Slow or clogged yard drains? Here’s how to fix them!

Yard drains and driveway drains help remove rainwater from your property into the storm sewer or other drainage system like a catch basin or French drain to help keep your yard dry. Check for obvious things blocking the drain like leaves, dirt, stones, toys, trash, etc. Remove any of these items that may be present with your hands or scoop if possible.  If there is a grate on the yard drain, remove it so you can get a better look into the drain pipe. If there is additional debris viewable in the drain, try to remove it carefully without damaging the pipe itself. Next, use a garden hose to flush water through the drain and see if that helps clear any remaining blockage. Your property may have one or more drain cleanout or inspection portals likely located near the house, or by the street (closer to the storm sewer) or on some other location in your yard depending on how your yard is setup to handle the water drainage. A plumber or sometimes your city sewer department can help you locate any cleanouts on your property if necessary.  If you are running water from a hose through your yard drain, you should see water flowing through the inspection portal towards the storm sewer or other drainage area. If you do not see a flow of water, this could be the sign of a more serious clog including tree roots in the drain pipes or you may have broken pipes. If you have trees on your property making tree roots a likely candidate for blocking your yard drain or if you suspect it is simply a more stubborn clog of dirt and debris, you can try using a hydro-jet or a drain snake to clear the problem. Drain snakes and hydro-jets (high pressure water jets) can often be rented at your local hardware store if you would like to attempt the cleaning yourself. Nasty root and other debris related clogs can be challenging to handle, however, so we recommend you call an experienced professional plumber like H. Jack’s Plumbing & Heating Company to take on this job for you.  Once the clog has been pulled out or pushed through the yard drain, you should be able to see water freely flowing through both the problem drain through to the inspection portal. Stubborn clogs may require using the drain snake or hydro-jet from both the drain side and the inspection/cleanout side of the drain to break them loose. If the hydro-jet or drain snake do not allow penetration of the clogged area and what is being removed from the drain is dirt, mud and stones, this is the sign of a broken yard drain pipe that must be replaced. H. Jack’s Plumbing & Heating is an expert on how to unclog an outdoor drain, having performed thousands of broken drain pipe replacement projects. To setup an appointment and have your drain inspected, cleaned and if necessary repaired by a trained H. Jack’s professional, in Northeast Ohio call (888) 458-1161, in the greater Erie, Pennsylvania area call (814) 838-2239 and in the greater Jamestown, New York area call us at (866) 664-5809 or if it is more convenient, use our online contact form by clicking here.

More Yard Drain Maintenance Tips:

• We do not recommend that you use chemicals to attempt to unclog yard drains or driveway drains as they typically drain directly into a waterway via the storm sewer without first treating the water at a sewage treatment facility.
• Fix or replace broken yard drain grates. Consider finer screen or grate to keep more dirt and debris out, but not too fine that will restrict the flow of water or easily get clogged up.
• Be careful putting anything rigid into your drains as the drainpipe very well could be clay pipe and might be damaged by sharp or heavy objects.
• If water still drains slowly after a thorough cleaning, consider having a larger yard drain installed. This could be costly, but it may be the only way to allow the water to drain quickly enough that it does not stand in your yard.
• Once you find a drain cleanout or cleanouts in your yard, hand sketch a map of where all the drains and drain cleanouts are for future reference.