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#1
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? Poor draining soil under deck.
I live in NC with clay soil. A problem area for me is under my deck
where the soil NEVER seems to drain. I've removed the mulch installed by the builder. :-( to try and help to no avail. I don't want the deck supports to prematurely rot out from underneath us! Is it possible/adviseable to install a membrane/barrier on top of the soil to only permit evaporation and no further water uptake? Could/should I also add crushed rock to assist in draining the water away from this area? Rob |
#2
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#3
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If you have positive drainage topographically away from that space, then the
problem lies in both the moisture retentive qualities of the below deck soil, as well as the inability of the surrounding soil to translocate the water away below ground. Many different possibilities exist for why exactly that's happening, but the solution you propose is not a good idea. Are you familiar with how to identify what types of soil you have? (sandy, silty, loamy, etc?) -- David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7) email: http://beyondgardening.com/Albums " wrote in message oups.com... I live in NC with clay soil. A problem area for me is under my deck where the soil NEVER seems to drain. I've removed the mulch installed by the builder. :-( to try and help to no avail. I don't want the deck supports to prematurely rot out from underneath us! Is it possible/adviseable to install a membrane/barrier on top of the soil to only permit evaporation and no further water uptake? Could/should I also add crushed rock to assist in draining the water away from this area? Rob |
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#5
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Travis wrote: I hope the deck supports are not resting on the ground. Does the ground slope away from the house? The deck supports are embedded in concrete. The ground does slope away from the house. The soil is just like a big sponge. Rob |
#6
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David J Bockman wrote: If you have positive drainage topographically away from that space, then the problem lies in both the moisture retentive qualities of the below deck soil, as well as the inability of the surrounding soil to translocate the water away below ground. Many different possibilities exist for why exactly that's happening, but the solution you propose is not a good idea. Are you familiar with how to identify what types of soil you have? (sandy, silty, loamy, etc?) David- This is the problem as you state. Do you have any solutions to share? The soil is so wet all the top an identfication of type is difficult for me. Rob |
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#8
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#9
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I really can't suggest solutions without knowing more about the soil
conditions. either the soil itself is suspect (marine clay, or something similar) or there is some sort of physical barrier keeping that area from draining. Other possibilites are leaky sewer lines or water lines... If it were me, I'd get under the deck and shovel out a hole going about 2 feet down. I'd dump the soil onto a tarp and then drag it out into the sun until it dries, then I would examine it. You can plot your results on a three sided chart which I've posted to alt.binaries.pictures.gardens as 'soil makeup grid' which is widely used to classify soil types. The diagram shows a three sided grid with each side representing the content of a particular particle on a scale from 0% to 100%. The bottom line is the sand content, starting at 0% at the bottom right hand corner, and rising to 100% in the bottom left hand corner. -- David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7) email: http://beyondgardening.com/Albums " wrote in message oups.com... David J Bockman wrote: If you have positive drainage topographically away from that space, then the problem lies in both the moisture retentive qualities of the below deck soil, as well as the inability of the surrounding soil to translocate the water away below ground. Many different possibilities exist for why exactly that's happening, but the solution you propose is not a good idea. Are you familiar with how to identify what types of soil you have? (sandy, silty, loamy, etc?) David- This is the problem as you state. Do you have any solutions to share? The soil is so wet all the top an identfication of type is difficult for me. Rob |
#10
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David J Bockman wrote:
...If it were me, I'd get under the deck and shovel out a hole going about 2 feet down. I'd dump the soil onto a tarp and then drag it out into the sun until it dries, then I would examine it. You can plot your results on a three sided chart which I've posted to alt.binaries.pictures.gardens as 'soil makeup grid' which is widely used to classify soil types. The diagram shows a three sided grid with each side representing the content of a particular particle on a scale from 0% to 100%. The bottom line is the sand content, starting at 0% at the bottom right hand corner, and rising to 100% in the bottom left hand corner... It sounds easy, but it isn't quite as easy as it sounds. The differentiation of the soil components isn't just a matter of judgement. Our local extension service charges around $50 for a soil classification. However, I spotted a link that tells you in detail how to do it yourself. I haven't tried it (New England soil is still fairly solid at this time of year) so I don't know how easy or reliable it is. But it's cheap, and therefore worth a shot. http://everything2.com/?node_id=1698166 In case you're not familiar with the soil triangle, an example can be found at http://www.oneplan.org/Water/soil-triangle.shtml (There are lots of them out there. Google it. The above link was the first one.) On the subject of soil tests for the garden, I recommend that if you are using a home soil test kit you spring for a professional test at least once to compare their results against your kit. The home kit pH tests are reasonable, and the potassium and phosphorous are probably not too bad, but the nitrogen home test is not really very reliable. |
#11
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Quote:
Hi Rob, You've gotten some great advice here, so I won't repeat that, but these sites show how to dig your trenches and do the piping. I would think that you might also be concerned about the water against the foundation. The gnats are probably fungal gnats due to all that moisture. It could also become a mosquito problem with the warm weather. http://www.cuyahogaswcd.org/yard_drainage.htm http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/know...228010,00.html http://www.michaelholigan.com/depart...GNT9PBV4N9512# http://www.michaelholigan.com/depart...GNT9PBV4N9512# http://www.askthebuilder.com/175_Dry...ch_Drain.shtml http://www.gardenadvice.co.uk/howto/...d/frenchdrain/ I'm not a use.net poster, but posting from a forum, so forgive me for not knowing how to snip and paste all the conversations. Newt
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When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant. |
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