The Brew Cabin

Posted: **Tue Jul 10, 2012 10:34 am**

Myself and our neighbours have just had our driveways redone as block paving.
both drives are about 10 m long with a slope down to the road dropping maybe a 1.5 metres in total.

Prior to the work being done we both had old crazy paving, with a gravel divide between them which terminated halfway down where the drives merged together.
set in this gravel we had a land drain which served to channel alot of water from the rear of the houses and possibly a downpipe for some of the roof water.
The system worked well, and in wet times the water would run down the land drain and out of the end of the gravel divide and down to the road.

since we had the drives paved, this land drain has effectivey been buried, and we now have a problem where the water is being fed under the drive, before
coming up through the driveway blocks adjacent to the road. This is bringing up with it substantial amounts of sand.
sigh

I think we have a problem.

is it unreasonable to expect our builder to have thought of this?

any suggestions as to how this can be rectified?

Also, he has installed an aco drain halfway down the drive, but as far as I can tell, most of the water soaks in between the blocks before getting a chance to reach it.
given that each drive is over 100 square metres, could this be adding to our problem?

thanks
Gra

Posted: **Tue Jul 10, 2012 12:59 pm**

your surface water is ending up at your lowest point, bottom drive. It's takong a lot of area also your roof and back garden. Are there no storm water manholes, catchpits, or soakaways where the run off can be diverted to.? Have you looked on the main site under suds? do you know if your subsoil is freedraining?

Posted: **Tue Jul 10, 2012 1:19 pm**

The fact that you have what seems like an open pipe underneath your new driveway is ringing alarm bells here. Before it all gets silly the center area needs to be taken up and the pipe investigated, then a solution. If your guy has installed a new soakaway to cope with the water coming from the driveway then a simple pipe extending from the existing pipe to the new soakaway will sort the issue. But....

I have a feeling that linear drain at the bottom is going to do nothing much more than give the appearance of a genuine suds solution. Probably fitted so it can fill up and overspill on to the road.

Posted: **Tue Jul 10, 2012 3:53 pm**

Thanks for the replies - I will look up suds on the main site.

Just looked up "Catchpit" - nope, not got one of those.
cant see any storm water manholes - just foul water manholes.
I do know that the aco is set to drain into a couple of soakaways - one either side.
I think our soil is pretty much clay so how successful they are is doubtful - but I don't know what else could be done? With heavy rain this week, the ground above the soakaway quickly became drenched with standing water. So I assume that the aco is working to some extent.

I have been and looked at the aco this morning, and found a 2 inch hole has been cut in the bottom (half way along the aco) with what appears to
be a bit of land drain visible underneath. Its possible that he has extended the existing pipe to a point just below the aco hole in the hope that the draining water will jump up
and flow along the aco to the soakaways. Perhaps when its really wet this will happen a little, but i would imagine most would continue on its way? Hence the existing problem.

If we did take up a section of drive and re route to the new soakaways, I think they will quickly fill up and spill out - maybe we have no other choice?

another (possibly stupid) question: if you have block paving set laid on a decent gradient (which ours is) should I expect rainfall to soak in or flow along the surface before neatly dropping into to the aco?

I will take a look around for storm water manhole

thanks again
Gra

Posted: **Tue Jul 10, 2012 8:10 pm**

The water will soak in and come back up where the aco channel is which more than likely has been layed on concrete and will Cause algi in time! your drives should have the correct drainage if it collects such a large area and I think the price you both paid should have included this. a photo should give us more chance to put you in the right direction but a land drain before your aco's should divert the water from the bedding layer but where then? Suds is a cloudy subject that your builder should have considered or at least informed you about prior to him getting the job as its law in England and Wales since October 08...!

The Brew Cabin

Water rising through block paving