenches starting at drainage issue area. The beginning depth of the trench should be 10 inches and the width 8 inches. If you are creating multiple trenches across the lawn, direct several trenches across the yard to a central one that moves the water out of the area. Consider sloping the trenches toward landscaping areas to help supply water to plants.

Slope the trench down as you work your way across the lawn. Drop the trench 1/4 inch for every 4 feet.

Line trenches with permeable landscape fabric, which allows water to flow through but keeps out soil and debris. This prevents dirt from working its way into the drain area and clogging the pipe holes.

Fill the bottom of the trench with 2 inches of gravel and tamp it down with a hand tamping tool.

Place 4-inch diameter perforated PVC pipe on the bed of gravel with the holes facing down. Slide pipe drain sleeves over the pipes as you lay them to keep debris from getting into the pipes. Connect pipe in the trenches. Use pipe glue and connection pieces to fit the pipe together. In main trenches that take on water from several other feeder lines, use a larger 6-inch pipe to hold the additional water flow from multiple lines.

Add gravel on both sides of the pipe and 2 inches on top. Cover the top of the trenches with more permeable landscape fabric.

Cover the fabric with sand to fill the trench to within 1 inch of ground level, and add 1 inch of soil to help retain water near the surface for grass.

Place the removed grass back in place on top of the soil and water daily until it takes root.