Honestly, I’ve tried the dry creek bed thing in a yard with heavy clay, and it was basically a fancy puddle after a big rain.
Same here—clay just doesn’t play nice with those creek beds. I tried to save money by skipping the gravel at first, and yeah, big mistake. Ended up having to redo the whole thing. French drains are a pain, but at least they actually move water. As for the chlorine, I’ve dumped pool water on my lawn a few times and it bounced back fine, but I still try to let it sit a few days before draining, just in case.
French drains are a pain, but at least they actually move water.
Honestly, I underestimated how much work French drains would be. Dug one last fall and yeah, it was a slog, but it’s the only thing that’s actually helped with my clay-heavy yard. The dry creek bed looked cool for about a week, then just turned into a mud pit. As for draining the pool, I’ve let the chlorine sit out too, but I still get nervous dumping it all at once. Maybe I’m just paranoid, but I’d rather play it safe with the grass.
I totally get the paranoia about dumping pool water—chlorine and grass just don’t mix well, even after it’s sat for a bit. Have you ever tried using rain barrels or big decorative containers to slow-drain over a few days? I once repurposed some old planters for this and it actually helped keep my flower beds from flooding too. Curious if anyone else has had luck with that kind of workaround...
I’ve actually tried the slow-drain thing with barrels and big tubs, but honestly, it felt like more hassle than it was worth. Ended up with a bunch of half-full containers all over the patio, and it didn’t really make a dent in the total water volume. Plus, I got paranoid about mosquitoes breeding if I forgot to dump them quick enough.
What’s worked better for me is running a hose out to the street curb or even into a gravel area if you’ve got one. Just have to make sure the chlorine level’s way down first—usually leaving the pool uncovered for a few days does the trick. I get wanting to reuse that water, but sometimes spreading it out just makes more mess. Maybe it depends on how much space you’ve got or how big your pool is...
Totally get what you mean about the barrels—been there, done that, and it’s just a pain. The hose-to-curb method is way less stressful, especially if you can let the chlorine burn off first. I’ve found that even with a small yard, directing the water out to a gravel patch works pretty well if you keep an eye on it. And yeah, those tubs turn into mosquito hotels fast... not worth the headache. Sometimes simple really is better.
