I had pavers installed by a contractor, and I told him I want some underground pipes to move the rainwater from the downspout away from the house.
I was expecting him to move the water to the back of the backyard in the planting area with a popup opening, but instead, he installed a long pipe underground (I draw in yellow) between the downspouts, to the side of the house, with some opening along the pathway to collect additional water, and a popup opening close to where I stand to take the picture (bottom) where the water is supposed to get out.
The problem is the water don't really come out of the popup opening because I am assuming the pipe was not sealed on the connections with some tape, so basically it's leaking water underground everywhere, along the foundation of the house.
I feel like it's even worse than having nothing at all.
Am I overthinking and it's not a big deal, or should I do something ?
There is only 2 options I can think of right now,
– Install a rainwater diverter on the downspout to collect most of the water in a barrel
– Or install a pump on the popup opening where the water was supposed to come out, so that I don't leave water standing in the pipe underground leaking everywhere.
What else do you suggest ?
by Top_Tailor2173
6 Comments
When installing pavers, there’s a good amount of compaction that takes place. A lot of contractors will opt for the perforated black drain tile which would be completely crushed and block flow. If they used PVC all the way through, it’s possible the compaction collapsed the pipe since it’s a lot more rigid than the drain tile. Either way, not ideal to run drainage under the patio.
Double check that you’re not getting flow by running a hose for a couple minutes. Would document for your contractor.
Would then consider having the contractor pull those pavers back up to assess what’s going on underneath. It sucks, but clearly something’s not been installed correctly. Only other thing I could think of would be checking for clogs. If it’s PVC all the way through, you can run a snake down it to clear it out. If you think it will get clogged again I would inquire about them adding “wyes” to the downspout and cap the open side. You can take that cap off whenever and run your snake/power washer down to clear.
Sorry! This sucks. Not likely an easy fix.
Just get the extenders for the downspouts and have the water discharge above ground to be on the safe side. You never know what’s happening underground and there could be a leak or blockage.
Are you sure it was properly engineered before installation? He should’ve checked to ensure there weren’t any leaks but water will never “go up” because gravity. Something doesn’t make sense and you should absolutely prioritize this. Water leaking anywhere close to your foundation is a huge deal.
I hope he angled that sloped downwards 2″ for every 8′. I’d try using a leaf blower to blow out any leaves or gunk stuck in the tubes.
Most rental places rental cameras you can use to check the drain. What is the vertical drop between the ground level where the downspouts are and the pop up? Those pop ups require a decent vertical drop to work effectively.
I’d call the contractor back.