How to Dig Up Drain Tiles

Identify the location of the drain tiles and mark their course with garden stakes. Loop a string between each stake to outline the path.

Walk the course a few hours after it rains. Look for soft, waterlogged spots or puddles. If the damage or clog is concentrated in one area, it's possible to repair the system by digging up only the damaged portion.

Remove the top layer of grass with a shovel and set the grass aside for re-use. Excavate a canal 8 inches wide that is slightly longer than one length of pipe. Dump the soil in a bucket.

Remove the layer of gravel over top of the tiles. Shovel it into a bucket for re-use. If the top rocks are embedded with dirt and debris, put them in a separate bucket and soak them in water to clean them. Continue removing gravel until you reach the drain tile below.

Disconnect the damaged tile by unscrewing it from the fittings at both ends. To do this, you may need to break the seal or cut the tile a few inches from the joint with a tile cutter.

Run a sewer snake through the tiles to cut through any soil, debris or roots clogging the pipe in other areas.

Replace the tile you removed with new tile. Use a piece of the damaged tile to find the exact size of tile to replace it with. Pull a fabric pipe sleeve over the new pipe to guard the pipe from silt and other debris. Attach the new tile with T connectors or elbows if the section is curved.

Cover the replaced tile with the old gravel. Lay geotextile fabric as an additional barrier against dirt.

Fill in the remaining hole with the soil you removed, and lay the patches of grass over top of the soil. Water the grass generously.