# muddy soft spots



## bobbyg (Nov 7, 2006)

any suggestions on dealing w. really wet and soft spots?...on the left side of this pic it is so soft i can barely drive over w/ skid...

the cust has had a sump pump dumping into the same spot of the yard for the past 6 months (about 20 ft from house sloping away from house)...the pump continuously pumps every 10-15 minutes and it is completely saturated...

the first thing we did was to redirect the water via a temporary drain to the back of the yard and will soon be burying the drain and trenching for the sump pump drain with gravel...

any solutions to dry up this wet area other than waiting for it to dry?...

thanks


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## PipeGuy (Oct 8, 2004)

bobbyg said:


> any solutions to dry up this wet area other than waiting for it to dry?...


It would help to know what it is you want to do once the area is dry 
(or what is otherwise being delayed by the area remaining wet) and how much, if any, your willing to spend on drying it up.

If the soil is clayey it might help to mix some sand or a small amount of gravel into the area and then:
1. grade it out for positive drainage as best you can
2. rake it continually until it dries or
3. roll it with a smooth drum roller (like a sod roller) if rain is forecasted and
4. see #2


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## TMatt142 (Apr 28, 2006)

assuming you would have a few days,at least, of dry weather, why not dig 2-3 ft of the soft area up and lay it out on the dry area. I'm not sure how much time you have to do all this, but once it's wet...it's wet. Lime also works to take moisture out of clay type soils. If you are afforded the time, laying the wet material out so it can dry a little is a good way to go.


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## dayexco (Mar 4, 2006)

might be quickest to haul several feet of the slop out, haul dry stuff back in.


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## jmic (Dec 10, 2005)

1) Find a solution to drain the sump pump where it will not impact the neighbors or the back yard. Perhaps running them into the town C.B. if there's one in front of their house or install some detention ( depending on soil type ).

2) Once you take care of above, give it a few days to dry on it's own.


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## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

What are you trying to do ?? Why is that you need to get back there ?? Do you need to get a cement truck back there or are you just grading it up ?? If you need to get a truck back there, then scrape off sloppy mud on top and bring in some shale. If you are just grading it up, then give it some time to dry.

If you run the sump pump out and bed it with gravel, the gravel will help to dry out the yard.


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## bobbyg (Nov 7, 2006)

we rerouted the sump drain via a gravel trench yesterday and gave it a day to dry...it was all dry today...we buried the trench and graded the yard

i just wasnt sure how long it would take to dry out so i could grade with the skid steer (i thought it would take longer)


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## jmic (Dec 10, 2005)

bobbyg said:


> we rerouted the sump drain via a gravel trench yesterday and gave it a day to dry...it was all dry today...we buried the trench and graded the yard
> 
> i just wasnt sure how long it would take to dry out so i could grade with the skid steer (i thought it would take longer)


Bobby, 
Ever hear the story about the boy who cried wolf? :w00t: :laughing:


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## PipeGuy (Oct 8, 2004)

bobbyg said:


> we...gave it a day to dry...it was all dry today.


Must'a been one heck of a mudhole. All day to dry? I hope I never come across such a mess.


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## Little (Jul 22, 2006)

lol


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## LNG24 (Oct 30, 2005)

A Day to Dry...I wish I could get my yard to dry out in a day!

I have all clay and a lot of surface run off from the farm behind me. Yard is wet until it is frozen. Never dries.

Tell me more about mixing sand in with the clay...I was thinking of just removing the clay all together. I have access to a lot of "filler" I'd just have to buy topsoil, but if I could mix something with the clay to make it better soil, I'd prefer to do that.


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## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

If you have alot of surface runoff from your neighbor, then you need to put in a french drain. Dig a ditch around the perimeter, place a perf pipe in the bottom and cover with stone all the way to the top and leave uncovered to divert the water.


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## LNG24 (Oct 30, 2005)

rino1494 said:


> If you have alot of surface runoff from your neighbor, then you need to put in a french drain. Dig a ditch around the perimeter, place a perf pipe in the bottom and cover with stone all the way to the top and leave uncovered to divert the water.


Thanks, That was what I was plannign on doing, but wasn't sure how deep I should go. The machine I had two weeks ago had a 30" bucket and I didn't want to waste that much gravel. If they life my Stop Work Order  this week, I will get a machine in there with a 20" bucket or do you think 12" would be better and go down 2'?

FYI: Stop Work Order, because I trucked in over a 1000 cy of fill raising one end of the property to be level. 6' rise! Though I could get it done without anyone paying too much attention:whistling ...Guessed Wrong. Only had 300 cy to go to before finishing. 

Wish me luck in town tomorrow.


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## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

The width of the trench depends on the runoff. If the trench is too narrow, the runoff may jump the trench and continue to flood your place. I wouldn't go with anything less than a 2' wide trench. One thing you can do is on the inside, build a small berm so that in case the runoff does flow over the stone, the berm will help hold it back. As far as stone goes, you can use a bigger stone like 2-3" size. This stone is typically cheaper to buy than crushed gravel. It is also a good idea to line the bottom of the trench with some filter cloth.


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## LNG24 (Oct 30, 2005)

Rino,

I line every drainage trench with a black filter fabric. I can only find it at a couple of yards. It is thick like Felt! It comes in various widths, but I like using the 12.5' lengths. I also like to use this under driveways. Especially when dealing with clay. I have heard some referr to it as Connecticut Filter Fabric as I think it is the only thing acceptable in Ct. Am I right guys?


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