Background
When it pours, muddy water pushes through a short timber retaining wall and finds the easiest path—straight into our in-ground concrete pool. The working strip between the pool coping and the wall is ≈ 800–900 mm, so sediment makes its way into the water and quickly clogs the cartridge filter.
Solutions we’re considering
Low catch wall / bund – 200 mm high and about 6–7 m long, faced with matching pavers and potentially incorporating a channel drain that diverts runoff to a legal discharge point.
Small “paver pit” wall – a narrow pit or trough built from stack-bonded pavers behind the coping line, letting water drop into the pit and redirecting it around the back of the pool before outfall.
Open to any other ideas
We’d love to hear what’s worked for others in tight spaces, including:
Slimline trench drains or ag-pipe/French drain systems
Waterproof membrane or flashing on the wall face
Re-grading, berms, or other runoff-redirection methods
Filter upgrades paired with partial drainage works
Any hybrid approach that can handle Brisbane downpours without blowing the budget
Site constraints & access
Working strip between coping and wall: ≈ 800–900 mm
Neighbouring land is higher and slopes toward the wall; no visible drainage in place
Access via side gate (standard residential). Power and water are on site.
Timing
Ready for site inspections now; goal is completion within 4–6 weeks.
Keen to hear your thoughts—thanks in advance for any advice, sketches, or product suggestions that can help keep the mud out of our pool!
