I’m wanting to drain my house gutter flow underground to the front of my property. I see everyone using the black drain tile pipe, but am worried about it getting clogged with twigs and leaves coming down the downspout. I’d like to use regular PVC pipe instead. Can you see any problems with this type of set-up?
Also, I’d like to tie in some black drain tile pipe to the same underground pipe network, upstream of the downspout, to help improve the drainage of my back yard. Any ideas on how to make the connection between the drain tile pipe and the standard PVC pipe?
Replies
I think the only problem is PVC is less flexable and more expensive than black corrugated.
I agree with you.
A couple of years ago I did this and wanted to use the flex tubing, but my neighbor convinced me to use the ridgit PVC for just that purpose. You have too much leaves and twig and other stuff that will wash in and settle in the groved and decompose and built up.
And I have not hadd any problems with cloging.
There are 3 common types of solid PVC
Sch 40 which is used in the house for both supply and vent/drain.
There is S&D, sewer and drain. It is a thinner sidewall than sch 40. It has some official ASTM number, but I don't know what it is.
And there is SDR 35 (IIRC it is 35) The sch series has constant thickness for for different diameter pipes. The SDR has common ration of the thickness to diameter. There are other than 35, but for this kind of work 35 is what is used.
There are different fittings for the SDR and S&D, but for all practical purposes they are interchangable and so it the pipe. At least in the 4" size. And you might find one place has the SDR pipe, but S&D fittings and the next one vs versa.
SCH 40 is not interchangable but there are couplings to go between the 2.
And I also ran some of the corregated flex pipe for some under ground drainage.
And there is an adapter to go from the flex to the SDR/S&D. But I don't remember what it looks like.
I ended up getting stuff from Lowes (including a trip cross city becuase I took all of what they had), HD, and hardware store.
At lowes it was fairly well organized. With the sch 40 fittings on one side of the ilse and pipe (all 3 kinds) on the other, with the both the corregated and SDR/S&D fittings at the end.
HD was all screwed up with some of it the plumbing section and some in the garden section. And that in the garden section was setting in boxes that had not been moved in a couple of years.
SEveral time I had to take HD employees and show them where stuff was when I ran into other people looking for the same things and the HD employees where spacing out.
Thanks! Glad to see you've had success doing what I plan to do. I was planning to go to a local plumbing supply shop to get the supplies, but I'll check out Lowes first (there are only two Lowes in the metro area where I live, and both are across town).
There is a Fernco fitting for adapting PVC to corrugated Polyethylene.
An advantage to rigid PVC is that it is less likely to have low spots.
Polyethylene is cheaper, and comes in big rolls, so fewer connections, and obviously it turns corners too.
Keep in mind that white PVC should not be exposed to sunlight.
I put in 4" thinwall PVC for all roof and french drains. You can get fittings that are made to dump rectangular downspout straight into the PVC. Don't worry about the sun, just paint them with latex paint or leave the exposed fittings un-glued and replace them every few years.
Do be sure to prime and glue all underground fittings. I know a lady who decided it wasn't necessary and ten years later had to have most of the drains dug up because roots had grown through the un-glued fitting connections.
I'm thankful for the loyal opposition! It's hard to learn much from those who simply agree with you.
I try to be helpful without being encouraging.