I need to keep water out of the run

[HenOnAJuneBug]

I disagree about the bowl thing. If you fill up a depression in clay with clay dirt, it is no longer a bowl and will not collect water, so there will be no need for drainage from below. The key to keeping clay soil dry is to get the water off of it quickly, ie. quick drainage from the top, so that water can't sit and soak in.

My response above was to this - "If you have heavy clay soil, no matter what you put in the run to raise the level, the clay underneath it will act like a bowl to hold the water."

If sand in the run doesn't solve the problem, dirt will.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

Just had a thought. I have a local gravel pit, they will let you have all the free sand you want by the buckets full. It's still heavy but if you added say 2 buckets a week you'd be a foot high in no time. Potentially free. Worth checking on.

 

[ChickNanny13]

If the weather forecast is accurate (which it seems to be hitting spot on) we are supposed to have heavy rain Saturday and on into Sunday with 1-3 inches expected. The weather channel sent and alert to my phone today!! That was a little unusual. But I have 5 more bags of mulch I had to put in the flower bed but I think I will beef up the floor and see what happens. If this doesn’t work it isn’t because I ain’t tried

You've done your best, hopefully it helps/works. Give us an UPDATE after the rains.

IF the water still collects in the Run, you may want to consider racking the mulch/sand to one side then scrape/dig a channel from the center of the "pool" leading out of the Run. Will need to go under the base/frame work, leading the water out & away. Then refill with the sand/mulch you raked. Then again I'm no expert just another female doing things on my own ... Guys what say you, will it work?

 

[aart]

Will need to go under the base/frame work, leading the water out & away.

This has been suggested multiple times in this thread...by both genders.

 

[unbaked pegga]

You've done your best, hopefully it helps/works. Give us an UPDATE after the rains.

IF the water still collects in the Run, you may want to consider racking the mulch/sand to one side then scrape/dig a channel from the center of the "pool" leading out of the Run. Will need to go under the base/frame work, leading the water out & away. Then refill with the sand/mulch you raked. Then again I'm no expert just another female doing things on my own ... Guys what say you, will it work?

Boy did we ever have rain! 4” but the run with the sand/mulch held up. It got a little damp but no standing water! I am going to take the remaining 3 bags of mulch and beef it up a little more. More rain coming. the weatherman says it is El Niño. I just call it a mess. My backyard is like marshland

 

[ChickNanny13]