Swale Desk — notes https://swale.top/ Dated notes from the Swale Desk: judgments, disputes, and arithmetic on swales and yard drainage. Notes only — stable object pages do not appear here pretending to be fresh. en The 72-hour standing-water rule, and where it comes from https://swale.top/notes/2026-09-02-72-hour-rule/ https://swale.top/notes/2026-09-02-72-hour-rule/ Tue, 02 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Why stormwater manuals cap drawdown at 72 hours: a mosquito's full life cycle in still water runs four days, and the rule buys three. Frost line and swales: why the north digs deeper https://swale.top/notes/2026-09-05-frost-line/ https://swale.top/notes/2026-09-05-frost-line/ Fri, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Frost depth runs from 0 to 6 feet across the US. Pipes go below it or they heave; swale inlets freeze first and spill onto frozen ground. Grass-lined or rock-lined swale: the real trade-offs https://swale.top/notes/2026-09-01-grass-or-rock/ https://swale.top/notes/2026-09-01-grass-or-rock/ Mon, 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Grass filters and mows but dies under standing water; rock survives both and grows weeds. Grade and ponding pick the winner. Carry a downspout or bury it: the arithmetic https://swale.top/notes/2026-08-25-downspout-math/ https://swale.top/notes/2026-08-25-downspout-math/ Mon, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 A 600-sq-ft roof at 1 inch of rain sends 374 gallons down one spout. Surface carry at 2% beats pipe you can't clean. Perforated pipe: holes up or down, and who disagrees https://swale.top/notes/2026-08-18-holes-up-or-down/ https://swale.top/notes/2026-08-18-holes-up-or-down/ Mon, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Two camps, two claims. Both survive or die on the same two things: the rock envelope and a real outlet. What 1 inch per hour means in a perk test https://swale.top/notes/2026-07-30-inch-per-hour/ https://swale.top/notes/2026-07-30-inch-per-hour/ Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 The unit trap: an unpresoaked hole reads two to three times too fast. The presoak is the test. Sock-wrapped perforated pipe: what vendor pages omit https://swale.top/notes/2026-07-15-sock-marketing/ https://swale.top/notes/2026-07-15-sock-marketing/ Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Vendor pages show installation, never year five. The sock is a filter that clogs in place. Plant a swale that does not wash out (seasonal job, re-checked) https://swale.top/jobs/plant-a-swale/ https://swale.top/jobs/plant-a-swale/ Wed, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Seasonal page: the planting window closes 6–8 weeks before first frost. Re-checked 10 Sep 2026 for the fall window. Read your city's drainage code in an hour (rots: yes, re-checked) https://swale.top/jobs/read-your-drainage-code/ https://swale.top/jobs/read-your-drainage-code/ Wed, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Code pages rot with adopt dates. Re-checked 10 Sep 2026; citations expire, methods don't.