Tag Archives: french drains

French Drains Water Damage Prevention

Utility Lines are frequently laid in sand that provides a direct path for water to reach the foundation.

Swales and french drains . The means of transporting water away from the house besides sheet flow ( when the surface is effective running water ) are the swale and French Drain. A swail is a small valley formed by two sloped soil surfaces . Swales must me pitched ,or they become ponds. A swale should be located away from the building, and it is often used to divert sheet flow coming from uphill.

A french is a trench filled with rock or gravel that a collect water and transports laterally. I prepare the bottom of thtrench so thats smooth and carefully pitched toward the outlet. Mix dry cement with the soil in the bottom of the trench make it less permeable, and fill the trench with whatever clean gravel is locally available . I hesitate to used road stone , a blend of gravel and stone dust, because water passes through it slowly . If the gravel is to be exposed. I try to cap it with an attractive rounded stoned . If the drain is to covered m I provide graduated layers of smaller stone toward the surface , then perhaps, filter before the sod covering .

I sometimes use 4 inch smooth wall perforated plastic pipe in a french drain , particularly if I expect it to carry a big volume of water , say runoff from the futures. There are fittings that connect downspouts directly into this pipe . If you do this, install cleanest at least every 50 feet ad keep in gutters clean . Otherwise the can pipe can become clogged with leaves . I don’t use corrugated pipe for drainage because it is more easily and is more difficult to clean.

Concrete patios , stoops , driveways , and side walks abutting the foundation present problems . It is important to design them so that the gravel beneath the drains outward ,a perfect use for a French drain. You way dined that the driveway is one of most convenient site for a French drain. Driveways usually pitch away from the house , and a French drain can be integrated with the driveway so that it will not call attention to itself.

Where should the water go?

To my knowledge , municipalities mo longer provide storm sewer service for a new residential run of . In my area , they do mot receive the output from sump pumps. They receive and treat storm water to keep streets open, and that’s about it . If the isn’t enough elevation difference between the house and a point on the lot where a pitched drain can come to daylight , then another solution is needed . Theoretically , if the pipe never pitches back, you don’t
need more than the diameter of the pipe in elevation difference difference . Practically , more is better and 1’4 inch pipe .

Because have the pitch below grade, run off can go to dry wells. Drainage structures must buried somewhere on site .

French Drains Proper Drainage Solution Regrade Property

Drainage Solution : How to Regrade

Establish the drainage slope. The yard around your house should slant away from the house at a minimum slope 3/4 inch per ft for at least 10 ft . Till the soil or add new soil around the house perimeter. Drive a wood stake next to the house and another 10 ft out. Tie a level mason’s string between the stakes, and then move the string down at least 2 1/2 inches at the end away from the house , establishing your minimum slope.

Redistribute the soil with a steel garden rake so the grade follows the slope line. Add top soil at the high end if needed. Do not excavate bear the end of the slope accommodate the grade. The goal is to build up the yard to create runoff.

Use a grading rake to smooth out the soil so it slopes at an even rate . Drive additional stakes and tie off slope lines as necessary.

Tamp the soil with a hard tamper or plate compactor . Fill in any dips that occur with fresh dirt . Lay sod or plant grass or cover immediately.

Drainage solution : How to install a dry well

A dry well is a simple way to channel excess water out low lying or water laden areas , such as the ground beneath a gutter downspout . Dry well system typically consists of a buried drain tile running from a catch basin positioned at the problem spot to a collection container some distance away .

A dry well system is easy to install and surprisingly inexpensive . In the project shown here, a perforated plastic drain tile carries water from a plastic trash ca that has been punctured , then filled with stone rubble. The run off water percolates into the soil as it makes its way along the drain pipe and through the dry well.

The how to steps of this project include digging the trench with a shovel . If the catch basin is a long distance from the from the problem area, you may want to rent a trencher to dig the trench quickly. Call local utility companies to mark the location of underground mechanics before you start to dig .

Set a length of perforated drain tile on the gravel running the full length of the trench. If the trench starts at a downspouts , position a grated catch basin directly beneath the downspout and attach the end of the drain tile to the outlet port .

Dig a trench ( 10 inches , 14 inches deep) from the area where the water collects to the catch basin location , sloping the trench 2 inch per 8 foot . Line the trench with landscape fabric add 1 inch layer of gravel on top of the fabric .

Install the dry well by digging a hole that’s big enough to hold a plastic trash can . Drill 1 inch holes through the sides and bottom of the can every 4 inches to 6 inches . Also cut an access hole at the top of the can for the drain tile . Set the can in the hole and insert the free end of the tile . Backfill dirt over the tile and trench and plant grass or cover with sod.