Experience with AkwaDrain Strip Drain System??


  #1  
Old 06-24-08, 07:33 PM
M
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 12
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Experience with AkwaDrain Strip Drain System??

Hello,
I have some drainage issues with my lot that will surely require some type of french drain. I saw a flyer at my local Lowes for AkwaDrain Strip Drain system by AWD. I did more reading on their site and of course they promise the moon and for less money then a conventional stone/pipe system. I was wondering if anyone had any insight into this system? Has anyone used it? Did it work well? Was it hard to install? Was it really 1/2 the price of traditional stone/pipe system?
Thanks!
 
  #2  
Old 06-25-08, 04:36 PM
C
Member
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Taylors, SC
Posts: 9,261
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
I installed one of these several years ago to address a specific drainage need. I wanted to channel surface water from my driveway to a drain line. It seemed that it would work wonders. After installation and troubleshooting it; and nursemaiding it for weeks, I took it up. I replaced it with a conventional surface drain and 4 inch PVC pipe.

It was difficult to install properly. I took it out and installed it twice more trying to get it so it would work. The bottom line was that it would not work. I had it installed in my driveway which is crusher run. Crusher run is quite porous, generally allowing water to drain rapidly through it. The installed AkwaDrain Strip would not channel water away.

I imagine that it probably works well in other situations. It did not work for me.
 
  #3  
Old 06-29-08, 10:57 AM
M
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 12
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
chfite,
Thanks for the reply and insight. One of it's stated selling points is that it's easy to install. What was so difficult about getting it installed properly? Can you provide more detail on why it wouldn't channel water away? Also, did the traditional pipe/gravel fix your issue?

My intention is to install it down the center of a swale I have in my back yard. The swale runs laterally across the back yard and then down between my house and the neighbors to the street. There just doesn't appear to be enough fall from the back to the front because it stays marshy for days after rain. I was hoping this would take all the water to the front of the street. Is this installation any where's close to what you were trying to do?

Thanks!
 

Last edited by milz45; 06-29-08 at 11:20 AM.
  #4  
Old 06-30-08, 12:00 PM
S
Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 4
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
AkwaDrain Soil Strip Drain

Hi milz45,

I happened to stumble upon your post and wanted to offer my assistance in answering any questions you may have relating to our AkwaDrain Soil Strip Drain products and your specific application. From the basic info you provided in your posting, AkwaDrain appears to be the ideal solution for quickly and effectively collecting and transporting your water, while allowing you to save time and money, and minimizing the disturbance to your existing landscape. Please feel free to contact me if I can be of assistance.

Take care,

-Seth-

Seth Marlow, PE, CDT, M.ASCE
Western Regional Sales Manager
American Wick Drain Corporation
Toll-Free: (866) 734-4293
Email: smarlow@americanwick.com
 
  #5  
Old 06-30-08, 12:39 PM
S
Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 4
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
AkwaDrain Soil Strip Drain

Hi chfite,

Do you know if the product you installed was AWD AkwaDrain Soil Strip Drain? The application you mentioned using the strip drain product on is fairly common and highly successful in general. I'd be interested in hearing what it was that was difficult about the installation and any insight as to why the product did not work for you.

On a related note, "crusher run" comes in a wide variety of compositions and makes a great base material for roadways and driveways, but in general it will have a high percentage of fine soil particles and is not a good backfill choice for drainage applications (whether prefabricated strip drain or perforated pipe). Coarse sand or pea gravel are typically better options.

Take care,

-Seth-

Seth Marlow, PE, CDT, M.ASCE
Western Regional Sales Manager
American Wick Drain Corporation
Toll-Free: (866) 734-4293
Email: smarlow@americanwick.com
 
  #6  
Old 07-01-08, 04:32 PM
S
Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: South Florida
Posts: 1,125
Upvotes: 0
Received 1 Upvote on 1 Post
Hi Smarlow,

I'm also interested in your product (not "products" - I mean the 6" strip drain fabric product that's sold in rolls at Lowes). I recently contacted your company by email asking about how much slope is needed for it to be effective but got no response.

I would also like some independent confirmation of the product's effectiveness (other than the manufacturer's) before going to the effort of installing it, and I would also like more detailed instructions, including needed slope and product limitations, before going ahead.

My application is to install the strip (or the other choices, a fabric-covered perforated pipe or a channel drain) at the base of a 4' concrete extension of a concrete garage pad where it meets a gravel driveway. Water tends to puddle from roof and driveway runoff at this intersection. It would connect to a drainpipe downslope which runs under a lawn to a street swale. There isn't much available slope on the pad although there's more once you get to the pipe. The strip would be embedded in rocky fill dirt and would be covered with gravel. There's about 150 feet of digging involved so I would like to know if this will work before installation.

Thanks!
 
  #7  
Old 07-07-08, 01:42 PM
S
Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 4
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
AkwaDrain Soil Strip Drain

Hi suobs,

Thanks for the inquiry. In general, no slope is required for AkwaDrain to flow properly. Water will always follow the path of least resistance, which is through the air void in the AkwaDrain core. As an example, if you were to pour a glass of water on top of your flat desktop (not recommended!), the water will not build upwards in height, but will flow to the side (the path of least resistance), even though the desktop has no slope. AkwaDrain works in the same manner. Any time water begins to build up height (or "head") in the drain, water will begin to flow. Applying a positive slope will increase the water flow rate. A negative slope must be avoided, and your outlet pipe must alwas be at the lowest point in the system.

AkwaDrain products have been successfully installed for over 15 years in various applications, including as an edge drain for hundreds of miles of the nation's highways, as a drainage system for many professional and collegiate athletic fields and golf courses, and in various commercial and military applications. It has only in the past 5 or so years been made readily available to residential contractors and homeowners, and has been widely and successfully used for these applications.

If you can provide me with your location (state only would suffice), I would be happy to put you in contact with the representative for your area, who can provide you with additional information on specific projects or references for your area, as well as additional installation instructions. Feel free to email me at smarlow (at) americanwick.com for a faster response.

Take care,

-Seth-

Seth Marlow, PE, CDT, M.ASCE
Western Regional Sales Manager
American Wick Drain Corporation
Toll-Free: (866) 734-4293
Email: smarlow@americanwick.com
 
  #8  
Old 07-10-08, 05:15 PM
M
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 12
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
It all sounds great. But I still can't help but be a little skeptical. I'd like to hear a successful install story from a homeowner. I plan on installing it down the center of a swale in my yard that seems to stay marshy for a few days after a rain. I just don't think there's enough fall through the swale to carry the water away efficiently right now, so I'm hoping the AkwaDrain solves this. Seth, I'm in Ohio if you know of a rep in my area.
 
  #9  
Old 07-21-08, 12:40 PM
S
Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 4
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
AWD Representative Contact Info

Hi milz45,

Below is contact information for our rep in your area, who will be happy to answer any questions you may have:

Mr. Tom Clarke
American Wick Drain Corporation
Northeast Regional Sales Manager
Phone: (978) 835-7663

Take care,

-Seth-

Seth Marlow, PE, CDT, M.ASCE
Western Regional Sales Manager
American Wick Drain Corporation
Toll-Free: (866) 734-4293
Email: smarlow@americanwick.com
 
  #10  
Old 09-29-08, 12:53 PM
R
Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Maryland
Posts: 1
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Akwadrain In Place of Typical Pipe & Stone Drainage System

When our house was built, the foundation contractor recommended installing the Akwadrain system instead of the typical pipe and stone drainage system. There are two pipes draining into our sump pit. During a recent, heavy rain storm we found water is emptying from only one of the drain pipes instead of both drain pipes. (Water coming in through two cracks in the wall prompted us to check the sump pit.)

Intallation: The Akwadrain is secured to the bottom of the exterior side of the foundation wall (so it is sitting on top of the footer but fastened to the wall). The transition pipe is secured to the Akwadrain on the exterior side of the basement wall, runs through the footer, under the slab and connects to pipe that drains into the sump pit. There are a total of four transition pipes installed (one on each side of the house) for draining water from the Akwadrain to pipes under the slab draining into the sump pit.

The Issue: Water is leaking in through two cracks in the front wall of the basement. Each of the leaking cracks is located on either side of the transition pipe entering underneath the slab (so the transition pipe is located between the two leaks). The drain pipe in the sump pit, which is dry and did not have water emptying out of it during our latest heavy rain, is the closest outlet for the incoming Akwadrain pipe that is located between the leaking cracks. The contractor who installed the Akwadrain maintains that the Akwadrain is working properly because water is draining out of the second drain pipe.

Question: If the dry drain pipe going into the sump pit is closer than the drain pipe that was passing water, wouldn't the water dispense from this drain pipe first, or at least disperse some draining water? The sump pit is approximately 41 feet from the transition pipe located between the leaks. The distance from the transition pipe to the drain pipe dispersing water is approximately 140 feet. Considering the fact the footers are level, the 41 foot path is the shortest and most likely outlet source for the water, correct?

FYI: Our home was constructed in spring of 2006, and we are just coming up on our two year move in date. Also, this just came to our attention when the basement wall started leaking this past weekend. Hardly acceptable for a brand new home.

Thanks in advance for any input anyone may have regarding this topic.
 
  #11  
Old 08-21-11, 07:09 AM
T
Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: USA
Posts: 1
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
I recommend this product to friends and neighbors

I live on a hillside with significant run-off and groundwater. An inaequate swale was in place (it's forested, so the swale also plugs with leaves and then seeps), so water would accumulate at the transition from the slope to my flatter building site. The area was like a swamp for several days after every major storm, and for weeks in wet cycles. I installed the AkwaDrain product at a 90 degree angle across the slope, connected it to an existing patio drainage system (perforated pipe) and it works great. There is no more water in the area with the akwa drain, Not only does it drain the subsurface water, but in doing so, it allows the clay soils to absorb water that otherwise flowed down over the surface.

Great product. I'm getting ready to install some in my front yard.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: