Author Topic: Flooded area in garden / blocked field drain? (Read 3630 times)

morayjohny · « **on:** July 21, 2015, 02:57:50 pm »

I've got a problem with an area of our garden which is below one of our fields flooding. There is no sign of any problem in the field but the area flooded has a large tree in the middle of it which makes me think there could be a field drain that roots have blocked. We don't have a plan for the drains so aren't able to check this without making a mess of the grass which the wife isn't keen to do.

I wondered if anyone had any ideas or knew anyone that could help?

Cheers

John

doganjo · « **Reply #1 on:** July 21, 2015, 08:03:30 pm »

Ok - a few questions -

is the tree healthy?
what is it?
what do you want to do with the ground?

To my mind a wet patch of grass is a continual bug bear - I know because every time we have a heavy rainfall my back garden/grass/gravel is under a couple of inches of water; it's a nightmare to walk through; however, it drains quickly so I've never done anything about it. But I have a pear tree that has never flowered, 2 apple trees that have mould, a rowan that loves where it is, a silver birch likewise, a gooseberry the same.

I can't do much about it anyway as we are low lying, with a high water table; and the adjacent railway line was reinstated a few years ago so the hard landscaping that comes with that causes run off.

morayjohny · « **Reply #2 on:** July 21, 2015, 09:41:35 pm »

Hi, there are actually 2 trees an ash and a fir, both very healthy. The ground is part of our garden which is grassed and don't want to change that. However as its slopping it runs off the grass down then drive which causes problems in the winter when it freezes, especially if it reaches the bottom of the drive and flows onto the road then freezes as it did last winter !!

It doesn't dry up which is a real pain.

doganjo · « **Reply #3 on:** July 21, 2015, 09:47:24 pm »

I think you need to try to divert it from your drive at the very least. You don't want an accident!

morayjohny · « **Reply #4 on:** July 21, 2015, 10:06:59 pm »

Did a temp division last winter but didn't want to have to do a perm one if able to sort out the root of the problem (no pun intended)

pgkevet · « **Reply #5 on:** July 21, 2015, 11:13:22 pm »

The only non invasive way i can think of is geophysics....potentialy expensive perhaps but I'd have though that a drain would show up well on some form of ground ultrasound. Or it's a thin slot cut across the area of interest. If it is a blocked drain then you're going to have to dig anyway......

devonlady · « **Reply #6 on:** July 22, 2015, 09:27:33 am »

You may have to make a mess of the grass! This can soon be put right. If the water flows onto a road and then freezes this could result in an accident

Buttermilk · « **Reply #7 on:** July 23, 2015, 07:45:23 pm »

Is the ground wet in dry weather? If so you either have a burst water pipe or an underground spring.

clydesdaleclopper · « **Reply #8 on:** July 24, 2015, 11:58:28 am »

You could try dowsing to see if it is a drain

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #9 on:** July 24, 2015, 12:27:10 pm »

How old are the trees? The ash would seem the more likely candidate as firs often have very shallow roots. Dowsing sounds a good first step as if it is a drain the blockage could be above where the water is actually issuing out of the ground.

pgkevet · « **Reply #10 on:** July 24, 2015, 01:02:46 pm »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VAasVXtCOI#t=270

However I must admit that my one and only go at dowsing proved fsacinatig ..in as much as the two wires did swing on their own volition at the same point over the ground. What i didn't do was dig down to see whether the drain was really there.