Has anyone actually managed to get a dry well to work in heavy clay without it turning into a swampy mess? I keep reading about “oversized” dry wells or using those plastic crates, but I’m skeptical they’d drain any faster than just letting the water sit on the surface. Also, with pool water, is there a filter setup that actually removes enough chlorine and stuff before it hits plants? I’ve seen some DIY carbon filters online but not sure if they’re worth the effort.
I tried the dry well route in my backyard (heavy clay too), and honestly, it was a waste of money. Water just sat there, didn’t drain at all. I ended up running a cheap flex pipe out to the street on draining days—way less hassle. As for filters, I’ve messed with the carbon thing, but it’s slow and clogs up quick. If you wait a week or so after shocking the pool, most of the chlorine’s gone anyway. Not perfect, but good enough for my grass.
- Heavy clay is the worst for dry wells—totally get your frustration.
- Flex pipe to the street is a solid workaround; I’ve done similar on a few flips, works way better than fighting the soil.
- Carbon filters sound good in theory, but yeah... they’re a pain for bigger jobs like this.
- Waiting a week after shocking is smart—chlorine drops off fast. Grass looks fine, right? Sometimes “good enough” really is good enough.
I get the flex pipe to the street works, but honestly, I’ve had city inspectors get picky about that—depends where you live. Sometimes it’s less hassle to rent a small sump pump and just move the water in stages. Less risk of fines, and you can control where it goes. Grass usually bounces back, but I’ve seen some lawns get patchy if you dump too much at once. Just my two cents.
I tried the flex pipe thing once, thinking it’d be the easiest route, but my neighbor got all worked up about “runoff” and called the city. Ended up with a warning taped to my door—guess they take that stuff pretty seriously around here. After that, I went the sump pump route like you mentioned. Rented one from the hardware store for a weekend, and just moved the hose every half hour or so. It took longer than I expected, but at least my lawn didn’t get those weird yellow patches like last year.
Honestly, I’m always torn between saving a few bucks and just paying someone to deal with it. But after that city warning, I’m way more careful. Anyone else ever try using rain barrels or something to catch some of the water? Not sure if it’s worth the hassle, but I hate wasting all that water if there’s another use for it...
