[tneill]

I know this issue has been addressed in other threads, but none of the solutions are viable for my situation.

I have a paver patio that is confined by a concrete block wall on one side, is recessed about 1 inch from the house slab on another, and is about 2 1/2 feet lower than the yard (sunken patio) on the other two sides. I live in San Diego where we get little rain, but when it does rain the water accumulates on the patio and actually will run into the paved enclosed porch that it butts up against. It then takes several days for it to evaporate or seep in between the retaining wall blocks, unless I pump it out with a shopvac.

I have an idea, but wanted to defer to the experts before trying this. Can I find the lowest point, drill a 3-4" hole straight down (maybe 5 feet), then line it with perforated pipe and top it off with a small brass drain cover? Has anyone seen this done before?

I can post pics if that will help.

Thanks, Tom

[johnkeegan]

Since it's a sunken patio you need to drain the water off to either a "dry well" in the yard or to a buried pipe which would then "daylight" to a final spot (preferred long term).

The trick, then, is how to get the water off the patio and into this pipe. Perhaps a channel drain would work. That would require the least amount of paver disturbance. It could be only a few inches wide since you say you get so little rain (I'll try not to hold that against you).

That seems like a better system than what you described unless your subsoil is extremely free draining. And over time all the dirt and sediment that runs off the patio may spoil it's flow rate, anyhow.

Remember that, where I come from, when there's water...there's water. So I always want to make damn sure my drainage system can handle any scenario.

[GLAN]

If you are on flat land for the most part.......dry well

As said above.....if you can run pipe on a down grade and have it daylight..that would be the best option.

I am familiar with some of the hills in SoCal.....and know that properties there would have to have drainage and an outlet is provided at the curb

[tneill]

Originally Posted by johnkeegan

Since it's a sunken patio you need to drain the water off to either a "dry well" in the yard or to a buried pipe which would then "daylight" to a final spot (preferred long term).

The trick, then, is how to get the water off the patio and into this pipe. Perhaps a channel drain would work. That would require the least amount of paver disturbance. It could be only a few inches wide since you say you get so little rain (I'll try not to hold that against you).

That seems like a better system than what you described unless your subsoil is extremely free draining. And over time all the dirt and sediment that runs off the patio may spoil it's flow rate, anyhow.

Remember that, where I come from, when there's water...there's water. So I always want to make damn sure my drainage system can handle any scenario.

I'm in an older neighborhood on relatively flat ground. The constraints of the patio will make it nearly impossible to drain the water offsite or to the gutter. What exactly do you mean by a "dry well"?

Thanks for the feedback so far...

Tom

[johnkeegan]

Essentially a dry well is an area dug out in the yard into which the water can flow and then percolate down into the ground. They can range from simple to fancy. Depending on the amount of run-off (plan for the worst) and soil conditions , you can buy a container (dry welll) to run your pipe into and then surround it with free draining stone.. or if the run-off is minimal and your native soil percolates well, you could just dig a hole, surround it with fabric and fill it with cobbles and run the pipe into that.

[Lanelle]

If you want to spend some money to create a beautiful solution, the water can be drained into the 'dry well' area and then recycled through a water feature. This is shown on the Aquascape website.