Big O Installation

• General Guidelines

  By carefully following these installation guidelines, you will achieve an easy-to-install, safe, permanent and efficient Big O drainage system. Some restrictions may apply. Check with local authorities.
  

• 1. Care during installation

  Care should be taken to prevent damage to the tubing during the backfilling operation. Avoid dropping large soil clods or rocks directly on the tubing. Heavy loads of all types should be avoided until the soil around the installation area is properly settled.

• 2. Bedding

  Tubing should be bedded in gravel or crushed stone. However, selected soil backfill material may also be used with satisfactory results. The bedding material should be placed around the tubing to a depth of at least 5cm (2") over the top of the tubing. When selected soil bedding material from the trench excavation is used, choose small loose particles of soil that will flow around the tubing and minimize soil settling. Avoid large rocks that may damage the tubing or large clods of soil that cause voids and subsequent excessive settling.

• 3. Depth of cover

  If vehicular traffic is expected over tubing, there should be a minimum of 30cm (12") of cover over tubing if gravel bedding material is used and 61cm (24") of cover if selected soil bedding material is used. Typical recommended gravel materials are pea gravel, granular A stone or pit run course sand and gravel mixes.

• 4. Proper grade

  The grade, or fall, on which the tubing is laid is important in that reversals in grade will reduce the effectiveness of the system. Best drainage results are achieved with a continuous downhill fall, or grade, over the entire length of the drain line. A fall of 5cm (2") per 30m (100') of length is generally considered adequate. Greater fall will promote more rapid drainage.

• 5. Proper backfill selection

  Choose your materials according to application. If absorption and drainage are required, perforated tubing should be used. If tubing serves only to move water away from an area (such as downspout run-off), non-perforated tubing is best because it won’t dissipate water into the surrounding area. Non-perforated tubing should also be used if the line runs close to trees where root penetration may be a problem. If the soil being drained is sandy or silty, then a filter sock should be used to prevent fines from entering and blocking the drainage line.

• Working with Big O Tubing without a filter sock

  1. Dig a trench or series of trenches depending on how large the area is that you are draining.
  2. Line the trench with a landscape fabric. Make sure that your fabric is wide enough to cover the gravel and pipe installation – 91cm (36") should be adequate in most installations.
  3. Add 2.5cm to 5cm (1" to 2") of gravel (crushed stone between 1cm to 2.5cm size with few to no smaller pieces – not pea gravel).
  4. Once the gravel is in place, position the pipe in the trench and add more gravel until the pipe is covered by approximately 5cm (2") of gravel.
  5. Fold the fabric over the gravel and pipe to keep the dirt out. Once the fabric is closed, you may begin covering it with the excavated dirt.

• Working with Big O tubing with a filter sock

  The instructions are generally the same as they are when working with a pipe without a filter sock except you do not have to line the trench with landscape fabric. Please refer to the instructions above.

• Downspout Run-Off

  To carry rainwater away from the house and avoid water seeping down basement walls and creating wet basement problems, use Big O non-perforated tubing from downspout to storm drain inlet, street curb or other disposal area.
  Place a Big O downspout adapter on the end of the downspout, snap the Big O non-perforated tubing into the snap coupling end of the adapter and run the tubing to the disposal area. If a shallow line is needed from the downspout, a Big O 90° elbow can be used. Big O Tees, Ys and other fittings are available for connecting two or more downspouts to the same line.

• Window Wells

  Basement window wells should be drained to prevent water from seeping down to the foundation wall and entering the basement.
  
  The window well can be easily drained by running a line of Big O non-perforated tubing from a drain in the bottom of the well to a disposal area. The flexibility of Big O tubing will be helpful in making grade changes and curves away from the well. Big O 90° elbows are available for extremely sharp curves.

• Low Spots

  For wet spots in lawn or other areas, use Big O perforated tubing installed in gravel to pick up the water and carry it to a catch basin or other disposal area. In heavy clay soils, several lines of Big O perforated tubing may be needed to speed drainage.