Draining Fields

funkey_monkey

I've got a few fields that I'm going to drain. Three of them are rectangular in shape with ditches along each side. The have a good gradient down the narrow sides (if that makes sense) and little cross gradient. This would be peaty soil.

Is there a standard pattern for drain layouts? I'll see what the contractor says, but I'm leaning towards the herringbone. I don't want to over drain the field.

Really just putting this up here for the craic to see what others have to say as no two fields will be the same to drain.

TinyMuffin

I’d go for the middle 1. As less distance the water has to travel to main shore the better. Pipe in main shore and no pipe in the branches. Plenty of round stone and cover with straw before backfilling.

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121216935#Comment_121216935

Any reason for no pipe in the branches? Cost be nominal.

Any reason for round stone? I see a lot of blue 2-4 inch down type being used locally.

TinyMuffin

Pipe no advantage in peaty soil. More chippings. Crushed stone goes back together and allows for less movement of water. Round stone way better.

funkey_monkey

Straw as an alternative to terram?

minerleague

Is there an open drain at bottom of fields for option 2? Think I'd go for no 1. Anyone ever think of lining sides of drain with the geotextile fabric before putting in stone? Agree with tinymuffin on the round stone even if it is more expensive

Say my name

I've no experience of peaty soil.

But when the drainage contractor did work here they made the drainage pipe as long as possible before entering the open drain.

Their reasoning was the pipe would never block with silt as it would be constantly flowing with water. Which it does. Only caveat I have, is I have to rod out roots from the end every year. Even though there's a 20ft solid pipe at the end.

But with the force of water when the roots do block it boils up to the surface and the water flows on top of the ground.

Pipe is down 5 - 6ft in the ground.

funkey_monkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121217835#Comment_121217835

Yes. Drains on all sides.

funkey_monkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121217979#Comment_121217979

Field has a good slope which ironically might not be good for draining. From reading about house drains if the slow isn't right, too fast and too slow will not keep any silt in suspension.

kk.man

Drainage success depends on the contours of the field.

older by the day

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058317476/draining-fields

Don't mind the shape of the field. If it's peaty how far down is the clay. Are there springs in the field. If it's a slope, bursting a good dike up on top or through the middle will lower the water table and help dry it.

Are there old drains there, was it dry before. Them old fellows who did stone drains did not waste their time.

Not being harsh but try and get a very good smart digger driver to have a look first. Some times a deep dike around a side would keep of surface water.

Turning is a good job if it's very wet.

You could waste a lot of money on unnecessary drainage and if its runny clay you would still have no soakage.

Take it from a bogger like myself get an expert to have a look first

Mooooo

Screenshot_20231010-223614_OneNote.jpg

Don't have experience of peaty soul but if draining a field across a slope I find the above works well, one outlet at lowest point and take the drains across the slope. On our ground we go deep to catch the ground water.

mr.stonewall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058317476/draining-fields

Option 1 if you have a drain to tap into on the 2 side. Stagger to let the them kind of interlock at the middle. Also an angled drain at the bottom. Then a pull of a mole plough up the hill will work well, but only if done in drought. I would agree with ploughing it especially on wet ground,if not peat. It looses the soil and improves the drainage.

Once drained leave it for a year before planning on reseeding. If any spring pop up that you have missed, it's easy to tap these into a drain.

A real help is to walk the field first and drop a few pins on Google maps of the bad spots. Save it as a screen grab and it will really help the plan. Don't make the plan the day the digger arrived. That need to be in your head or paper sorted 3 months out

TinyMuffin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121217305#Comment_121217305

We baled up rushes a couple of years ago and throw a few into a straw blower and drive along the shore when the weather allows. Father on digger me chipping and blowing straw. Field marked out well in advance. Got through some amount of work 2021 2022. Father gone now. Digger hasn’t moved this summer. A good ploughing in the direction of the fall helps. As long as you’re crossing the shores.

funkey_monkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121221169#Comment_121221169

Does that type work better because it takes in more water to keep the flow rate going. So options 1 & 2 in my sketch are shorter drains and would have less flow and therefore more likely have problems?

minerleague

One advantage of option 1 is you can get someone now that can flush out drainage pipes with high pressure water and short straight runs with no joints would seem to be ideal for that.

Mooooo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121223286#Comment_121223286

Yeah that would be really main reason really, we put two of those type into a field in 2018 and the water hasn't stopped flowing since. A solid pipe sticking out into the watercourse and back over the drainage pipe helps pre prevent roots in the bank from blocking it

funkey_monkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121224214#Comment_121224214

Do you have to dig up the start of it to flush?

mr.stonewall

In few jobs I placed a concrete block on the pipe at the outlet. Makes it quick to find it if it gets overgrown. I used to stick a bit of 4inch sewer at the outlet. Gave up doing it as it would end up in crap when drains would be cleared. The beauty of the block is when poking around with the spade to find the outlet.stick a pig tail with a bit of plastic bag tied to the top. Its easy then for everyone. Last few jobs I did I keep a pic of google maps and drew lines on it. Another would be get a picture from a drone if you had someone who could do it

Mooooo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121225061#Comment_121225061

Start as low as possible in open drain, not on the floor of it but as low as you can, and work back, digger man usually good to keep a fall in the drain. 4 or 6 inch pipe with stone on top and then close in. Depending on field could be 6 to 8 ft deep. Again not peat here so may be different but ground water is what would keep a field wet here. Teagasc site prob has ideas for drainage as well on different soil types

Mooooo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121225217#Comment_121225217

When fencing I generally drive two timber posts either side of the drain on the boundary to know where outlets are.

RockOrBog

I drained around 8 acres in 2021, including around a half acre patch of the finest flaggers you have ever seen. The area had springs in it and a neighbouring field was also draining downhill onto it. It was perished for at least 10 months of the year.

I did a lot of open drains and also some with land drain and clean stone. I decided not to spray the flaggers and top them instead. Over the last 2 years I probably topped them 8 or 9 times and they've got weaker every time. They kept turning yellow I'm guessing from lack of water.

There's now 90% green grass where once was a swamp, spray will only get you so far.

Fair play the neighbour uphill gave me the price of a load of stone.

funkey_monkey

@RockOrBog - what do you mean by flaggers - rushes?

J.O. Farmer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121235308#Comment_121235308

The yellow flag iris

RockOrBog

They have a name in Irish here but I have no idea how to spell it. I knew how to kill em though

funkey_monkey

Are Connaught Agri pipes better than twin wall pipe or are they the same thing?

Does layer of straw be used to allow a sod to formed above the stones? Would wool be a cheaper alternative?

Good loser

Use a layer of terram on top of the stones.

funkey_monkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121686797#Comment_121686797

Can you get terram in long thin stripes? Any other alternatives?

lmk123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121687117#Comment_121687117

Just cut the roll to whatever width you need it

funkey_monkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121216959#Comment_121216959

Was reading else where that stone is not needed in peat soil. Just put in the pipe and that will work perfectly.

minerleague

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121684362#Comment_121684362

The connaught agri ones comes with a sleeve of geotextile fabric

funkey_monkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121689149#Comment_121689149

Are they still being made. Can only see the sleeves on their website.

Read differing views on them across a few forums. I'm leaning towards twinwall. Will see what someone with more knowledge than myself says when he visits in regards to stones and terram.

Would any of you get in an 'recognised expert' in drainage work to cast their eye over it, or do you think it out yourself and roll the dice? A lot of money involved these days - plus the neighbours will get to see if you fnck it up!!!

148multi

If there is rust in the water I don't put in a pipe because it will gunk up like glue.

Fill all shores to the top with stone here, the soil near by shrinks and draws water into the shore

leoch

The rust as u call it or iron ore will block ur pipeless drain also then its fxuked at least with the pipe u can rod it or jet it out and stand a chance of it running again

148multi

If it blocks the stone I'll dig it out for other jobs and lay new stone.

Was in a man's farm south of slieve bloom mountains years ago, he tried clearing with power hose but failed.

Shored the land twice, but third time he said the next generation had no intrest in shoring, so he planted it

Hard Knocks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121695783#Comment_121695783

If there is iron in the water you should use sandstone instead of limestone

mr.stonewall

Do many people mole plough after doing a drainage job

funkey_monkey

Seen this elsewhere and thought it would be great.

https://www.drainagesuperstore.co.uk/product/wrapped-perforated-land-drain-coil-pipe-100mm-x-50m.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwvr6EBhDOARIsAPpqUPFBUtvUhF1RX0KmAF9QZGC-4zW7BfmCstLZ0jH8dA3yAVeWfiWG5yQaAmnEEALw_wcB

A user on F4F drained his ground in similar conditions to me and got great results that he says is still lasting.

Who would you be searching for to get someone to flush the drains?

funkey_monkey

Just seen this on you tube. Handy setup.

https://youtu.be/hFJAtoY-EBY?si=znZ6BiYlp8UL-94R