Outer Sonotube Removed From Casting Yard Drain
[ Monday August 10th 2020 at 4:18 pm ]
Today is another milestone in my yard drainage project. The concrete yard drain has cured. I've received help removing the outer Sonotube from my yard drain cast. I used the Sonotube as a form in casting a round yard drain. This acts as a dry well. It provides a pathway for the melting snow and spring rains while the ground is still frozen to go below the frost line and be absorbed into the ground. This means my yard is unlikely to flood going forward. This is a stark contrast to 2 years ago where I had approximately 800 gallons / 3,000 liters of water in my backyard.
I live in Canada. When this happens to an area in Canada it means there was very limited snow on the ground as winter started. What happens is the frost line goes down through the earth. The frost line doesn't stabilize until there is sufficient snow on the ground. The snow acts as insulation. There are wee pockets of air between the individual snow flakes. This works the same as insulation in building our homes. Eventually a "critical mass" of snow is reached where the ground doesn't freeze any further. When this happens in the area where I live the frost line drops down to 5 feet below grade. The earth acts as concrete. The spring thaw causes water to pool instead of being absorbed. Of course this presents the risk of flooding and damage to the surrounding homes.
In a very practical way my French drain is an insurance policy. It is to protect against dry rot, mould and fungus growth to my home and shed. It is passive. Even in the event of a massive power grid failure this will continue to work protecting my property. When my yard flooded the shed was intimidated with water that turned to ice as the temperature dropped below freezing. If I am to have any hope of using this space it needs to be protected from a repeat event. It is just amazing the damage water can do and the health ailments damaged building materials create. All in all this is a very positive progress.