Gravity overflow drain - after water is outside, then what?

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S

stephenson

0
Nov 30, 2009
230
North Florida
Hi All,

Just bought a house with an inground, fully screened, gunite pool with a gravity drain on one end supposedly to maintain level during rains.

It is placed about 2/3 the way up the tile course around the waterline.

After noting the lack of draining, I called and spoke with the pool builder - he says the 1 1/2" pvc runs straight out, under the concrete and paver layer, to outside the screened enclosure.

So, my sense is it was covered up during landscaping and after a bit of digging I am going to find the pipe - it would seem the point would be to disperse the water as quickly as possible (northwest Florida) - so, best to run into perforated drain pipe in a gravel bed, or dig to place a perforated plastic container?

Thanks!
 
Try putting a fast running hose to the end in the pool and run water thru the pipe. See if you can find the outlet in the yard that way. It might be crushed in the yard or need mud cleaned out of the opening in the yard.

Maddie
 
The water coming from the overflow can go into a dry well or just allowed to disperse into the lawn. Do you know if you need more than just the lawn soaking it up?

This is probably overkill but I always found it cool and perhaps will give you some ideas-->
www.thisoldhouse.com

How to Install a Dry Well

Ready for your next home improvement challenge? A dry well diverts roof runoff and makes for a less slippery yard and walkway.
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Maddie
 
Pretty flat lot - to get to daylight probably would need to run around house almost to street

May have to do a drywell as YS noted - or, an extended perforated pipe solution. Soil might preclude the drywall from working effectively - have to do some digging first. Likely would not need one that large - someone more of a jackleg solution with 5 gal bucket - drill holes, grab some fabric and stone to keep dirt out.

Also worried the water might damage yard - been doing some experimentation with hose to see - chemicals do not seem to have damaged the lawn.

More later after I do some digging :)

Thanks!
 
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Got some non-rain weather.

Located outflow pipe - was run under concrete (pavers on top) to about 1' from outside edge into yard.

Strategy to run downhill around house and towards street, so measured from soffits down to ground starting at pipe (99" - easier to stay inches), then along back of house to at corner - 18' at 103", then to front of house 85' at 129": net 18+85 = 103' with elevation change of -30" so 30"/103' is 0.29" which should give me better than the required 1/4" per foot, so I think OK there.

Can't decide what to do with it after the corner of the house. The yard drops a bit more quickly towards the street, which being new subdivision in northwest Florida, has very effective stormwater management system). There is also a 4' wide sidewalk with an additional 4' of yard between sidewalk and street curb. So, to go under sidewalk then pop the pipe back up to the curb?

While thinking about it I dug around foundation to the front edge of the house ...
 
This is fairly typical in Florida. My overflow pipe extends about 6 feet out from the pool and just terminates in the yard. The overflow just drains into the yard and our soil is all sand based so it absorbs it all. In the 10 years that I have been here a couple of times it gets a few inches above the drain for a few ours before the drain catches up.

It also seems silly as the could have extended the drain pipe another 12' and it would be in daylight where it could drain more freely.
 

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Apparently my overflow has always been blocked - area where it exits is also near the downspout :). Sooo - double whammy on big rains.

Since I've dug the 100+ feet already will see if I can get it to the front yard where the slope is greater - I can keep it below ground all the way - how to distribute it at the surface to drain away across the front yard?
 
More digging 😀

With trench dug, am going to run non perforated 4” abs from downspouts to a pop up emitter in the front yard ... about 100’. Since running abs, didn’t make sense to run 1 1/2” pvc in parallel, so will run the pool drain into the abs about 10’ from where it currently terminates and let it all drain together. May add a couple of faucets off the single faucet to service back of the house ... since there is a trench open.
 
I was saying abs ... meant 4" ADS corrugated pipe.

Basic question - given the gravity drain nature, and that my pool is fully caged, do I really need to run the pipe in the outlet size? Could I drop the diameter to 3/4" with a coupling and then run it to a spot on top of the ADS, turn it 90 degrees, then a shot stub into the top of the ADS (hole saw for tight fit)? I would tie the PVC onto the ADS with poly line to keep it in place.
 
Slow gravity drains should never be restricted in my mind........always give the fluid the path of least resistance (a large pipe).

I am not sure I understand the advantage of using 3/4" anywhere.......where would you use it?
 
1 1/2" to 3/4" coupling about two feet outside the cage (small pool about 7000-8000 gallons) - pool never fills rapidly as the rain disperses through the screen and sides in addition to coming through ...

I've tested during massive rains and a water hose siphon to a spot 3-4 inches lower drains faster than it rains.
 
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