Saturday 9 August 2014

Run off…

Tim has been trying to solve a problem. Every now and again, after a period of very heavy rain, we’ve noticed water in our garage. Yesterday was the first time in five years that we’ve been chez nous, and in a position to observe what happens. The house is built on a slope as as such water falling on the driveway runs down towards the house.

We discovered that this was a problem the previous owners grappled with but never managed to solve. Needless to say they didn’t mention this to us. Thinking about it they also told us that a house with ten sets of single glazed French windows was a ‘warm’ house in winter. It didn’t take us long to suss out that porkie!

Over the past few days Tim has been digging a trench, in order to lay some land drains to direct said run off away from the house and garage. Although the drains haven’t yet been laid, the trenches appear to have worked in that the garage didn’t flood.

Evidence of the deluge can be seen around the house, where it can’t drain away quickly enough.

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I’m just hoping that Tim doesn’t decide that the open trenches will be the best option, although he maintains that his land drain network needs to be even more extensive!

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Trench inspection.

Must remind Tim that perhaps this isn’t the most interesting feature of our house…

13 comments:

  1. Fingers crossed, Gaynor. I'm surrounded by trenches at the moment but it will be some time before their water-directing capacities will be tested. They do become a bit of a fixation with some folk....but quite right. Good luck! Axxx

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  2. Look no further if you need expert advice!!!!

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  3. I am fascinated by the way the water drains from our land after storms. I think the people that built our house were very careful and did a good job, it seems that in these parts...where heavy storms are expected regularly in the summer, building the drainage happens before any other building takes place. Its then just a matter of working out where all the drains and soak aways are and keeping them unclogged ! Good luck with all of this ! xx

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    1. I think when the house was built things were probably fine. The previous owners did some earthworks which changed the lie of the land and levels.
      I'll let you know how it goes! X

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  4. It was quite a deluge! Proper monsoon downpour.
    It may not be the most interesting feature but, boy, it's pretty important as we too found out.

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    1. Luckily any past problems have been confined to a corner of the garage. I think Tim's earthworks would be even greater if the house was at risk. Glad yours is sorted and you have your lovely terrace to show for it!

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  5. The radar indicated that what passed over us was falling at a rate of greater than 100Millipedes per hour....
    We recorded 26mm in around fifteen mins, so that sounds about right...

    Myrtle's nest/roosting site was awash this morning....
    and is only just beginning to appear...

    but....
    the thousand euro question is...
    if the big, square trench worked OK...
    will that small, ground drain pipe cope, I wonder??

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    1. They say that at Monteboeuf there were hailstones the size of plums!

      What size pipe would you suggest? No firm decisions have been made yet. The piece of pipe was just an off cut.

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    2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    3. Thanks, Tim.
      Have your comment on email but have deleted it 'by mistake'
      The info makes sense so are thinking about the advice.

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  6. Tim... You should have had that fine body of people with a spade each...

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    1. Why didn't he think of that. The trench would have been dug in minutes rather than hours!

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    2. I love hard work ... I could watch it for hours.... P

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