# Rain seeping into garage at base - need tips please
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeping-into-garage-at-base-need-tips-please/432344
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [January 4, 2008, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeping-into-garage-at-base-need-tips-please/432344 "2008-01-04T23:43:32Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2008, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeping-into-garage-at-base-need-tips-please/432344/21 "2008-01-05T01:56:44Z")
[QUOTE=NinetyWt]
How deep is it getting in the garage?.
[/QUOTE]
Not deep at all. It’s causing wide puddles on the concrete floor. I’m more concerned about eventual foundation problems.
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### Author:  [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2008, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeping-into-garage-at-base-need-tips-please/432344/22 "2008-01-05T01:58:35Z")
[QUOTE=Bearflag70]
I drew a diagram and posted it with the photos if that helps.
[/QUOTE]
I’m not seeing it. Is it via the same link?
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### Author:  [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2008, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeping-into-garage-at-base-need-tips-please/432344/23 "2008-01-05T02:03:07Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal]
I’m not seeing it. Is it via the same link?
[/QUOTE]
> **[P1010194](https://flickr.com/photos/76754698@N00/2167740012/)**
>
> Explore bearflag70's 22 photos on Flickr!
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### Author:  [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2008, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeping-into-garage-at-base-need-tips-please/432344/24 "2008-01-05T02:03:25Z")
> [@](#):
>
> channel will end up being below sidewalk level where the dirt strip ends, no? It would be ideal, I think, to divert the water down the strip to that sidewalk under the gate where the drained water can then flow harmlessly down the driveway.
If you have sufficient slope between the two points, yes.
Would [this](http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i84/NinetyWt/scan0001.jpg) be possible?
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### Author:  [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2008, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeping-into-garage-at-base-need-tips-please/432344/25 "2008-01-05T02:16:53Z")
I’m not sure where the water is ending up in that diagram. Dispersing under the lawn?
PS: Directly across from the spout is a large concrete patio, so the only practical room to work with is the little dirt strip and the lawn on the other side of the sidewalk.
Whoever designed this thing. GAH!
How about this?
Band aid: Plastic tarp w/ rocks & dirt holding it down.
Long term: Install a small drain under the spout and hook the drain into the sprinkler system via PVC joint. There is a sprinkler right there in the dirt strip. I guess the problem is that sprinkler water will want to go up the drain pipe unless there is some kind of valve.
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### Author:  [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2008, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeping-into-garage-at-base-need-tips-please/432344/26 "2008-01-05T02:25:20Z")
[QUOTE=Bearflag70]
Long term: Install a small drain under the spout and hook the drain into the sprinkler system via PVC joint. There is a sprinkler right there in the dirt strip. I guess the problem is that sprinkler water will want to go up the drain pipe unless there is some kind of valve.
[/QUOTE]
On second thought, where does the water go once all the sprinkler pipes fill up with rain water? The sprinklers start going if it keeps raining hard enough? No. :smack:
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### Author:  [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2008, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeping-into-garage-at-base-need-tips-please/432344/27 "2008-01-05T02:28:29Z")
[QUOTE=Bearflag70]
I’m not sure where the water is ending up in that diagram. Dispersing under the lawn?
[/quote]
I’m hoping that there is a low point (out at the street?) for the swale to drain to.
> [@](#):
>
> PS: Directly across from the spout is a large concrete patio, so the only practical room to work with is the little dirt strip and the lawn on the other side of the sidewalk.
Did I end up in the right place?
> [@](#):
>
> Band aid: Plastic tarp w/ rocks & dirt holding it down.
Agreed. Unless you have some of **Phungi** ’s magic hydraulic cement.
> [@](#):
>
> Long term: Install a small drain under the spout
Agreed.
> [@](#):
>
> and hook the drain into the sprinkler system
Ack ! No!
The sprinkler is hooked onto the fresh water supply - water comes to the sprinkler, goes out the head, and runs off the lawn - water won’t drain back down the line, unless the line loses pressure. And we don’t want drains hooked into fresh water because of the danger of contamination.
How is the street? Lower than the yard, at all?
ETA: ok, you caught it. I withdraw my Ack!
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### Author:  [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2008, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeping-into-garage-at-base-need-tips-please/432344/28 "2008-01-05T02:57:26Z")
I guess the best thing is a drain under the spout, going underground along the length of the dirt strip, then under the concrete and out to the front yard, which slopes downward. That sounds like a lot of digging. Sigh.
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### Author:  [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2008, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeping-into-garage-at-base-need-tips-please/432344/29 "2008-01-05T03:11:04Z")
Can you rent [this](http://www.dynadiggr.com/)? or [this](http://www.rentalhq.com/article.asp?artid=32&cat=diy)?
We once dug a trench alllllllll the way around a house, in order to treat for termites. Not fun!
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### Author:  [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2008, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeping-into-garage-at-base-need-tips-please/432344/30 "2008-01-05T03:17:18Z")
I feel your pain Bear. A huge oak tree blew down by my hot tub it took out several other trees and the control valves for several sprinklers. I was out in the crap cutting my way through the tree to get to the gushing water to cap the broken pipes. This is some hum dinger. Actually it is kind of a nice change despit the several grand it is going to cost me to have the tree removed. The root ball is so big I just know I will have to get a crew in here with a crane to get it out of the yard. I can’t just let it sit there it is in the middle of what used to be a nicely landscaped area.
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### Author:  [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2008, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeping-into-garage-at-base-need-tips-please/432344/31 "2008-01-05T04:15:57Z")
[QUOTE=NinetyWt]
Can you rent [this](http://www.dynadiggr.com/)? or [this](http://www.rentalhq.com/article.asp?artid=32&cat=diy)?
We once dug a trench alllllllll the way around a house, in order to treat for termites. Not fun!
[/QUOTE]
Another problem with an underground drain is [the 10-15 feet of concrete between the back and front lawns](http://www.flickr.com/photos/76754698@N00/2167229391/) because the entire back yard is flat and the only real downward slope is the front lawn and driveway.
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### Author:  [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2008, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeping-into-garage-at-base-need-tips-please/432344/32 "2008-01-05T04:28:25Z")
[QUOTE=askeptic]
I feel your pain Bear. A huge oak tree blew down by my hot tub it took out several other trees and the control valves for several sprinklers. I was out in the crap cutting my way through the tree to get to the gushing water to cap the broken pipes. This is some hum dinger. Actually it is kind of a nice change despit the several grand it is going to cost me to have the tree removed. The root ball is so big I just know I will have to get a crew in here with a crane to get it out of the yard. I can’t just let it sit there it is in the middle of what used to be a nicely landscaped area.
[/QUOTE]
Ouch. I don’t feel so bad. If you have pets that go outside, check your gates. **All of them**. I have a locked gate that blew open and and Cooper, my cute dog in the photos, just escaped. Luckily, he is now safe after a terrible panic.
::adds different locking mechanism to punch list::
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### Author:  [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2008, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeping-into-garage-at-base-need-tips-please/432344/33 "2008-01-05T04:55:17Z")
Here is my [poor tree](http://www.flickr.com/photos/22502911@N02/2167303257/)
All the dogs are fine.
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2008, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeping-into-garage-at-base-need-tips-please/432344/34 "2008-01-05T05:15:45Z")
What if you used a [rain barrel](http://rainbarrelguide.com/) in that spot? I’m not an expert on rain barrels so I don’t know if it would overflow during a heavy rain like you’re experiencing or what. But the thought of all that digging makes me sleepy 🙂
FWIW, my house had terrible foundation water problems (it has a basement) and it wasn’t fixed until I had a lot of expensive work done - a trench on either side of the house going across the front lawn to the front ditch, routing all 4 of the downspouts to underground pipes that ended up in the ditch, trenching along the house, tarring the foundation, putting down drainage pipes (connected to the downspout pipes) and gravel.
My biggest problem occurred when I let the backfilled dirt around the foundation settle too low. I basically created a “moat” around my house and had to have some of the work re-done.
Isn’t there a way **Bearflag** could build up the 18" area around the garage with dirt and gravel so that the water runs off to the concrete? Or is 18" not big enough for the slope he’d need?
I agree tho that having the downspout right there is no good for anything. It’s like not having gutters at all.
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### Author:  [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2008, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeping-into-garage-at-base-need-tips-please/432344/35 "2008-01-05T05:34:03Z")
Wow **askeptic** - I’m glad that didn’t fall on anyone! I wonder if the guy with the chipper would come chip up that stump?
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ]
What if you used a [rain barrel](http://rainbarrelguide.com/) in that spot?
[/quote]
He could, he would be limited to a manageable size barrel - and we could figure how much water it would hold, and say “you can stand X inches of rain until your barrel over flowed”. I think the barrel would have to be so large as to be impractical.
> [@](#):
>
> FWIW, my house had terrible foundation water problems (it has a basement) and it wasn’t fixed until I had a lot of expensive work done - a trench on either side of the house going across the front lawn to the front ditch, routing all 4 of the downspouts to underground pipes that ended up in the ditch, trenching along the house, tarring the foundation, putting down drainage pipes (connected to the downspout pipes) and gravel.
This is what I was getting at with the “rent vs. buy” thing. Since he’s the owner he might look into getting this type thing done.
> [@](#):
>
> Isn’t there a way **Bearflag** could build up the 18" area around the garage with dirt and gravel so that the water runs off to the concrete? Or is 18" not big enough for the slope he’d need?
Piling up dirt against the wall would accelerate rot. He needs for the water to run away from the garage floor. The garage floor must be the high spot. If he could dig a slope away from the garage that would be ideal. Unfortuately the sidewalk is in the way; so he must find a way to create positive drainage away from the floor and also go under the sidewalk. (I know that’s poorly written, sorry).
I know it would be expensive, but how about taking up one “square” of the sidewalk, doing the work, then replacing it?
Also: on your new drawing **Bearflag** , where do you think the lowest point is?
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### Author:  [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2008, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeping-into-garage-at-base-need-tips-please/432344/36 "2008-01-05T05:49:29Z")
[QUOTE=NinetyWt]
I know it would be expensive, but how about taking up one “square” of the sidewalk, doing the work, then replacing it?
Also: on your new drawing **Bearflag** , where do you think the lowest point is?
[/QUOTE]
I prefer not spending unnecessary moolah.
Also, the back yard is everything in the drawing behind the fence (the lower part of the page). Everything above the fence out to the sidewalk is part of the front yard.
The property is flat except a downward slope in the front yard from the “fence” (as labeled in the drawing) out to the public sidewalk (at the top of the page). So, getting water to go anywhere away from that spout is a problem.
Is there a way to move or re-route the spout itself?
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### Author:  [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2008, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeping-into-garage-at-base-need-tips-please/432344/37 "2008-01-05T05:52:41Z")
[QUOTE=askeptic]
Here is my [poor tree](http://www.flickr.com/photos/22502911@N02/2167303257/)
[/QUOTE]
Wow, that looks like it was a nice tree. That’s a shame.
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### Author:  [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2008, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeping-into-garage-at-base-need-tips-please/432344/38 "2008-01-05T06:13:20Z")
[QUOTE=Bearflag70]
I prefer not spending unnecessary moolah.
Also, the back yard is everything in the drawing behind the fence (the lower part of the page). Everything above the fence out to the sidewalk is part of the front yard.
The property is flat except a downward slope in the front yard from the “fence” (as labeled in the drawing) out to the public sidewalk (at the top of the page). So, getting water to go anywhere away from that spout is a problem.
Is there a way to move or re-route the spout itself?
[/QUOTE]
I should add that the lowest point of the property as a whole is where the front lawn and driveway meet the public sidewalk (top of the page).
As far as lowest point in the the back yard, there is no lowest point since it’s flat. The shortest distance between the spout and any downward slope is to go along the (flat) dirt strip and under the gate to the top of the driveway, where the water can zip down the sloping driveway.
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2008, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeping-into-garage-at-base-need-tips-please/432344/39 "2008-01-05T06:32:30Z")
Do you have drainage ditches in your neighborhood? What is past the bottom of your drawing? Someone else’s backyard? A street? A ditch?
Using my elaborate setup as a reference point, my advice would be to dig down, make your own slope, and lay a pipe in the trench that’s connected at one end to the downspout and at the other end drains into a ditch.
But, I was only able to do this (ok, I paid some people a hefty sum to do this) because I have the ditch to dump in to. It’s a beautiful solution and keeps all sorts of water off my foundation, but it only works if you have a way to make your own slope to an exit point far away from the house.
I do recall doing some work at my aunt’s house that involved digging a trench, laying down [perforated pipe](http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/pubs/95-107/components01.html), covering it with clean gravel and then dirt. This did NOT dump into a ditch - we just used it as a way to move water away from the house and the front walk. I think the water just sort of “ended up” deep under ground near the city’s sidewalk.
So, if you don’t have a ditch, you could just attach your downspout to something underground that leads the water away from the house and just underground.
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### Author:  [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2008, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeping-into-garage-at-base-need-tips-please/432344/40 "2008-01-05T06:47:17Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ]
Do you have drainage ditches in your neighborhood? What is past the bottom of your drawing? Someone else’s backyard? A street? A ditch?
[/quote]
Someone else’s backyard
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