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Drainage
I’ve seen comments online that say that the star of an install is the base. I disagree! It’s much less glamorous. The star of any turf project is always the drainage!
Consider these pictures of perfectly built bases that did not account for water and drainage correctly. The truth of the matter is you can still account for it and still end up with major repairs. Water can be destructive, so an understanding and a mitigation plan are critical.
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What to avoid
If you see an exemption in the warranty with the company you are working with that looks like this, walk away!
Company is not a drainage company and not responsible for existing drainage issues. The company will follow the existing grade and will make minor adjustments (if needed) to improve drainage.
Quick Question? If they are not a drainage company, or at least have a knowledge of drainage, how will they know if minor or major adjustments need to be made? I’ve been on hundreds of projects and there has seldom been a project that did not need adjustments. We will discuss this in detail later.
I will also add that a certified base installation requires a drainage plan. In fact, working with city engineers, HOA’s, architects, and builders requires a diagram. And a plan is most likely required. I know for a fact that several cities in my area require it in the permitting process. Did you know you need a permit?
When I tell you that if your salesman or installer does not mention a detailed drainage plan in the original conversation, you need to thank them and consider other options. There is a saying in the building industry: “If you don’t control the water, the water will control the project!” This is a fact! I’ve literally walked onto multimillion dollar projects with base aggregate washed onto patios or into houses. I’ve seen apartment complexes with sitting urine in the middle of the family areas and whole sections of turf that slide off hills. Some of your most popular restaurants and retailers have sink holes which create huge safety hazards and worse than that, I’ve seen 6-inch nails just waiting for a foot. Yikes!
Here is a simple fact, the cost to fix this is twice the cost of the original project!
Factors to consider with regards to drainage
Let’s talk about water! Factors to consider:
The general rule is that the amount of water produced by rain is that for every one inch of rain on 1 square foot area, you will produce approximately 1 gallon of water. So, imagine that you have a 2000 SF roof and it rains heavily. You will, on average, produce 2000 gallons of water! And, if you have no gutters, that water is cascading off onto the ground where it creates a drip line or small trench under the roof line. This is a bigger problem than it appears.
If you do have gutters, those gutters can become like a water hose. As the water moves through the gutter, it flows down generating more force until exiting from a small 3- or 4-inch hole. As the water exits it causes major issues. As it filters through the turf it will saturate the ground below. If the base has been incorrectly installed!
If it has been correctly installed it will have the following qualities:
A. Proper anchorage to a perimeter system.
B. Correct compaction.
C. Have enough aggregate.
D. Have a drainage system under the surface, or a geotextile drainage fabric, pitched to a proper exit location. (I prefer into a channel or box drainage system connected to the gutters and disposed into a proper drainage field or area.) Most yards are too small to get the proper equipment into it for proper compaction so a different system must be used. Trees require different system!
Issue one.
If the ground under the turf becomes saturated this forces higher volumes of water to run on top of the turf. (We will discuss further in number two.) As the water saturates the area under the turf, the aggregate starts to move. Once the water finds its way into the small drainage areas under the turf those small areas become larger over time until the base completely washes out from under the turf causing it to collapse. Before that happens completely you will usually see uneven areas in the turf that become eye sores and tripping hazards. If the turf is anchored with nails, there are more entry areas for water. But the bigger issue is the soil around the embeds which becomes unstable and the nails eventually pull out causing a huge hazard. The other factor that I’ve also seen repeatedly is that when the base collapses, the turf follows the grade and literally pulls the anchors out of the ground exposing them. If these anchors are used on a sloped yard or hill side the turf will slide down and bunch at the bottom creating a terrible look as well as expose the upper sections to more water and erosion. Because the ground is saturated and water cannot filter through the turf the next issue occurs.
Issue two.
The water can no longer filter through the turf because of saturation and poor drainage so it now moves rapidly across the top turf at high speeds. The water will now start:
1) Removing the ballast which is the support for the turf spine. If the ballast is not replaced, the spine breaks and the turf falls over on its side creating a matted look. If not addressed quickly, the turf is ruined and the manufactures will seldom cover this under the warranty.
2) Rot out fences prematurely which gets costly to replace.
3) Pours into low areas including under doors into houses and sends debris into neighbors’ yards and/or into city drains, etc.
4) If they used a perimeter masonry wall, particularly on elevated areas, the water will collapse the corners of those areas and the base will eventually erode out onto the area below. Leaving a catastrophic mess that most companies will point to the exemption leaving the owner holding the bag for a very costly repair.
Issue three.
Irrigation. When you decide to install turf, you still have irrigation lines under that base/turf. This creates some positives and negatives.
On a positive note, if you have pets, you can create a flush system to help clean the turf (particularly the back of the turf). This is a huge issue as well due to airborne illness and bacteria in improperly installed dog areas. (We will discuss this topic in another blog!) Another positive is that it can also help to cool the area as well during the summer months.
However, those pipes can also fail and when they do you have a mess on your hands. We keep a licensed irrigator on staff just for this purpose. We find it better to cap the main line and create a dead zone if we are not installing a flush system or leaving a cooling system for children play areas.
Issue four.
Mildew and mold. Exposure to damp and moldy environments may cause a variety of health effects. Some people are sensitive to mold. For those people exposure to molds can lead to symptoms such as stuffy nose, wheezing, and red itchy eyes or skin. For Pets, continuous mold exposure can cause seizures and tremors. Cats in particular will become agitated or anxious due to allergies. Dogs and cats that have been exposed to mold are also known to shake their ears and heads. Some more serious concerns are skin infection, coughing and wheezing sounds, and nose and mouth bleeding. I have a lot to say about this particularly with this newest airborne pet virus that has been discussed in the national news. I have some thoughts on this and am considering working with a lab to see if my suspicions are accurate. Look for a new blog post on the subject!
Final thoughts!
Drainage itself. Remember when I said if you don’t control the water, it controls the project? The actual movement of the water needs to be directed. The pitch has to be correct; you can drain it off the turf but you have to be mindful of where its traveling. If your neighbor is getting your water, you might have problems. You also have to remember that same beautiful looking turf becomes a slip and slide once the ground under it is saturated the water. Once the soil is saturated there is no place for the water to go. If it’s not drained correctly then the turf becomes impervious and the water will pool. Once it develops weight it then moves in multiple directions. You just don’t want that direction to be inside your house, pool, or facility.
See why a design is important it should include water flow as well. If you have questions please give us a call.
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