Looking for a better way........suggestions?

Either replace the whole driveway, or accept that whatever you do will involve a compromise. If you live where it never freezes, you could probably scarify the surface and apply a leveling layer. If the mismatch bothers you, you could then dye the whole driveway to make it less noticable.

I'm sure the problem has occured, before. I'd get out the phone book and look under masons, or driveway and paving companies. Someone out there has to have answer. Who knows. Maybe one of the companies near you has a cement borehole drill, and can cut a nice hole, to make a drain.

The driveway must have control joints in it now. How would another control joint located at the middle of the low spot look? If you make the cut through the concrete, maybe fill it with some sand, it would give the water a place to drain. Of course it depends on how much water pools and how fast you want it to be gone. If it's just a small pool, it might work.

There are also channel drains available, starting at about 3" wide that can withstand vehicle traffic, come with various color grates and would look OK. Of course, that will only work if there is somewhere convenient for the water to drain. Google NDS channel drains for info.

In our area there is a specialist outfit called 'SlabJackers' who deal with problems like yours by boring/cutting the slab and pumping concrete under it under pressure. Check your Yellow Pages for a similar firm and discuss the options with them. It appears that the original pour was not done over a properly compacted base, so from a practical standpoint it would make sense to remove and redo it. Some research should give you the name of the concrete supplier, and odds are that a repour would match perfectly well after a year or two in the weather. In fact, after a month you likely wouldn't be bothered by the slight difference that much as you watch the rainwater going where it should.

Joe

Hi, Replace whole section or mud jacking.

You could blacktop the whole driveway.

EJ in NJ

Try drilling a small hole or two.

My garage floor holds water in a shallow puddle so I drilled a 5/16th inch hole. It drained fine for that winter. Next winter the hole was plugged so I cleaned it out with the same drill bit. Seems like I need to re- drill/clean it once a year. I found a $12 hammer drill on sale and paid about $20 for a 9-inch concrete bit. As many times as this hole is going to be drilled cheap tools are fine. The cleaning out drilling only takes a few seconds.

You could drill as many holes as needed to drain all of the low spots. Keep the bit. Even if you need to clean it out several times a year that's a lot cheaper than the options.

Driveway French Drain:

Rent a concrete hole-maker (they use them for installing in-floor safes, posts, whatever). Your local tool rental shop can advise you.

Once through the concrete, use a post-hole digger and excavate as deep a hole as you can.

Fill the hole with gravel. Slap a drain-cover on the top.

If it was me, and it ain't, so I don't have a clue what you are going to do........

I have the same problem at a couple of areas. I just cut some grooves, and cut them so it looks like they are expansion cuts, and it drains fine now. Cut them only about 1/4" deep. Use a straight edge to make it look nice. If it does crack, that will only hasten draining. You may only have to cut half the section to get the pond to drain. Fill it with water from the hose, identify the pond, then make a few cuts, and yer good to go. Yes, it may fill up with dirt, but it will still drain. And the grooves will be easy to clean with a hose sprayer.

Werks for me.

Steve

Drywell!

re: "Driveway French Drain"

Actually, I think that would be closer to a Dry Well than a French Drain, since it's vertical, not horizontal but the concept works.

I did almost the same thing, except that I did it *next* to my driveway, right at the edge of the lawn.

I had a low spot in my asphalt driveway that collected water whenever it rained or we washed a car, etc.

I went as deep as I could with a post hole digger, then got out the shop vac, borrowed a few extension tubes and went a couple of feet deeper. (sandy soil, pretty easy to scrap and suck out)

I put some gravel at the bottom, dropped a length of 4" PVC pipe down the hole and put one of these on top, level with the lawn:

Plenty of answers :)

Instead of cutting across the drive, locate the downhill side of pooling area. About the center and parallel to the edge cut a groove with a good saw/blade and straight edge.

It might look like a lollypop ---> O----

Two cents....

Ah, right. Thanks.

Get a diamond saw and cut a vew lines to the outer perimeter from the center. These will drain slowly even when they are filled with dirt - but it's best to clean them occaisionally.

That will work if the base is well drained - otherwize it will make a REAL repair necessary within a year when the frost heaves the whole thing.

If you choose to do this, the BORG rents big hammer-drills and core bits which will make short work of installing up to a 4 1/2" drain. At least up here that's the biggest they carry.

What makes you think tha base was not properly compacted, vs the guy operating the power trowel just not paying attention and working the center low?????

Mud jacking would make that section mismatch the rest at one or more joints UNLESS it is the end section. I doubt the concrete would flex enough to raise the centre enough to drain without raising one or more edges. - or cracking the concrete.

Would work, but overkill on a 12X16 slab.