What should you consider when buying land drainage?

You’ve decided you want to maximise the return on investment you get from your land through better drainage but you’re unsure what to do next. Here’s our guide to the things you need to consider when it comes to installing land drainage.
1. Decide on the best time to install your land drainage
It's important to plan your workload such that contractors arrive between the harvest of the current crop and the planting of the next crop - August/September is a good time for this. If we’ve had a dry spring, March/April time is another appropriate window of opportunity as it offers minimal crop interference and allows for efficient use of time and resources.
2. Find an outfall
The most important consideration; where will the water go? You will need to find and establish a suitable outfall. This could be a ditch, stream or other water course. The outfall will be the lowest part of your scheme, therefore you should start there and work backwards.
3. Undertake a ‘Topographical Survey’
A Topographical Survey of the landscape allows you to understand which way the terrain slopes and falls and how best to lay the drainage scheme laterals and mains. This planning and design stage is crucial to ensure the success of the project.
4. Decide who will undertake the work
Once the scheme is developed and has been approved, you can proceed to initiate the tendering process if you intend on hiring external contractors. Alternatively, if you plan to undertake the installation yourself, you will need to acquire the necessary materials, including land drainage coil and porous fill aggregate.
5. Workout the pipework requirements
You’ll need to workout the required length and diameter of your pipework. Bear in mind 60mm land drain usually comes in 150 metre coils, 80mm and 100mm comes in 100 metre coils and 160mm comes in 50 metre coils.
You will also need to determine the amount of stone and porous fill required to surround the pipework and partially backfill the drainage trenches. This can be calculated by multiplying the total length of trenches x 0.2. This assumes a trench width of 200mm, an average fill depth of 600mm and a specific weight of 1.7tons/m3 for the gravel.
How can we help?
We are one of the UK’s leading suppliers of drainage products. These include drainage pipe in coils, large diameter pipe, twinwall pipe and galvanised pipe. Our drainage products come with the UK’s longest guarantee.
Our sister company Cotterill Contractors can also assist you in the installation of the land drainage.
If you’d like more information on our land drainage, please give us a call on 0121 351 3230.