Holes in the ground are sometimes hard to figure out.
One such hole that’s had people confused for years is what we talk about today: whether drain pipe holes go up or down.
Drain pipes in general will move downward toward their final destination. Similarly, pipe holes face downward to take advantage of gravity-pulled water as it moves down through the soil to effectively drain it.
Fully perforated drain pipes are really just designed to intercept water from the side while draining it out.
If you’ve ever seen outflow pipes, they’re usually pointed down.
Pipes that you use to drain water usually have a slight slope, but they never point up.
These pipes help draw the water away from where it’s actually coming from, and they also help to prevent a clog.
Boilers, pipes in your house, and ejectors are fixtures that need to drain.
Related: How to Remove Gravel From a Drain
Read on to learn more about why drain pipe holes go down.
But before that, let’s first see what these drain pipe holes are for.
Table of Contents
Functions of drain pipe holes
Drain pipes can be made of plastic, metal or concrete.
Areas such as the bathroom are typically susceptible to the growth of mold and mildew, and drain holes help prevent this from happening.
These outflow pipes point down to the ground to help drain out the water after it uses a flush.
Some may not get clogged, but they still need cleaning.
Metal or plastic perforated pipes are also typically used to route the flow of waste water from one place to another.
If you’ve seen pipe holes on the side of your house and wonder what they are for, here’s a breakdown of what they do.
Drain pipes help remove excess water from your house, and the holes are used to drain rainwater or other liquids.
Since they go down to the ground, water can be drained out of your house and not come back up.
These holes are essential during heavy rain, or when you’re doing some plumbing work.
Land drain pipe holes are used to collect and control surface water levels, which prevents flooding and promotes drainage.
They’re also used for removing excess water from fields or other large surfaces.
Likewise, twinwall pipe holes work to drain water as effectively and quickly as possible.
They are commonly used in the oil pipeline industry, where they also serve as a safety measure to prevent oil spills.
Do drain pipe holes go up or down?
The purpose of drain holes on the side of your house is to remove excess water from it during heavy rain.
These subtle drain pipe holes are small, but they play a big role in the drainage of your house.
Roughly 90 percent of all houses have drain holes on their side.
Standing water or liquids in your house can quickly attract the growth of mold, so drain holes on the side of your house are essential for preventing this from happening.
Gardens, drainage wells and land management holes are some other common uses of drain pipes.
Oftentimes, you can see the drain holes on the side of your house with a slight slope.
This is because the water flows out to the side, and then down to the ground.
Somewhat similar to the way a river flows naturally.
Drain pipe holes go down.
The water flowing in them will leave through the holes by means of gravity.
Similarly, for land drainage and twinwalls, half-perforated pipes face down to allow the water to collect in the pipe.
If you have a trench, water naturally seeps upwards to the surface and must be guided through pipes and drain holes to prevent flooding.
French drain system drain holes
Even the French drain system uses drain holes to create a channel for water flow in this method of soil drainage.
A typical French drain system will have perforated pipes placed below the ground so that water can flow through them and into a trench, which contains gravel.
When the gravel gets too wet, the water will seep into the ground.
If it is dry, this water can be picked up by the French drains and carried away from the area.
When water is collected by a French drain system, it flows through the gravel into perforated drain piping where it is collected in a sump pit. There is a perforated pipe that goes up at the other end of the French drain system to take the water away.
Trenching means that you dig a hole in the ground and place the French drain system into it.
You then fill this area with gravel so that water can run freely through it and away from the area.
Make sure that you use perforated drain piping to make sure your French drain system does not overfill with water.
Other ways to fix standing water in your yard
Lawns are great for a lot of reasons.
They’re green, they add beauty to your home and provide a space for you and your neighbors to relax and kids to play.
But if you live in an area that’s prone to flooding, or has a high water table like I do, then you know how frustrating it is to have standing water on the grass.
Standing water can be caused by a number of things. If your lawn is located in an area that’s prone to flooding, or high water tables, then you’re probably going to have standing water.
Standing water can also be caused by things like non-porous soil, improper grading, or overwatering.
The best way to deal with this is to actively monitor the problem and try to figure out what’s causing it.
You will find the following fixes for standing water in your yard to be effective, but you’ll also find that the fixes don’t solve the problem all on their own.
Sometimes you’ll have to improvise, and use a combination of these fixes.
But here are the things you can do:
1. Aerate your lawn
If you have non-porous soil, such as clay or if your lawn was initially constructed with a high clay content, then your turf may be prone to standing water.
Consider using an aerator on your lawn and see if that solves the problem.
You can purchase an aerator at any home improvement store. But you should check the manual first and ensure that your lawn mower is compatible with an aerator.
2. Add mulch
This is a great way to naturally prevent standing water in your yard.
Mulch is essentially ground up wood or bark that you add to your lawn. It absorbs water and keeps it from pooling in the soil, which prevents standing water.
It also reduces erosion and adds some nutrients to the soil.
Mulch comes in many sizes, and you can add it at any time of the year.
3. Dethatch your lawn
Warm temperatures, bright sunshine, and constant traffic can cause a lawn to develop thatch.
If you have a lot of thatch in your lawn, it can be a major source of standing water.
It’s essentially dead plant matter that can build up in the lawn, which causes it to be soft and spongy.
You need to prevent this from happening by regularly dethatching your lawn. You can do this by renting a dethatcher machine from your local home improvement store.
4. Raise the soil around your trees
If you have a lot of standing water near the trunk of your tree, because it’s over-watered or planted too close to the house, then you can raise the soil around it.
This will give your tree a little breathing room and prevent standing water from building up in its root zone.
5. Extend downspouts
Gutters are great for redirecting the flow of rainwater.
If you have standing water near your house, it could be an easy fix.
You may just need to extend the downspout and it will carry the water to a safe distance.
6. Remove sod and re-sod
If you have standing water on your lawn, you probably need to remove some of the sod.
Planting too much turf in one area and not maintaining it properly can cause standing water, or turf that’s overgrown and thick.
If you remove the sod, then install a new layer of topsoil and seed it with a new lawn, then you can solve the problem.
Lay your drain pipe holes facing down!
Colloquially, it seems that some people have asked the question of what direction a drain pipe hole goes in.
It is commonly asked so often due to the fact that there are many different types of pipe holes that all go in different directions.
Sewers, pipes and drains work together to remove the waste product in our homes. These components go through complicated systems that all connect with each other.
This allows the waste to be carried away and then taken care of in a more appropriate manner.
One question that is often confused with many people is the direction that a drain pipe hole goes in. A lot of people have asked this question, but what is the real answer? Do drain pipe holes go up or down?
In actual fact, a drain pipe hole goes down.
Even French drain pipe holes go down.
A lot of times, the reason why these questions are asked is because there has been a problem with a specific drain pipe or drainage system.
Trouble shooting such problems usually requires a lot of effort.
But we looked at the reasons why a lawn can be flooded and possible solutions to eradicate this.
Finally, we looked at the reasons why a lawn can be flooded, but it is important to keep up the maintenance work. This will reduce the number of problems that occur, and ensure that your grass looks perfect all year round.
