How to Install Drain Tile for a Wet Yard

A wet yard is an eyesore and difficult to maintain if you do not address drainage problems.Installing drain tile, or perforated pipes designed to carry away excess water, is an effective, long-term solution. The installation process involves digging a path through the wettest areas and strategically placing the tiles to carry water to dry areas in the yard or a safe drainage outlet like a street gutter or swale.

Stakes
String
Shovel
Gravel
Drain tiles
T connectors
Drainage grid
Geotextile fabric
Sand
Grass seed
Straw

Instructions

- 1
  Insert stakes through the center of the wet areas every 4 feet. Adjust the stakes to form a straight, direct path to a low-lying dry area or the drainage outlet. Wrap a piece of string around the top of the stakes to mark out a path.
- 2
  Dig a canal with a shovel along the course plotted out by the stakes and string. The canal should be 12 inches wide and 24 inches deep with curved, U-shaped walls. Dig the bottom of the canal down 1 inch deeper for every 8 feet of distance to create a slight slope.
- 3
  Fill 6 inches of the trench with gravel and spread it out with a shovel.
- 4
  Set drain tiles, or perforated tubing, down the center of the canal. Place a drainage grid over the beginning point of the pipe and elbow connections.
- 5
  Cover the tiles with another 12 inches of gravel to prevent debris from blocking the pipes. Lay geotextile fabric over the surface as an additional barrier.
- 6
  Mix equal portions of sand and soil and pour the mix into the remaining canal. Cover the exposed soil with Bermuda grass seed, ryegrass seed or another flood-tolerant ground cover. Lay 1/2 inch of straw over the seed to keep it from blowing away.

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