Gravel and sock definitely feels like more work at first, but man, it saves headaches down the line. I helped my uncle redo his backyard drain last summer—he went with corrugated because it was cheap and we were in a hurry. Fast forward to this spring, and roots from the neighbor’s maple had already found their way in. We spent half a Saturday digging up muddy pipe and pulling out what looked like spaghetti.
Honestly, if there are trees anywhere nearby, I’d rather just do gravel and sock once and be done with it for a while. Corrugated’s fine if you’re okay with maintenance or if it’s just a temporary fix. But yeah, nature always finds a way to mess with your plans... roots are relentless. Sometimes I think they’re smarter than us when it comes to finding water.
Ever tried using solid pipe instead of corrugated in those root-heavy spots? I’ve seen folks swear by it, especially when there are big trees nearby. It’s a bit more work to get the slope right, but less chance for roots to sneak in. Wonder if anyone’s had luck with root barriers or chemical treatments, or if that’s just adding more hassle down the road...
Solid pipe definitely keeps roots out better, but it’s not always the magic fix folks hope for. Here’s the thing—if you’re in an area with a lot of groundwater or heavy clay, solid pipe can actually back up faster since it doesn’t let water in along the run. Corrugated, even though roots love those little ridges, does a better job at draining if you’ve got a proper gravel bed and filter fabric. I’ve seen jobs where people swapped to solid, only to end up with standing water because the pipe couldn’t pick up seepage.
Root barriers? Mixed bag. They work if you install them deep enough, but most people don’t dig far enough and roots just go under or around. Chemical treatments...eh, I’m not a fan. Too easy to mess up and kill the wrong plants, plus you have to keep reapplying. If you’re worried about roots, I’d focus on regular maintenance—snaking the lines every couple years beats tearing everything up later. Just my two cents from crawling around in muddy trenches more times than I can count.
I hear you on the solid pipe not being the end-all, especially if you’ve got heavy clay. I ran into that exact problem last fall—put in solid thinking I was doing myself a favor, then got a swampy mess after the first big rain. Ended up redoing it with perforated corrugated and a ton of gravel, plus wrapped the whole thing in landscape fabric. Haven’t had standing water since.
One thing I’m still not clear on: if you’re using corrugated with gravel and fabric, how deep are folks usually digging these trenches? I went about 18 inches, but I’ve read people go as shallow as 8 or as deep as 2 feet. Wondering if depth makes a big difference for drainage or just for keeping roots out. Anyone ever regret not going deeper?
Honestly, I think you nailed it with 18 inches. That’s about where I landed last year after a ton of second-guessing. Tried going deeper in one spot and just hit more clay—felt like overkill. Haven’t had root problems yet, but I do wonder if that’ll change in a few years. Seems like the sweet spot is somewhere between “deep enough to stay below the grass roots” and “not so deep you’re digging your own grave.”
