Tactics on Small Residential Drainage

Hey there, this is my first post to AUGI forums. This may be miss placed, but thought an appropriate location.

I am seeking some guidance on general approach to small residential drainage design. Small being single custom home, though lot size and drainage area may be >1ac. My general question is whether to stay "dumb" or attempt to use the hydrology and pipe network features in Civil3D.

Current approach involves defining drainage areas with polylines, extracting that data to excel design spreadsheets, sizing pipes with Hydraflow Express, and drafting pipelines (which is its own headache) into the AutoCAD. Working through the process there is plenty room for error, data needs to be updated manually (areas, pipe sizes, etc) and I can feel a smarter way to go about the whole thing.

My current working vision on a more refined approach involes utilizing AutoCAD pipe networks (this is for storm drain design, i.e. gravity), and possibly either linked excel tables or tables in CAD linked areas of Parcels (as opposed to polylines) and possibly using SSA for the pipe flow analysis with the built network. Obviously this approach has its own hurdles- learning curve (havent used pipe networks in a while), secure links, higher complexity to which new users (coworkers) may have trouble with).

I think a considerable factor in holding me back to choosing the new approach lies in the smaller scale of the projects. Due to this an shortfall i see in the software, it seems like it may be about just as much work and frustration to make the jump.

If yall have any input into these design approaches, or your strategy, it would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Build a creek bed to direct wateraway from a low spot in your yard. Or if the slope of the ground permits it, use a creek bed to drain a low spot. Start by making a swale-essentially a gentle, shallow drainage ditch. Then line it with gravel or stones and add interest with boulders, a bridge or plantings.

This post was about Civil3d techniques and methods, not general drainage methodology.

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Originally Posted by Sterling2017

This post was about Civil3d techniques and methods, not general drainage methodology.

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I don't know much about the pipe network and drainage calcs in the software but i would recommend searching youtube for some examples on how to do what you are thinking.
I am a firm believer in utilizing the software for what it is designed to do.....make things quick, accurate and easily revised as the design changes over the course of time.
at first, you may not be fast, but over time and with practice you should be able to develop speed and accuracy.
good luck and please post your results in the future.