Drainage repair that addresses the real source
French drains that have stopped moving water, clogged catch basins, failed downspout connections, crushed pipe, and outlets eroding the lawn. We service drainage systems we installed and systems we didn’t, starting with diagnosing where the actual problem is.
Downspout Drainage
Downspout drainage can be handled in a variety of ways to minimize the effects on your home and make the most of your water runoff.
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Repair & Service
Issues with drainage can go from bad to worse very quickly. If you are having a problem with your home or business’s landscape drainage, contact the experts at Green Turf to schedule a service visit as soon as possible.
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What drainage repair covers
Drainage repair is the diagnosis and fix of failing yard drainage components: french drains that no longer carry water, catch basins full of debris, clogged or crushed underground pipe, broken downspout connections, and outlet emitters where soil is eroding away.
What a failed drainage system actually looks like
Drainage problems are often worse than they appear, because most of the system is underground. The visible symptoms below are usually the late-stage signal of a problem that started months earlier.
Water pooling in spots that used to drain
Areas where a french drain or downspout line used to clear water are holding standing water again. The pipe is clogged, crushed, or the outlet has failed. The system isn’t broken at the surface; it’s broken downstream.
A catch basin that’s overflowing
Water visibly backing up around or out of a catch basin grate during heavy rain. The basin is either full of debris or the outlet pipe leaving it is clogged. Both happen frequently in mature landscapes.
Downspout discharge bubbling up at the foundation
If water comes up at or near where the downspout enters the ground, the underground line is broken or disconnected. The downspout is dumping water right back at the foundation.
Erosion at an outlet point
A pop-up emitter or daylight outlet surrounded by a small ravine where soil has washed out. The outlet is either undersized for the flow or improperly graded, and every storm has been making it worse.
Soggy ground where the pipe runs
A long, narrow wet strip across the yard that matches the path of the buried drainage pipe. The pipe is leaking, the joints have separated, or roots have grown into the fittings.
Basement moisture that came back
Basement seepage or dampness returning months after drainage work was done. Usually means the perimeter french drain has lost capacity, the outlet has failed, or the original system wasn’t built to handle the actual water volume.
What drainage repair work actually covers
Most repair calls fall into a handful of repeating categories. We carry parts and equipment on the truck to handle the majority in a single visit.
Most repairs are diagnosed and fixed on the first visit — no second appointment needed.
French drain repair
We diagnose whether the problem is the pipe itself (crushed, root-infiltrated, joints failed) or the aggregate around it (silted in, packed). The fix can range from clearing and flushing the line to excavating and rebuilding the affected section with proper graded gravel and full-glue PVC fittings.
Catch basin cleaning and repair
Removing debris, mulch, leaves, and silt from clogged basins. Replacing cracked grates, failed lids, and basins where the housing itself has cracked. Adjusting basin height after years of soil settlement.
Pipe repair and re-routing
Excavating and replacing crushed sections of pipe, fixing joint failures, and re-running lines where roots have permanently compromised the original installation. We use ADS and NDS components rated for the application.
Downspout connection repair
Repairing or replacing the underground line that carries water from the downspout to its discharge point. Re-securing connections that have separated after winter freeze-thaw. Replacing failed fittings.
Sump pump discharge line repair
Fixing or extending the underground line that carries water from the sump pump to its outlet. The original installation often had the discharge line too short or dumped too close to the foundation.
Outlet and emitter repair
Fixing eroded outlet points, replacing failed pop-up emitters, and re-grading discharge areas so water exits the system without undermining the surrounding soil.
Channel drain service
Cleaning surface channel drains in driveways, walkways, and patios. Replacing cracked grates and rebuilding sections where the channel has settled.
Post-storm assessments
After major St. Louis storm events, we run assessments for our customers to identify any damage that should be addressed before the next storm.
How a drainage service call runs
Drainage is one of the harder service categories to diagnose, because the failure point is rarely where the symptom shows up.
Your technician calls before arrival so you’re never stuck waiting through a four-hour window.
Booking the visit
Call the office during business hours and a real person picks up. We book you into a service window. For active water-intrusion problems, we prioritize the visit; for non-urgent issues like a clogged catch basin, we schedule into the regular rotation.
Arrival
Your technician calls 30 minutes before arrival, shows up in a marked, radio-dispatched van stocked with common drainage parts, and walks the property with you to understand what you’ve been seeing and when.
Diagnostic
We trace the system from collection points to outlets, checking flow at each stage. In many cases that means running water from a hose into a downspout or basin and watching what happens at the discharge point. If water doesn’t arrive at the outlet, the failure is somewhere in the line.
The fix, on the same visit when possible
Catch basin cleaning, light excavation for accessible repairs, downspout re-connection, and outlet rebuilds are typically handled the same day. More involved repairs that require trenching across landscaping are scheduled for a return visit.
Final test and walkthrough
Before we leave, we re-run water through the repaired section to confirm flow at the outlet. You see the system performing before we close out the invoice.
When repair makes sense, and when rebuilding is smarter
Some drainage systems are worth repairing. Others were installed badly enough that throwing more repairs at them is wasted money. The diagnostic visit is when we tell you that honestly.
Signs repair is the right call
- The original system was designed correctly, with proper outlets and adequate pipe sizing
- The failure is isolated to one section or one component
- The pipe is intact across most of the run, with the problem at a specific point
- The catch basins, outlets, and overall layout still match the property’s water flow
Signs the system needs to be rebuilt
- Multiple failures across different parts of the system, indicating a poor original install
- Pipe was undersized for the actual water volume from the start
- Thin-wall pipe or friction-fit fittings used in the original work (these will keep failing)
- No clear outlet, or the outlet was always undersized
- The landscape has changed enough that the original collection points don’t match where water actually goes now
We see plenty of drainage systems where the cheaper original install means every repair is fighting a fundamental design problem. In those cases, a rebuilt section with properly sized ADS or NDS components is often the more cost-effective long-term answer than chasing repairs on the existing system.
If a rebuild is the right call, see our drainage installation pageHow drainage repair pricing works
Drainage repair costs vary more than most services, because the work scope can range from clearing a catch basin to excavating a substantial section of buried pipe. Here’s how we quote.
Service call fee, then itemized work
Most visits begin with a service call fee that covers the diagnostic. Once we’ve identified the problem, you receive a written quote for the repair before any additional work begins.
What drives drainage repair price
- How quickly the problem can be diagnosed (some are obvious, some require extensive flow testing)
- Whether the fix is accessible from the surface or requires significant digging
- Length of pipe that needs to be replaced or re-routed
- Whether the repair area is open lawn or established landscaping
- Whether catch basins, outlets, or fittings need replacement vs cleaning
- Whether full sod or seed restoration is required after the work
Why a 50-year local company is the right call for drainage repair
Green Turf has been installing and repairing drainage systems across St. Louis since 1976.
- Missouri State and St. Louis County certified
- BBB accredited, A+
- Licensed, bonded, and insured up to $3 million
Diagnostic-first approach
Most drainage failures don’t show up where the actual problem is. A wet spot in the back yard might be from a downspout disconnection at the front of the house. We work the system from collection to outlet, identifying the actual source instead of treating the symptom.
Stocked service fleet, single-visit fixes
20+ radio-dispatched service vans across the metro, each stocked with catch basins, pipe in common sizes, and ADS and NDS components most repairs require. The majority of drainage service calls finish in one visit.
Honest assessment, not a sales pitch
When the system can be repaired economically, we repair it. When the underlying design is the problem, we tell you so and lay out what a rebuilt section would cost vs continuing to chase repairs. The decision is yours, with the information to make it.
Real people answering the phone
Staffed office year-round during business hours. 24-hour emergency service line for active water-intrusion issues.
Quality components only
We use ADS and NDS components for repairs, the same manufacturers we install with. We don’t carry the thin-wall pipe that fails after one freeze-thaw cycle. The replacement section we put in will outlast the original install.
Frequently asked questions about drainage repair
Costs range widely based on whether the line needs cleaning, partial excavation, or full section replacement. A clogged drain that can be cleared with flushing and basin cleaning is at the low end. A longer section that needs to be excavated, replaced with new pipe and gravel, and have sod restored is at the high end. We quote after the diagnostic so you see the number before approving.
It depends on what’s clogging it. Silt and debris in the pipe can sometimes be flushed clear with high-pressure water. Roots that have grown into joints usually require excavating and replacing the affected section, because they’ll grow back. Crushed pipe always requires replacement. The diagnostic tells us which condition you’re in.
Yes. We regularly service systems installed by other companies. We work on french drains, downspout lines, catch basins, and channel drains regardless of who installed them or what brand of components were used.
For the initial diagnostic, it helps if you can walk the property with the technician to point out what you’ve been seeing. For the actual repair work, you don’t need to be home as long as we have property access. We communicate by phone before any work that wasn’t in the original quote.
During heavy storm seasons, demand spikes and routing tightens. Active water intrusion into a home is prioritized. Non-urgent post-storm assessments (catch basins overflowed but no flooding, outlet eroded but no foundation issue) are scheduled into the regular rotation. Call (314) 739-0410 to get into the schedule, or use the 24-hour emergency line for active flooding.
Light repairs and basin cleanings don’t affect landscaping at all. Repairs that require excavation will disturb the surface along the work area, but we use narrow trenchers, hand-dig around mature plantings, and restore sod or seed at the end of the project. Disturbed areas typically recover within a few weeks.
Our other St. Louis services
Drainage repair is one part of what we do. Most clients who use us for drainage repair eventually use us for one or more of the following.
Drainage installation
New french drains, downspout systems, channel drains, and underground PVC networks. Engineered for St. Louis clay soil and storm volume. If a rebuild makes more sense than a series of repairs, this is where to start.
Learn moreIrrigation services
Sprinkler system installation, repair, and our annual irrigation service membership program. Many drainage clients overlap with irrigation clients, and we coordinate both services on the same property when possible.
See irrigation servicesOutdoor lighting
Custom landscape lighting design, installation, and repair. Architectural accent, path, and patio lighting, with safety and security as a benefit of well-designed illumination. Coordinated with irrigation when we’re installing both.
See outdoor lighting servicesGet your drainage system back to working
If a french drain has stopped clearing water, a catch basin is overflowing, downspout discharge is bubbling up at the foundation, or your basement has gone wet again, we’re ready to help.
Green Turf Customer Testimonials
Over 500 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reviews can’t be wrong!
✨Green Turf is consistently praised for reliable, professional irrigation service delivered by knowledgeable technicians who genuinely care about their customers and their systems. St. Louis homeowners repeatedly highlight prompt response times, clear communication, thorough workmanship, and long-term dependability.
