Plan of the drainage system around the house. Features of the drainage system around the house: types, functions, phased implementation. Underground drainage is divided into two types

Drainage at home: do it yourself, step-by-step instructions, videos, tips and tricks. From this article you will learn the features of such a design as the drainage system of a house: the installation of drainage at the foundation part of the house, the rules for performing this procedure and the requirements put forward for storm drainage. You will be able to study in detail the technology for creating wall-type drainage, and also get acquainted with the prices for this type of work, performed by turnkey specialists.


The drainage system is equipped to protect the house from storm, melt and groundwater

General information about the drainage system of the house

Do not confuse the process of arranging drainage around the house with your own hands with performing waterproofing. These two concepts are incompatible, but the two technologies are not mutually exclusive. Together, they make it possible to create reliable protection for the base of a residential building from moisture.


Installation of a drainage system for a private house

Organizing a drainage system for a home, or, as it is also called, a drainage system, makes it possible to reduce the water level in a suburban area or completely eliminate excess liquid.

Note! The danger of flooding is likely both from the outside and from the inside. From the outside, the foundation may be affected by flood waters and sediment accumulation. On the inside, flooding is caused by groundwater if it lies close to the surface. In this case, waterproofing protection comes in handy.

Even high-quality waterproofing is not able to properly protect the base of a residential building, its basement and basement from water penetration over a long period of time. Long-term exposure to moisture will eventually expose weak spots and holes in the waterproofing. It is simply impossible to do without foundation drainage when the groundwater level is high.

The feasibility of installing drainage around the house

Constant exposure to moisture can not only destroy the concrete foundation of a building, but also provoke the appearance of other negative impact factors. Such factors include putrefactive processes, the development of fungi and other microorganisms that can live in the load-bearing structures of the building.


Wall drainage is necessary to remove ground, rain and melt water from the foundation

This result can be caused either by the lack of drainage of the foundation of the house, or by errors made during calculations or direct installation of the system. Even if such a problem already exists, this does not mean that the situation cannot be corrected. The advantage of such a system is that the installation of wall foundation drainage can be carried out even after all construction work on the construction of the building has already been completed.

Installation of drainage systems for private houses is advisable in the following cases:

  1. The site has a low-lying location - the lower the territory is located in relation to the surrounding landscape, the more pressing the problem of the lack of a drainage system becomes.
  2. The quality of the soil does not allow moisture to be absorbed into the ground in a natural manner - loamy and clayey soil options slow down the processes of natural decrease in water level in the area.
  3. The area is characterized by a high level of precipitation - storm water collects on the surface in such quantities that it simply does not have time to be removed through natural means.
  4. Groundwater is located too close to the surface.


Design of foundation drainage for a residential building

Note! Drainage patterns around the houseshould take into account the presence of waterproof coatings on the site. These surfaces include paths, driveways, and rest areas that have asphalt or paved tile surfaces.

Main types of drainage and stormwater around the house

Correctly making drainage around the house, as well as installing a stormwater system in the garden, is quite easy. The main thing is:

  • perform the calculations correctly;
  • select the type of system appropriate to the site conditions;
  • select materials suitable for technical and operational characteristics;
  • carry out drainage of the foundation and blind area in accordance with the requirements and technology.


Drainage system around the house

Choosing a foundation drainage system

The type of system is selected based on the conditions in the area. The more acute the problem with flooding in a site, the more drastic the protective measures must be.

Main types of surface systems:

  • storm drain or storm sewer - installation of surface drainage around the house. Its main advantage lies in its simple and accessible technology. Most of the work is carried out quickly and without the help of specialists. The disadvantages of this system include limited capabilities. The storm drain can only remove melt and storm moisture; it cannot cope with the problem of groundwater;
  • linear system - covers a wide range of tasks and is capable of draining the entire territory of a summer cottage and the area around the building. In this case, water moves through channels and enters the well for drainage. In most cases, channels are characterized by a linear type of placement. Special grilles are put on top;
  • a point system is a do-it-yourself option for foundation drainage, which allows you to quickly remove excess moisture from locally located sources. Such sources include watering taps and drainpipes. Point-type drainage is covered with decorative grilles made of metal. They prevent the system from clogging with debris and fallen leaves. From each water intake point, drainage pipes are laid around the house with your own hands in accordance with technology that involves the subsequent connection of water transmission paths to a single main line leading to the well.


Linear drainage around the house

Helpful advice! Point and linear systems can be combined, resulting in a combined drainage option that makes it possible to increase the efficiency of draining the area around the building.

Features of a high-quality home drainage system: cost of work

The price of turnkey drainage around a house is, of course, much higher than the cost of similar work done with your own hands. But in this case you get:

  • guaranteed quality of result;
  • full compliance with all technological standards;
  • accurate calculation of all parameters and correct choice of materials;
  • absence of errors fatal to the system;
  • high speed of organization of turnkey foundation drainage.

Cost of drainage in the area around the house(storm drain):

To the indicated cost of drainage around the house, the cost of installing each additional rainwater inlet, if necessary, is added. It is 1500 rubles/piece.

To make a more accurate cost calculation, it is necessary to take into account the number of risers leading from the roof (for each riser you should purchase a storm inlet), as well as the length of the building along the perimeter (on the basis of this indicator the molding of the system is determined).

Helpful advice! If you want to organize a system for draining storm water, it is enough to limit yourself to a shallow storm drain (up to 1 m). It will only be able to function in the warm season. A system with a depth level below soil freezing (more than 1.5 m) can handle rain and melt water. This type of sewer can be used in combination with heated cable drain systems.

Common foundation and garden drainage schemes

All drainage systems around the house can be divided into two groups according to the type of location:

  • drainage at the foundation part of the building;
  • garden drainage systems.


Diagram of the drainage system at a summer cottage

To organize stormwater and drainage structures for garden plots, the following schemes are used:

  • "herringbone";
  • "partial sampling";
  • "parallel placement".

Closed or open drainage systems are installed in garden plots. In other cases, other foundation drainage schemes are used: wall and ring.

The wall drainage placement scheme involves digging in and installing a clay castle across the entire foundation along the perimeter. The width of this element is 0.5-1 m. This type of scheme is recommended for use if the building has a basement or is equipped with a basement. In this case, the depth of drainage around the house is determined by the level of placement of the floors. The pipes are placed approximately 25-30 cm lower than the floor surface.

The drainage system at the base of the house consists of:

  • sand cushion;
  • geotextile film;
  • pipeline (internal diameter 100-200 mm);
  • a layer of sand with a drainage purpose;
  • soil;
  • layers of clay (can be replaced with a waterproof film coating).


Ring (trench) drainage – most suitable for sandy surfaces

The ring drainage scheme around the house involves laying trenches with a distance of 1.5-3 m from the building. To prevent the penetration of moisture into the area located between the base of the house and the trench, you need to arrange a clay castle.

Helpful advice! Select the depth of the trenches taking into account the placement of the base of the foundation. You need to step back 0.5 m from it. Thanks to this, you eliminate the possibility of flooding the basement floor, as well as basements.

House drainage installation: price of foundation specialist services

As in the case of storm drains, prices for organizing a drainage system at the foundation depend not only on the length of the building along the perimeter, but also on the depth level of the drainage structure.

Arrangement of the roundaboutdrainage around the house: cost of workFull construction:

Installing a collector well for this system, complete with a pumping station, will cost approximately 35,000 rubles. Provided that the diameter of the product is 1 m.

Calculation of the exact cost of turnkey work is carried out taking into account the depth of the foundation of the house (the level of depth depends on this indicator), as well as the length of the building along the perimeter (also take into account the required distance from the wall).

Arrangement of wallhouse drainage: cost of workFull construction:

When installing drainage around the house according to this scheme, the same collector wells are used as in the previous case.

Drainage system at home: do-it-yourself drainage system

To arrange drainage for a blind area around a house or other similar system, a soil analysis is carried out at the initial stage. As a rule, such data becomes known during the construction of the foundation part of the building. To do this, several wells (4-5 pieces) are drilled in the construction zone to a depth of 5 m and the area is studied.

On clayey and loamy soils, moisture from precipitation and snowmelt accumulates in the upper layer of soil. A similar situation occurs if groundwater passes at a depth of less than 2.5 m from the surface.


Drainage around the house allows you to slow down the process of foundation destruction due to the influence of groundwater

Helpful advice! If you are not confident in your own abilities, entrust the choice of drainage system to professionals. If problems arise, specialists will be able to correct the causes of their occurrence.

Planningdrainage around the house: how to do it rightcalculation of freezing depth:

The table shows the maximum freezing limit. In practice, this figure is usually less by about 20-30%.

Organizing wall drainage at home: how to install it correctly

Before installing a drainage system around the house with your own hands, you need to do a number of preparatory work, since this structure will be adjacent to the foundation part of the building. Preparation includes:

  1. Treatment of the base with a bitumen primer from the outside.
  2. Applying bitumen mastic over a dried surface.
  3. Gluing a reinforcing mesh with a cell size of 2x2 mm.
  4. Dry the surface during the day.
  5. Applying a second layer of bitumen mastic.

The specific gravity of the soil may influence the pipe laying pattern. Data on the main soil categories are presented in the table.

Distances between drains forDIY drainage devices around the house:

Helpful advice! When drawing up a pipeline laying plan, take into account not only the specific gravity, but also the type of soil. On sandy soils, the optimal pipe laying spacing is no more than 50 m, on clay soils - 10 m, on loamy soils - 20 m.

Technology for creating drainage at home: how to do the main body of work

The procedure for creating foundation drainage with your own hands on clay soils:

  • a collector well is being installed at the lowest point of the site;
  • a trench is formed along the foundation with a slope towards the drainage basin, which is adjusted using a building level;
  • a sand cushion 5 cm thick is created at the bottom of the trenches;
  • geotextile fabric is laid on top of the sand cushion with a margin so that the ends of the fabric can be overlapped;
  • formation of a gravel cushion 10 cm thick;


Home drainage is a priority task

  • installation of pipes at an angle of 2°;
  • joining pipeline elements using corner connectors and adapters;
  • Inspection wells are placed in the corners of the structure. A pipeline with a slope is laid from them to the drainage well;
  • formation of a gravel embankment 10 cm thick;
  • wrapping pipes with gravel with the free ends of geotextile fabric, which is fixed with strong synthetic ropes;
  • filling trenches with earth or sand (depending on the type of soil on the site).

Arrangement of ring drainage around the house with your own hands: how to install the system

To install this system, it is necessary to make a closed system of trenches around the structure, taking into account that their depth must exceed the level of the foundation by 0.5 m.

Helpful advice! Use perforated pipes in your work. The trenches must be removed 5-8 m from the base of the house, otherwise the soil around the structure will begin to sag.


Drainage pipe for drainage system

In this case, the trenches should also be located with a slope towards the well to collect water. The minimum slope is 2-3 cm/linear m. By adding sand or removing it, this indicator can be controlled.

Step-by-step technology for arranging drainage around the foundation:

  1. Sand is poured onto the bottom of the trench and geotextile fabric is laid with a margin (the free edges must be wrapped around the walls of the trench).
  2. A crushed stone cushion 10 cm thick is formed.
  3. A pipeline with an element diameter of 10 cm or more with an inclination angle of 2° is being installed.
  4. Inspection wells are installed in those places where the pipes are turned. On straight sections, wells can be installed at a distance of 12 m from each other.
  5. An embankment is made of gravel or crushed stone (layer thickness 20-30 cm).
  6. The free edges of the geotextile fabric are wrapped.
  7. The trenches are filled to the top with sand and earth.


Closed drainage, subject to device technology and proper operation, effectively collects water for many years

Organizing drainage around the house with your own hands without pipes

The process of arranging drainage around the house can be done without the use of pipes and even crushed stone. Alternative types of drainage:

  1. Backfill system - available materials (concrete fragments, broken bricks, stones, pieces of hardened cement) and always geotextile fabric are used as filler for trenches.
  2. Drainage based on plastic bottles - material with screwed caps is laid longitudinally in trenches, covered with turf and earth.
  3. Fascine system - bundles of brushwood with a diameter of 30 cm, tied with nylon laces or wire, are used.
  4. Perch drainage - spacer sticks are installed at the bottom of the trenches, where small young trees or long branches are then placed.
  5. Plank system - boards are placed at the bottom of the trenches in such a way as to form a triangle in cross-section, with the apex pointing downwards. Before filling with soil, it is recommended to place moss on the boards as a filter.


Foundation drainage is necessary to protect the house when the groundwater level is high

However, such systems can behave unpredictably and the service life of drainage from scrap materials cannot be predicted.

For a more detailed look at the classic technology of creating drainage around your house with your own hands, use the video below. Only in this case will you be able to achieve truly high-quality, effective and durable results. By adhering to the technology requirements, you will receive a reliable drainage system, even if you create a crushed stone trench system without a pipeline.

Owners of personal plots located on land with a high level of humidity, as well as all owners of garden plots in the autumn and spring, have to face the problem of installing a high-quality drainage system. An increased level of soil moisture leads to such unpleasant consequences as diseases of various plantings in the garden plot, erosion of the foundation of the house and outbuildings by groundwater, as well as flooding of the basement. One type of drainage system is drainage without pipes, the design of which can be found below.

There are two types of drainage system:

  • Open
  • Closed

The first type is used to remove surface water that forms after snow melts or rainfall. Typically, open drainage looks like this: grooves 0.7 m deep and 0.5 m wide are dug throughout the area with a certain slope. Often plastic or concrete trays are placed in the recesses, covered with a grid on top. A layer of sand about 10 cm thick is poured onto the bottom of the ditches and compacted thoroughly.

The second type of drainage, closed, is used to drain groundwater. Below the freezing level of the soil, ditches are dug with a slope, at the bottom of which pipes are laid to drain water into a drainage well.

In addition to using piping in a closed drainage system, backfill material can be used using broken stone or brick placed inside the trench. This method is inexpensive, but ineffective, since it quickly leads to silting of ditches. An alternative and effective way to create a drainage system from the soil is drainage with crushed stone without pipes, or so-called soft drainage.

Drainage in an area without pipes


The choice in favor of drainage with crushed stone without pipes is often due to the fact that the soil contains an insignificant volume of water, which would require the construction of a volumetric drainage system with pipes. In addition, the reason for choosing drainage without pipes may be that the terrain of the site or its layout is too complex, a large number of plantings, as well as insufficient finances to arrange a complex drainage system. A drainage system using crushed stone without pipes is less expensive and simpler to install: you just need to ensure the correct slope of the grooves without aligning different pipes.

Depending on the type of soil, the urgency of the work, and financial feasibility, drainage on the site can be done in two ways: with or without the use of geotextile material. In the first case, the drainage method will be more expensive, and in the second, less durable.

There are a lot of varieties of geotextile material, as well as their manufacturers, on the market today. The best option for arranging a drainage system would be polypropylene geotextiles. It withstands various environmental influences well and is also characterized by excellent filtering qualities. To effectively work on drainage, you will need a geotextile fabric with a density of 60-110 g/m2. Geotextiles act as a filter material, while it is also necessary to use a waterproofing material. Such material is tecton. Geotextile fabric prevents drainage materials from becoming clogged for a long time and trenches from silting up. With the help of tecton, water does not accumulate in the soil, but is transported outside the site into the drain. Of course, you can replace tecton with more inexpensive materials, such as polyethylene film, roofing felt, and other cardboard-based bituminous materials, but they do not guarantee the long-term service of the drainage system.

Sand and crushed stone are selected as drainage materials. There are no special requirements for sand, and crushed stone should be chosen that is not limestone, because after some time it will cause salinization of the soil. The crushed stone fraction can range from 20 to 60 mm. The backfill material will need to be washed before backfilling the trenches.

How to make drainage in an area without pipes


Before making drainage without using pipes, it is necessary to draw up a geodetic plan of the site with marked places of highlands and lowlands. These sections will determine the direction of the trench lines, since drainage without pipes should begin at the highest point of the relief and end at the lowest. The drainage system layout should consist of: a central conductor with a depth of at least 50 cm, drainage drains at a distance of 7-10 meters from each other, as well as a water storage tank if it is not discharged by the system outside the site.

A trench is dug at an angle that coincides with the direction of the drainage. The bottom of the recess should be made semicircular, like a gutter.

The ditches are cleared of debris and dirt, after which the bottom is lined with tecton. Geotextiles are laid on top inside the ditch so that the bottom and side walls are completely covered with a margin of at least 20-30 cm. After this, crushed stone is poured and covered with geotextile fabric with an overlap of at least 30 cm. Sand is poured on top of the crushed stone and thoroughly compacted. You can lay turf on a sandy surface or use a geogrid or geogrid if the trench site is located in an area with a high load on the soil.

Soil drainage without the use of waterproofing materials is done in a similar way, but has fewer advantages. Soft drainage with the laying of geotextiles and tecton not only removes water from the site, but also filters it, allowing it to be used in the future as process water or for watering plantings.

DIY drainage around the house without pipes


Do-it-yourself drainage around the house has certain features. Depending on the height of the foundation of the house, a ditch is dug to a depth that exceeds the base of the foundation of the house by 30-50 cm. In this case, you should pay attention to the fact that you cannot dig a drainage trench around all the walls at once - this poses a certain danger to the stability of the foundation, so trenches are dug near the walls one by one. The angle of inclination of the trench should be 1 cm per 1 linear meter.

The bottom, maintaining a certain slope, is carefully compacted. This can be done using compacted clay or concreting. The foundation near the wall is waterproofed. Next, a layer of crushed stone of a coarse fraction is laid to a depth of 1/3 of the ditch, a layer of crushed stone of a finer fraction is laid on top of it, and fine drainage is laid on top of them to level it with the surface of the earth.

Soft drainage without crushed stone

Drainage without the use of pipes can also be carried out without the use of crushed stone, since, depending on the depth of the trenches, its quantity is sometimes very large and expensive. One of these methods is fascine drainage: birch, coniferous, or oak brushwood, tied in bundles 30 cm long, is laid at the bottom of the trenches. Crossed pegs are laid along the entire length of the trench, and brushwood (fascine) is placed underneath them. Sand is poured on top.

Instead of crushed stone, it is also advisable to use expanded clay to arrange a wall drainage system around the house. Its main advantage is low thermal conductivity, due to which it performs a heat-insulating function.


A closed method of soil drainage involves using backfill material - pieces of brick, small stones, concrete fragments. The entire trench is filled with these materials, but without the use of geotextiles such a ditch very quickly silts up.

Using ordinary plastic bottles is an alternative to crushed stone and fascines, a simple and budget option. To implement such a drainage system, bottles with screwed caps are placed along the trench at the bottom. Turf is laid on top and sprinkled with earth. Drainage occurs in the space between the bottles.

Another alternative method involves the use of poles. Long branches are laid at the bottom of the trench on spacers made of wooden sticks. The poles must be made of coniferous wood, previously cleared of bark.

The last two described methods of site drainage are unpredictable in terms of service life and operational efficiency, but they are the best options when there are not enough funds for laying drainage from pipes or crushed stone.

Home drainage is a system whose function is is to abduct atmospheric and underground moisture from the foundation. You can very rarely do without it in areas with well-permeable soil, no flooding and low year-round groundwater levels.

In other cases, this system is necessary because protects the foundation, ground floor from rain, melt water and the rise of the primer, as well as from the destructive effect of soils prone to swelling when moistened and frozen. Thus, drainage will extend the life of the building and prevents the growth of mold in the basement.

For creating excess moisture removal systems You can use the services of specialists, or do all the work yourself. You just need to choose the right drainage, and there are several types. They differ in the complexity of arrangement, appearance and other parameters.

One of the most common classifications of drainage is based on how complex it is. In accordance with this parameter, they distinguish 3 types of drainage systems.

  • Open type drainage or surface consists of one or more ravines. The depth of each is about 0.7 m and the width is 0.5 m. This option the easiest to set up, but outwardly he is unattractive.

  • Backfill type or deep looks much better. For this species, a trench is also first dug. Geotextile is laid in it, and then a drainage backfill is poured in, which will accumulate and remove excess moisture. For these purposes use broken brick, crushed stone, expanded clay etc. The drainage layer is wrapped in geotextile and covered with soil. But such a system there is one significant drawback: it can only be cleaned after opening.
  • The most difficult, but at the same time The most advanced system for draining water from a site is closed drainage. In the center of the backfill there is a drain, which is a perforated pipe. Water is collected in the pipeline and discharged by gravity into the drainage well.

Exactly third way water diversion in recent years has already become traditional when creating a drainage system.

Classic drainage scheme around the house

More often drainage of water from the foundation is a drainage system surrounding the house, as well as inspection and drainage wells. Such drainage is arranged as follows:

  • around the house digging trenches the bottom of which has a slope of 5-10 mm per meter towards the lowest point of the site where the catchment will be installed;
  • on a compacted bottom fill with crushed stone or other drainage material;
  • above lay down downhill drainage pipe;
  • in places where drains form a right angle or several pipes intersect, install wells for inspection;
  • above the drains are filled up the same drainage material, and then sand and soil;
  • at the lowest point of the site install a drainage well, which is necessary for collecting water;
  • All wells are backfilled.

This is a simplified description of the design of a peri-house drainage system. In real drainage can be wall or ring, it all depends on the characteristics of the soil and the private house itself.

Wall drainage

Such water protection applies in that case, if the house has a basement and a ground floor.

And it’s worth carrying out until backfilling is completed around the foundation of the house. This measure will avoid additional financial costs for excavation work.

The wall system consists of inspection and collection tanks, as well as drains. Latest laid around the building at a depth of at least 0.3-0.5 m from the floor level, but not deeper than the bottom edge of the foundation. The slope in this case is also important to observe.

For reliability around the foundation recommended create a waterproof half-meter screen made of compacted clay as much as possible, or the base of the house is covered with geotextiles.

In some cases to remove only atmospheric moisture is sufficient application only open type wall drainage, which is a collection of trays located in a ring near the house.

The gutters are covered with gratings on top.

Trench or ring system

This type of drainage used for home protection, which is located on a site with sandy soils and has no base. Install a trench system at a distance from 3 to 12 meters from the house foundation, It is best to remove it at least 5 m from the building to avoid soil shrinkage, which will lead to the destruction of the foundation of the structure. When constructing such a drainage system from the foundation of buildings, all the same elements as in the classical system described above are used.

For extra protection the foundations of the house also use a clay castle. Besides, The general rule is to install drains at a depth of 50 cm from the lowest point of the floor. The remaining parameters are determined in each specific case.

Installation of wall foundation drainage around the house

Before you begin installing a near-house drainage system, you need to decide on its type, which depends on several parameters:

  • types of soil;
  • whether the building has a ground floor or basement;
  • the origin of the water that needs to be drained.

The wall-mounted underground version is used if there is a plinth, high groundwater level and loamy and clayey soils. If it is necessary to protect the foundation of the house only from precipitation, then a surface system will be sufficient.

To protect a home located on sandy or sandy loamy soils and without a basement, they use ring (trench) drainage.

Having decided on the type of drainage, you can begin drawing up a diagram, designing the system and planning all the work. This stage allows you to eliminate all possible shortcomings, which are then expensive to correct.

For the plan you need to decide on the lowest point on the site to install a drainage well, which will be connected to the common ring of the system by a pipe.

It is better to draw the diagram on graph paper or in a special program. The drawing should show:

  • house, as well as adjacent buildings;
  • trees and shrubs;
  • places where drains pass, depending on the type of drainage chosen;
  • inspection and drainage wells.

Inspection tanks are installed at the pipe turning point, for example, in the corners of a house, or every 30 m for a straight section of pipe.

The plan should also record the depth of the pipes. This indicator depends not only on the bottom slab of the foundation and the height of the floor, but also on the level of soil freezing. The pipes must go deeper than the point of zero winter ground temperatures. It is important to write down the diameter of the drains, which affects the width of the trench, and the required slope.

It is better to entrust design to specialists. But you can purchase the necessary material and install the drainage system based on a competent plan yourself.

How to properly make closed drainage around the house with your own hands

Such a device for protecting a house from water can be done independently even after the construction of the building is completed. First of all, you need to prepare working tools and all the necessary materials:

  • two types of shovels (bayonet and shovel);
  • spirit level for checking the slope;
  • manual rammer;
  • a device for removing excess soil from the site (stretcher or wheelbarrow);
  • roulette;
  • geotextiles;
  • backfill for the moisture collection layer (crushed granite stone is best suited);
  • sand;
  • inspection and drainage wells;
  • drainage pump;
  • drains and fittings for connecting them to each other and to wells.

Pipes must be perforated. You can purchase ready-made drains, or make them yourself from an existing orange sewer pipe. Flexible products are not recommended. The diameter of the pipeline can be 70-150 mm.

The material is preferably plastic with high strength and load-bearing walls. Moreover, the deeper the drains go, the higher this figure should be. You can take asbestos and ceramic products.

Some prefabricated drainage pipelines are surrounded by additional filter material, e.g. coconut fiber.

Inspection and buy ready-made or made independently from thick-walled plastic pipe of large diameter. You will need to buy hatches for them.

After acquiring everything necessary, they begin taking measurements to mark the place where the drains and other elements of the drainage system will pass. They clear the area of ​​debris and begin excavation and installation work. Let's take a look how to properly lay a drainage pipe around the house:


The drainage system is ready.

Video on how to make a drainage system around the house with your own hands:

A few words about the plastic drainage well

In its simplest form, it can be a container for collecting water. At the connection with the inlet pipeline you need to install a valve that prevents the reverse flow of water. It is good if the container has a large diameter, for example, 80-100 cm.

From the drainage well, you can lay a non-perforated discharge pipeline to a ravine, filtration well or reservoir. Water drainage from the collector can be done by gravity or by a drainage pump. Water from the well can be used for technical needs and irrigation.

How much does drainage cost?

If you decide completely drain the site yourself, then here is the cost you will have to pay just for the tools and all the material:

  1. A meter of drainage pipe with a diameter of 11 cm can cost from 60 to 180 rubles.
  2. A square meter of geotextile will cost you approximately 20-40 rubles.
  3. Granite crushed stone of the 20/40 mm fraction costs from 1200 to 2000 rubles per m3.
  4. The average price for a cube of river sand is about 600-700 rubles.

In this case a linear meter of drainage will cost a maximum of 2,000 rubles. But this does not include the cost of delivery of materials. You also need to add the price of wells. Ready plastic inspection well minimum diameter can cost 2000-2500 rubles per piece, and drainage - more than 10 thousand rubles. It's cheaper to make them from pipes.

If you hire specialists, the price of the drainage system will consist of the cost of design services (about 10,000 rubles) and the work itself. Many companies create a project for free if you order work from them.

Specializing companies set a price for pipe laying of at least 2,500 rubles per meter, for installing an inspection well - 5-7 thousand, and a drainage well - 35-40 thousand rubles. But many of them guarantee their work for 2-3 years.

But if you are confident in your abilities or have at least some experience, then you can order only the project, and the rest do it yourself. Or carry out all drainage work on your own, including drawing up a diagram.

The main thing is to decide on the type of drainage in accordance with the characteristics of the building, the climate of the region and the site. It is better to use deep drainage, and if necessary, supplement it with a storm system.

Don't skimp on pipes and underestimate the inspection well, which allows cleaning the system. With proper organization of drainage, you will not only be able to protect your house from moisture, but also use all atmospheric and underground water for household needs.

The problem of flooding and increased soil moisture is familiar to owners of plots located in the central region of Russia. Dampness and stagnation of water after snow melts do not allow proper preparation of the summer cottage for the summer season, and waterlogging of the soil with constant precipitation is detrimental to many plants. There are several ways to solve these problems, but the most effective is the arrangement of drainage.

In what cases is a drainage system necessary?

Drainage is a technology for collecting and discharging groundwater, melt and storm water from a site, technical and residential buildings. The drainage system prevents leaching, heaving and waterlogging of the soil, which occurs due to oversaturation with moisture.

Arrangement of a drainage system is not necessary at every site. In order to determine how much your area needs drainage, you will need to conduct a visual inspection. Pay attention to whether the area is flooded after the snow melts, how quickly water is absorbed after watering the plants, whether there are puddles after heavy rain and downpour. If you have observed these signs more than once, then drainage is required.

The drainage system helps remove stagnant water from the site

If visual confirmation is not enough, then you can conduct a simple experiment - using a hand drill or an ordinary shovel, you should dig a hole 70–100 cm deep. It is better to do this in several places on the site. If after 24–36 hours water accumulates at the bottom of the hole and does not leave, then this is direct evidence of oversaturation of the soil with moisture.

Soil drainage is carried out under the following conditions:

  • high groundwater table;
  • the site is located in an area with clay soil;
  • the site is located in a lowland or vice versa - on a slope;
  • The location of the site receives a large amount of precipitation.

The presence of drainage helps preserve the finishing and facing materials used for laying garden paths, finishing the basement and façade of the building.

Types of dehumidification systems

There are a great variety of land drainage systems. Moreover, in different sources their classification may differ greatly from each other. In the case of drainage systems for suburban and summer cottages, it is recommended to use the simplest and most proven solutions.

Surface type drainage

Surface drainage is the simplest and most effective system. The main task is to drain the soil by draining water formed as a result of rainfall and uneven melting of snow.

Grids protect the open drainage system from large debris

A surface drainage system is constructed across the area of ​​the site, around the house and adjacent buildings, near garage structures, warehouses and the courtyard. Surface drainage is divided into two subtypes:

  1. Point - in some sources referred to as local drainage. Used to collect and drain water from a certain place on the site. The main area of ​​application is drainage of areas under drains, near entrance doors and gates, in the area where containers and watering taps are located. Often used as an emergency system if another type of drainage is overloaded.
  2. Linear - used to drain the entire area. It is a system consisting of receiving trays and channels arranged at a certain angle, ensuring a constant flow of water. The drainage system is equipped with filter grids and sand traps. Trays and drains are made of PVC, polypropylene, HDPE or polymer concrete.

When installing a surface drainage system, it is recommended to combine point and linear drainage. This will ensure the system operates most efficiently. If necessary, point and linear drainage can be combined with the system described below.

Deep drainage

Deep drainage is carried out in the form of a pipeline laid in places where constant drainage of the soil or lowering of the groundwater level is necessary. Drains are laid with a slope in the direction of water flow, which enters a collector, well or reservoir located outside the site.

The process of constructing deep drainage in a suburban area

To lower the groundwater level, pipes are laid along the perimeter of the site to a depth of 80–150 cm. In cases where it is necessary to drain water from the foundation of a building, pipes must be laid below its depth. And also drainage pipes can be laid over the entire area of ​​the site with a certain pitch. The distance between drains depends on the depth of their placement and the mechanical composition of the soil.

For example, when installing a drainage system, when drains are laid to a depth of 0.9–1 m, the recommended distance between them is at least 9–11 m. On loamy soil under the same conditions, the step between drains is reduced to 7–9 m, and on clayey up to 4–5.5 m. More detailed data for different laying depths can be seen in the table below. Information taken from the book “Draining land for gardens” by A.M. Dumblyauskas.

Depth of drains, mDistance between drains, m
Sandy soilLoamy soilClay soil
0,45 4,5–5,5 4–5 2–3
0,6 6,5–7,5 5–6,5 3–4
0,9 9–11 7–9 4–5,5
1,2 12–15 10–12 4,5–7
1,5 15,5–18 12–15 6,5–9
1,8 18–22 15–18 7–11

When laying the pipe, the features of the terrain are observed. According to the technology, drains are laid from the highest to the lowest point on the site. If the area is relatively flat, then to impart a slope, a slope is formed along the bottom of the trench. The minimum slope level is 2 cm per 1 running meter of drainage pipe when constructing drainage in clay and loamy soil. For sandy soil, a slope of 3 cm per 1 meter is maintained.

When installing long drainage, a minimum slope along the entire length of the drainage route must be observed. For example, for a drainage system 15 m long, the minimum level difference between the starting and ending points of the route will be at least 30 cm.

If possible, it is recommended to exceed the stated slope standards. This will ensure faster drainage and reduce the risk of silting and clogging of the drain. In addition, digging a trench with a large slope is much easier than measuring 1–2 cm.

Drainage in a summer cottage - the simplest methods with instructions

In order to independently drain a plot of land using a drainage system, you will need to familiarize yourself with the technology of work, calculate and purchase the necessary materials, prepare tools and a place to perform the work.

Surface drainage of a summer cottage

Open surface drainage is a universal solution for draining small dacha plots. For example, for typical plots of 6 acres. You can take the diagram below as a basis. It shows a herringbone-shaped drainage route. The distance between the drains, as stated above, is selected based on the type of soil (see table).

An example of the location of the drainage system in a summer cottage

To carry out the work you will need a shovel and bayonet shovel, a tape measure, a bubble level, a hammer and a sharp construction knife. The materials you will need to prepare are gravel of fraction 20–40, geotextiles, edged bars or boards 2–3 m long.

To construct surface drainage on a summer cottage, you will need to do the following:


Sometimes, the base of the trench is concreted along the entire length of the drainage route. This allows you not to worry that over time the earthen walls will begin to crumble, water flow will deteriorate, etc. But this approach is more labor-intensive and requires the ability to work with concrete mixture.

Draining the area using deep drainage

Deep drainage is a standard solution for draining suburban and suburban areas. A deep drainage system can be installed even when there is a protective blind area, concrete or slab paths around the building. If necessary, they can be partially dismantled, but the overall structure will not be damaged.

An example of a drainage system project in a suburban area

Work on the construction of deep drainage includes the following:

  1. According to the design plan of the site, it is necessary to draw up a diagram of the location of the drainage pipes and determine the water discharge point, that is, the place from where the collected water will be drained into the sewer pipes leading to the drainage well. The depth of the pipeline must be below the freezing level of the soil. For the North-Western region this value is about 60–80 cm.

    Preparation of trenches for the construction of deep drainage

  2. Taking into account the plan, a trench is dug along the perimeter and area of ​​​​the site with a depth of up to 1 m. The width of the trench is at least 30 cm. All horizontal sections of the trenches are combined into a single system, which is brought to the water discharge point. After this, trenches are dug maintaining a slope of 2–4 cm per 1 m of surface. To check the quality of the drainage, the trenches are spilled with a large volume of water. If necessary, the slope towards the drainage well increases.

    The pit for the drainage well must be dug at the lowest point on the site

  3. At the lowest point of the site, a place is created for the installation of a water intake or filter drainage well. For large areas located on loamy and clayey soil types, it is better to install storage type wells with a volume of up to 1000 liters. For small areas, you can use both storage and filter wells. The type of tank is selected based on the type of soil.

    A wide sheet of geotextile is laid on top of the gravel layer.

  4. Fine gravel is poured into the bottom of the trench. The thickness of the layer is 10 cm. A geofabric is laid on the gravel with an overlap on the walls of the trench. To fix the canvas to the walls, wooden or plastic pegs are used, which are driven into the ground. After this, a 10 cm layer of crushed stone with a fraction of 50–60 is poured onto the laid geotextile and carefully leveled in compliance with the slope. A drainage pipe from Ø 110 mm is laid on the crushed stone.
  5. Modular inspection wells are installed at the drain turning points. The diameter and height of the well depend on the expected volume of wastewater. To connect the pipe to the mounting hole, a coupling is used, which is coated with a waterproof sealant before joining. Similar actions are carried out to connect the drainage pipe to the well pipe.

    An inspection drainage well is installed in places where the drainage pipe turns

  6. Before backfilling, the drainage system is checked for functionality. To do this, a large volume of water is drained through drains. If the water quickly drains and enters the well, then everything is done correctly and you can move on to the final stage. In other cases, you need to find and fix the problem.
  7. A 20–30 cm layer of gravel of fraction 20–40 is poured over the drainage pipes and carefully leveled. After this, the drains with laid crushed stone are covered with geotextiles. A 10–15 cm layer of quarry sand is poured on top of the geofabric and thoroughly compacted. The remaining space in the trench can be filled with fertile soil or regular soil from the site.

Methods for drying an area without drainage

Excessive moisture in the soil and stagnation of water in the area are not always associated with high groundwater levels. Sometimes this occurs due to abnormally low temperatures and heavy precipitation. The combination of these factors leads to the fact that moisture does not have time to evaporate, and puddles and mold form on the soil surface.

Sanding clay soil is one of the ways to drain an area without drainage

If, due to some circumstances, it is impossible to install a drainage system, then there are several effective ways to drain the land:


Of the above methods of draining a site, the most effective are adding a sufficient amount of fertile soil and constructing trenches around the perimeter. On average, 1 m 3 of soil will cost 550–600 rubles. For a plot of 6 acres, 10–12 m3 of soil is sufficient.

The easiest way to drain the soil on a site

Construction of shallow trenches filled with crushed stone is the easiest way to drain a summer cottage. Despite its overall simplicity, this method is very effective and can cope with large amounts of water formed during snow melting.

Work on arrangement of trenches around the perimeter and area of ​​the site includes the following:


If desired, the second layer of crushed stone can be reduced, and the remaining space can be covered with soil from the site. This will hide the drainage under a layer of turf. It is not recommended to plant flowers and greenery on top of the drainage trench. This is fraught with their death due to the high humidity in this place.

How to clear a clogged drain pipe

Failure to comply with the technology for laying drainage pipes is the main reason for stagnation and poor drainage of water from distribution wells. In addition, very often stagnation of water is not associated with a blockage at all. Insufficient slope does not ensure constant and uniform drainage of accumulated water towards the drainage pit.

To clear small blockages, use a steel cable or a hose with strong water pressure.

The easiest way to unclog drain pipes is to use a steel cable drain cleaner. At one end of the cable there is a spiral-shaped nozzle, at the other there is a handle with which you can rotate the cable, creating a mechanical load at the site of the blockage.

To clean pipes Ø110 mm or more, it is recommended to use a cable with a steel brush of the appropriate size. During the cleaning process, it is necessary to lower the cable into the drainage pipe until its end reaches the blockage. Next, by rotating the cable clockwise, you need to try to break through the blockage or move it towards draining the water. Usually, small accumulations of silt and leaves can be pushed through without much difficulty.

If it was not possible to remove the blockage, then you will need to call specialists who, using a pneumatic installation and other equipment, will not only clear the blockage, but also carry out preventive cleaning of the entire surface of the drainage pipes.

Video: do-it-yourself site drainage

Oversaturation of the soil with moisture and stagnation of water on the site are a big problem, which affects not only the growth of fruit-bearing crops, but also reduces the service life of a residential building. But it is worth remembering that excess water can be dealt with using a drainage system. It is much worse if there is enough fresh water and moisture, and the construction of a well is impossible due to certain circumstances.

There are a few. But, if you look into this issue, you can find out that the best option is a closed drainage system.

Purpose of drainage around the house

There is one very common misconception, common to all inexperienced but rich people: drainage can easily replace foundation waterproofing. Actually this is not true! Even if the foundation is well insulated from water penetration, it still needs a drainage system in any case. To identify the reason for this, it is necessary to “get to the root” - under the house, loam and clay alternate, and the height of groundwater may differ in different seasons.

Another important factor is the height of your yard relative to the terrain. The lower this height, the more necessary drainage is around your home. This should also include precipitation and soil permeability. In short, there are a lot of such factors; it is impossible to take them all into account even before the construction of a house begins. But all of them will soon manifest themselves either in the form of moss or mold.

To avoid the adverse effects of excess moisture, drainage must be installed before the construction of the building, at the excavation stage. Regarding other methods of draining water, it is more likely to eliminate holes in a sinking ship. It may be effective, but it is temporary.

How to make drainage around the house with your own hands

There are several drainage options, but, again, it is better to use a closed one. It is not advisable to install other types.

  1. Closed drainage option. It uses special drainage pipes, is completely safe, has the possibility of maintenance, as well as several arrangement options.
  2. Open option. In this case, a trench is dug around the house, the depth of which will exceed the depth of the foundation. It can be narrow, but it must be sloped so that water can drain naturally. As a result, we get a certain gap in the area, which completely destroys all its attractiveness. You can decorate it with something, try to disguise it, but the likelihood that your children will fall into it is very high.
  3. Zasypnaya. In principle, here is the same trench around the house, but it is covered with crushed stone on top and covered with broken bricks; if desired, it can be decorated with turf. No one can fall here, but maintenance is out of the question. If the drainage system becomes clogged, you will have to literally tear everything apart, since you will not be able to visually determine where the clog occurred.

Selection of pipes for creating drainage

After we have decided on the type of drainage system, we need to select pipes.

Types of drainage pipes of domestic and foreign production

Important! It is best to use pipes with existing perforations, as this greatly simplifies installation. Consequently, polymer pipes are most suitable, the diameter of which may vary, but mainly 100-110 mm are used for drainage.

Prices for polymer pipes

polymer pipes

DIY closed drainage

Below is a step-by-step drainage technology. It consists of several stages.

Ground measurements

First you need to determine the lowest point on your site. This is where the future trench will stretch, and here the drainage well will be located. This is because although mold in the basement is extremely undesirable, waterlogged soil in the area will not be beneficial either. If your area is flat, tall grass grows on it, or there are other types of complications, then only one thing will help you - a theodolite.

It is better to borrow this instrument from someone or rent it; buying it is not profitable.

The ditches that will be around the house should have a slope of about one centimeter per linear meter. This may seem like a lot, since water will flow down a five-millimeter slope, but in reality this is not the case. Dirty water with sand and clay will flow through the drainage system, so that over time, plaque will form on the pipe, so a centimeter slope is just right, and even though the amount of work increases from this, at the same time the durability of the system increases.

Ditch digging, backfilling


Now you can begin installing the drainage pipes.

Installation of drainage pipes

Important! Do not forget that the pipes should be laid with an inclination towards the drain well!

Our entire drainage system must be installed using fittings. We do this before we fill the last gravel layer.

Open drain technology

Open drainage is the easiest way to protect a house from precipitation. Material costs are minimal, the work done is insignificant, but there is a danger that someone may fall into such a drainage. To work, you only need a shovel and a tape measure. We dig the perimeter of the house with an open ditch 50 cm wide and 70 cm deep, about a meter from the wall. Its walls should be at a slope of approximately 30°. Water that gets into the ditch will flow into a specially created waste pit, which can be made common to several buildings. To move water into the hole, we dig a large ditch connecting all the secondary ones.

It is advisable to fill the bottom of the ditch with crushed stone so that the water flow does not erode the soil.

Important! Open drainage is especially effective when snow melts.

If the suburban area is located on a slope, then open drainage systems will effectively remove water. In this case, ditches dug across the slope will “intercept” the flowing water, after which the latter will be directed into the general channel, and then into the drainage hole outside the yard.

Backfill drainage technology

As mentioned earlier, to construct a backfill drainage system we will need the following materials:

  • Large crushed stone;
  • Gravel;
  • Broken brick (instead of gravel or in combination with it).

In general, the technology of the backfill system is in many ways similar to a closed one, only pipes are not used here - instead, the ditch is half filled with crushed stone of large fractions or broken bricks. Next, gravel is poured, the finishing layer is soil with turf.

But this type of drainage gets clogged quite quickly, and it is generally very difficult to clean it. That is why backfill drainage is considered the least effective and durable. In order to at least partially correct this, it is recommended to place geotextiles between the gravel layer and the soil, or even better tecton - the walls and bottom of the ditch are covered with the material. After this, water will not be absorbed into the ground. Such waterproofing should not only completely cover the ditch, but also extend beyond it by about 0.3 meters on each side. Then broken brick or crushed stone is poured in, which is covered with the remaining edges of the material. After this, the finishing layer is laid.

In the manufacture of tecton, modern technologies are used, which makes it possible to obtain a material that almost does not rot when in contact with water. And this is an excellent opportunity to increase the efficiency of such an unreliable system as backfill drainage.

Other methods of installing drainage. Foundation blind area

The foundation blind area is a strip of concrete or asphalt located around the perimeter of the entire house. It is made at an obtuse angle relative to the wall surface. This is not only an effective way to protect the foundation from moisture, but also a decorative element of the house. The function of the blind area is simple - to drain melt or rainwater from the foundation.

Important! If the soil on which the house is built is non-sagging and dry, or moreover, the foundation of the house is columnar, then there is no need for a blind area. In all other cases, this must be done, since a wet foundation will not last long.

What material to choose for the blind area?

For this purpose we can use one of the following materials:

  • Galvanized steel sheets;
  • Rubble stone;
  • Asphalt;
  • Clay;
  • Concrete slabs;
  • Brick;
  • Concrete.

Of these, concrete is the most popular due to its excellent characteristics - high strength and durability. But there is another material, relatively “young” and therefore unknown to anyone - profiled PVP membranes, which perfectly insulate from moisture penetration and do not become cracked during operation.

Such a membrane is laid on the ground, and sand and crushed stone are placed on top of it. You can cover such a structure with almost anything, even a flowerbed or lawn located above it. To do this, apply another layer of turf about 20 centimeters thick on the crushed stone.

Finally, the easiest way to create drainage around your house is to take a plastic pipe and cut it lengthwise into two parts. Lay the pipe cuttings along the perimeter at a slight slope directed towards the water drainage. Also for this purpose, special drainage channels are made, equipped with plastic grilles for protection.

And remember! All other drainage methods, in addition to the pre-dug pit system, are secondary. Their efficiency is an order of magnitude lower, and durability is out of the question.

Video - How to make drainage around the house with your own hands