The Brew Cabin

I have a house on a slide gradient facing the road, the road being lower than the house and garden. At the back of the house is a patio with a patio drain than runs under the adjoining garage and comes out at the bottom of the driveway, just next to the pavement into what looks like a normal roadway drain. However, this drain doesn't lead anywhere - it's plastic, about 1m deep and the only exit/entrance is the pipe from the patio drain.

Is this a wierd sort of soakaway, (or evaporate away), or did the builder's forget to join it to the road drain (it was built 7 yrs ago).

Thanks!
Owen

I have a house on a slide gradient facing the road, the road being lower than the house and garden. At the back of the house is a patio with a patio drain than runs under the adjoining garage and comes out at the bottom of the driveway, just next to the pavement into what looks like a normal roadway drain. However, this drain doesn't lead anywhere - it's plastic, about 1m deep and the only exit/entrance is the pipe from the patio drain.

Is this a wierd sort of soakaway, (or evaporate away), or did the builder's forget to join it to the road drain?!

Thanks!
Owen

Is there an echo in here? ;)

If the mystery drain is on a public highway, then it will be connected up to some form of approved drainage system, rather than be a direct soakaway. However, if this is on your own property (I can't tell form reading your message), then I suppose it could be a small soakaway access point.

Do you have a photo or a fuller description?

Thanks - it's on my property - just at the end of the drive. I guess for the amount of water that comes through, it could just be allowed to evaporate, but it seems a bit odd!

It won't evaporate from a gully, or, at least, it won't evaporate sufficiently to control the water level.

Think about the road gullies on any public highway - we've had next to no rain for a few weeks, yet there's still water in the gullies. They may have lost 20mm or so due to evaporation, and, if left for long enough with no topping-up, then they will eventually be dry, but it'd take a long time!

I wonder if what you have is a little sand drain, which is, essentially, a deep, thin hole (think of it as a vertical pipe) filled with sand and/or gravel that allows the water to percolate to to lower levels and more permeable layers of the sub-strata.

"we've had next to no rain for a few weeks, yet there's still water in the gullies"

Tony - You spoke too soon - We got drenched Thursday and Friday down here. And I mean drenched.....

The gullies were getting empty and in danger of proving me wrong, so I had to order up a moderate downpour to top them up! ;)

LOL - the rain is fine with me now.....sat at home with a beer!

It can rain as much as it wants until 0700hrs Monday in my books.

Tony
Thanks for the reply. However, this is plastic, about a foot wide and 3 feet deep, and you're right it doesn't evaporate very fast at all!
Owen