How to install field drainage tile

The cost is a lot lower than what most contractors will charge you to do it. The GPS seems to work pretty efficiently.

Jobs that used to take days will now just take hours. To create an effective drainage system, an assessment needs to be done to reveal both field-wide drainage needs, necessary system capacity and how tile lines — both mains and laterals — should be laid out.

This is typically done along the natural contours of a field. It also includes the sizing for the lines, as well as the size, location and capacity of drains. Designing these plans in SMS allows you to visualize the field from different perspectives, as well as overlay with other layers such as yield or soil type maps. The right equipment and know-how can help ensure the end result is a system that effectively drains otherwise waterlogged soils. Just like GPS can help create a more comprehensive picture of field topography in the planning phase, precision agriculture tools can help with analysis that can help ensure drainage tile systems are having an ongoing benefit to both field conditions and crop yields.

The ability to track specific variables that influence yield can help manage both the initial cost of a system and any changes important to sustaining stronger crop yields. View more pictures of the tile intallation here! Media Center. Contact Us.

Perforated drain tiles properly installed next to a foundation and other problem areas in a landscape effectively direct water away from a structure.

Excavate a trench or series of connected trenches to accommodate the perforated drain tiles. Use a shovel to cut up sections of turf and place them, as intact as possible, on a tarp for later re-vegetation.

Create a trench between about 1 and 2 feet wide, depending on the extent of the drainage issue. Necessary trench depth also varies. If the drain tiles are implemented primarily to protect the foundation from subsurface water, dig the trench up to 6 feet deep. If the primary concern is surface water, a trench only 2 feet deep will suffice. Make sure that the trench extends to a suitable outlet like a ditch, drain field or dry well. Slope the bottom of the trench to facilitate a water flow away from the structure.

Use a laser level or stakes, string and string level to establish the slope. Line the shaped trench with filter fabric or landscaping cloth if the soil is particularly silty and there is concern that it could easily clog the drain tile.

This might not be necessary in sandy or other well-drained sites. Place the perforated drain tile in the center of the trench. If multiple trenches were dug, join sections of perforated drain tiles using fittings of the same material and an adhesive suitable for use with the specific drain tile material.

Orient the tile with the perforations horizontal. Check to make sure that the slope established by the trench bottom carries through to the drain tile.