how do you make a simple french drain

How to Build a French Drain

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How deep should I install a French drain?

How Deep Should a French Drain be Installed

• Quintessential Requisites for a French Drain. Installing a French drain will require several tools and materials, including exterior screws, pressure-treated pine, lag bolts, galvanized fender washers, pine planks, drills, measuring ...
• The Depth of a French Drain. There are three significant attributes of a French drain. ...
• Depth of 2 Feet to 5 Feet. ...

How to install the best French drain?

Installing a French drain is a simple job that requires a bit of planning and the right materials. Start by picking a location for the drain that is sloped and the right type of pipe. Then, dig the trench for the drain and put the drain in properly so it can direct water away from your home.

How do I know if I need a French drain?

• Inspect low areas of your yard that are supposed to flow toward the French drain.
• If the ground is flooded, boggy, or squishy, your French drain is not working.
• A properly working French drain should keep low ground as well-drained as higher portions of the yard.

How much does it cost to replace a French drain?

We’ve put together an article to explain which factors should be considered when costing out a French drain installation or replacement. The price of a French drain replacement usually ranges from $24,000 to $36,000, including the waterproofing membrane for a typical bungalow.

How do I make a cheap French drain?

0:192:24Do it Yourself, French Drain, Under $60.00 - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipComes around got some heavy tree roots real heavy tree roots. And come through these roots come overMoreComes around got some heavy tree roots real heavy tree roots. And come through these roots come over here by the sidewalk. Come down discharge the line here so that it has has some fall has gravity.

How deep does a French drain need to be?

About 8 inches to 2 feet deepFrench drain depth: About 8 inches to 2 feet deep should be sufficient for many water-diverting projects, though related systems, such as those built around foundations and sub-ground living spaces, as well as the bases of retaining walls, may be deeper.

Whats an alternative to a French drain?

What is a Trench Drain? While French drains deal with water that's underground, trench drains divert excess water away from the surface. Trench drains are usually lined with concrete and sloped appropriately to take advantage of gravity.

What material do you use for a French drain?

Industry standard for French drains are 4 to 6 oz non-woven drainage fabric. Avoid using socked wrapped perforated pipe alone without drainage fabric as it will easily clog with dirt/soil.

Should I use landscape fabric in French drain?

The Bottom Line The best type of fabric for a drainage project such as a drain field or french drain is non-woven geotextile landscape fabric. If you're project requires high strength and also good drainage then a high end combination woven fabric could be suitable for your application.

How far away from a house should a French drain be?

How Close Should a French Drain be to the House? A good rule of thumb is to install french drains 3 feet from the house. Make sure to measure around the porch, patio, basement and deck before installing the french drain system.

When should you not use a French drain?

If you live in an area that gets light rain often instead of heavy rain, a French drain might actually cause more damage to your foundation by increasing the hydrostatic pressure on your concrete. If a $6,000 installation wasn't enough for you, maybe the $10,000 horizontal crack repair will be!

Do French drains need a pipe?

Officially a French drain is a gravel drain with no pipe. The water just collects in and travels through in a gravel or stone filled channel that starts from the surface or just below it.

Does a French drain have to drain somewhere?

Ideally, as the excess water from one area runs down the drain, it will be distributed more evenly across your yard and absorbed. So water really doesn't need to be dumped anywhere, it just ends up in the soil along a better line of distribution.

Do you need to put gravel under French drain?

The most reliable way to eliminate undesirable, free-standing water is to install French drains with slotted pipes, filter fabric and gravel. The old way of installing French drains is to do it without the gravel and the fabric.

What is the best pipe for French drain?

French drains are typically constructed with black corrugated pipe, but there are arguments that favor using white PVC pipe for the job, as well.

Why do French drains fail?

Over time, a French drain may become clogged. Tiny soil and clay granules slip through the pores of the landscape fabric and gradually build up inside the pipe. Another common cause of French drain clogs is root intrusion from grass, shrubs, and trees.

How deep should drainage pipe be buried?

Maintaining a depth of 12 to 18 inches is best for drain pipes, but the depth of the pipe may vary in order to maintain a downward slope, which is critical for proper drain functioning.

How much gravel do I need for a 50 foot French drain?

How much gravel do I need for a 50 foot French drain? To calculate gravel needed for a 50′ french drain, multiply the length of the trench by the width and depth. If you plan to lay down 4 inches of gravel, multiply 50 feet x 4 inches = 200 cubic feet.

How do you dig a trench for a French drain?

0:032:27Tips For Hand Digging French Drain Pipe, by Apple Drains - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd difficult task. You can hurt your back quite easily. If you notice we're digging backwards inMoreAnd difficult task. You can hurt your back quite easily. If you notice we're digging backwards in other words we work backwards through our trench. You don't have to jump on the shovel.

What is the difference between a French drain and a trench drain?

Aside from what we've listed here, the difference between a French drain and a trench drain is that a French drain is used for water that is underground while a trench drain diverts excess water from a surface.

Determine Area for Re-Routing and Draining

Locate the appropriate area of yard for excess water to be re-routed. Choose a location where the flow of water won't affect neighboring properties. Determine a slightly downward-sloping route at least 1 meter from walls or fencing that's clear of any obstructions such as posts, trees or shrubs.

Create a Trench and Add Gravel

Referring to spray paint marks, use shovel to dig a 6" wide trench with a depth no greater than that of the nearest foundation (Image 1). Tip: Proper trenches run parallel to buildings and horizontally across slopes. Once trench is dug, add a 3" layer of gravel along bottom (Image 2).

Add Fabric Lining

Use landscape fabric to line entire span of trench atop layer of gravel, leaving roughly 10" of excess fabric on each side of trench.

Insert Drain Pipe

Place drain pipe atop fabric lining, then add gravel, covering pipe completely. Leave approximately 5" between top of gravel and ground surface.

Fold Over Excess Fabric Lining

Fold excess fabric over gravel, creating an overlap. This will help protect the lined drain pipe.

Fill and Cover Trench

Use shovel to fill trench with sand then topsoil. Cover sand and topsoil with turf and add a bed of stones around open end of drain pipe.

30 Apr French Drain: How to Build it the Right Way

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What are French drains and drywells?

Water follows the path of least resistance, and a French drain is that path. A French drain is a trench dug in the ground into which a perforated tube is placed, and which is then filled with gravel or lose rocks. The purpose is to take water from wet areas and disperse it into dry areas.

Steps Download Article

Plot out and mark the path of the French drain. The drain should run about 1 foot (or 30 cm) away from the basement's exterior wall. Place it in the area with the greatest moisture. It should run to a collection basin in the basement (ideally placed in a corner), from which a sump pump will expel the water to the outside.

Tips

All elements of your French drain system--including the collection basin and sump pump at the end--are readily available at any home supply or hardware store. Be sure to buy perforated pipe (which has holes that allows moisture to seep into the drain) and drainage gravel (which allows water to fall through) rather than limestone gravel.

About This Article

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WHAT IS A FRENCH DRAIN?

It sounds elegant but in reality, it’s nothing more sophisticated than a gravel-lined ditch with an embedded pipe that carries water away from the home.

DIGGING A TRENCH FOR A FRENCH DRAIN

Whether installed in the yard or the basement, a French drain works on the same principle. First, a trench is dug with a slope in the direction you want the water to go; a slope of one inch for every eight feet in length is generally recommended.

FILLING AND PIPING A FRENCH DRAIN

After digging your trench, fill it with a few inches of crushed stone. Cover the stone with water-permeable landscaping fabric to discourage weed growth. Next, lay piping into the trench. Choose one of two types, either rigid PVC with predrilled holes or flexible drain pipe cut with slits.

Further Notes on French Drains

Instead of wrapping pipe with landscaping fabric, you can buy a flexible perforated pipe that comes encased in water-permeable fabric.

What is a French Drain?

The basic concept behind a french drain is that water flows downhill and follows the path of least resistance. Pretty simple, right? Actually, the implementation is a bit more complex. However, when the job is finished, it's simply a pipe within a sloped trench, filled with gravel that moves water away from your home's foundation.

Types of French Drains for Basements

There are 2 types of french drains that can directly protect your basement from flooding. The deep french drain and the interior french drain. Let's take a closer look at each:

How to Build a French Drain for Yard Drainage

Many basements leak because of standing water that pools around the home's yard. A traditional French drain can move the water away from the house. Installing this type of French drain is relatively easy and cost effective.

Simple Trench Drain Captures Water

Normal soil makeup consists of small pieces of rock, organic debris, water, and air. In many soils (especially clay soils), the air content is highest in the upper 24 inches. As you go deeper into a soil, the weight of the overlying material compresses the soil and squeezes out the air.

Water Moves Sideways Towards the French Drain Pipe

If your yard slopes and every yard and neighborhood has some slope, the water within the soil actually begins to flow downhill. Level yards suffer as the movement of the water through the soil is minimal.

French Drain Pipe Video

Watch this video to see water flowing out of a perforated french drain pipe in my own yard! You can't believe how well these work.