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How to Maintain a Yard Drainage System

Since the majority of your lawn drainage system exists under the ground, it’s easy to forget about it and ignore essential maintenance tasks. That is, until something goes wrong. The 7-step process outlined in this article will help you learn how to maintain a yard drainage system and French drains.

Clear Debris Around Connections

As a general rule, do what you can to keep debris away from all drainage connections that are visible within the yard. Using a string trimmer, you should routinely cut away grass and debris around popup emitters, catch basins, and drain grates. This will keep water flowing through your landscape drainage system and reduce chances of debris buildup. When you resod a lawn, it’s especially important to make sure that you cut openings in the sod at these ground-level connection points.

Check and Secure Connection Points

We recommend checking and securing all drainage adapters and connection points with corrugated tile tape or screw fasteners.

Test Pop-Up Drain Emitters

A pop-up emitter is responsible for removing storm water from the drainpipes. This spring-actuated device is activated by hydrostatic pressure, or pressure from the buildup of water in your drainage pipes. To test your pop-up drain emitters, simply pull up on the middle part of the emitter to make sure that it rises and that you feel slight spring tension while pulling it up from the base.

Clean Out Catch Basins

Catch basins are installed underground with a slotted grate opening sitting at ground level. Surface water travels through the slotted opening of the catch basin and enters the drainage pipes. Your catch basin filters out debris and leaves, similar to a basket in a pool filter. At least once annually, it’s a good idea to detach the top grate and remove any debris sitting at the bottom of the basin to prevent blockage.

Check Exposed Drainage Pipes

While most of the drainage line sits underground, there is often a bit of line left exposed between a gutter downspout and the soil line. These areas of exposed line are vulnerable to being hit by string trimmers and other lawn and garden equipment. Visually inspect the exposed drainage pipes for holes or tears periodically.

Flush the Drainage System

We recommend that you routinely flush your drainage system with water. Flushing the system will help to prevent clogs from developing and can also reveal leaks or loose connections within the system. You can flush the system by inserting a garden hose inside the drainpipe where it connects to each of the downspout adapters. Flushing the drainage system can be time-consuming and require some basic hand tools, so it’s best to call a company that fixes yard drainage problems if you need help with this step.

Clean Gutters

Because your gutter system is connected to the yard drainage system, leaves and shingle debris from your roof and gutters can lead to clogged drainage pipes, especially if you have a French drain installed. To avoid this, have your gutters cleaned annually.