What is a French drain design?

What is a French drain design?

A French drain, or curtain drain, removes excess surface water so you won’t need hip boots to cut the grass. A French drain, sometimes called a curtain drain, is a simple system with no moving parts — gravity removes excess water from problem areas in your yard.

What exactly is a French drain?

A French drain or weeping tile (also trench drain, filter drain, blind drain, rubble drain, rock drain, drain tile, perimeter drain, land drain, French ditch, sub-surface drain, sub-soil drain, or agricultural drain) is a trench filled with gravel or rock, containing a perforated pipe, or both, that redirects surface …

What is a French drain and why is it called that?

By the way, the name doesn’t come from the country. It’s from Henry French, a judge and farmer in Concord, Massachusetts, who promoted the idea in an 1859 book about farm drainage. How a French Drain Works. French drains provide an easy channel for water to flow through.

What is a French drain outside?

Exterior French drains are installed around the outside perimeter of a foundation. The drain consists of a flexible perforated drainpipe buried in a trench at the bottom of the foundation footing. Landscape fiber and gravel are put around the pipe to filter out dirt and sediments.

What is the purpose of aggregate in a French drain?

A French drain is a trench, filled with aggregate, that directs subsoil and water away from your property in areas that are prone to flooding or surface water pooling.

Where does a French drain drain to?

These drains are used to direct surface water or groundwater away from a specific area, such as a home’s foundation. French drains direct surface level water toward the lowest point and allow it to seep through the surface level gravel into the drain.

Why use a French drain?

French drains are primarily used to prevent ground and surface water from seeping into building foundations, however, are many reasons why people will install a French drain to redirect surface and ground water. These drains are often used to remove excess water from low areas, or extremely wet areas of the property.

How effective is a French drain?

Properly constructed, french drains will work well to transmit water from the pipe to the exit of the pipe; however, they are not very efficient in dewatering poorly drained soils. Adequate fall means at least 2 ft lower per 100 ft of pipe or 0.25 in. per foot of slope.

What is a French drain around a house?

French drains are a simple way of removing unwanted groundwater and consist mainly of a gravel-filled trench and some perforated drainage pipe. Water, either from the surface or in wet soils, is collected by the gravel and seeps into the pipe which carries it away.

What is the difference between a sump pump and a French drain?

French drains are passive, which means there is nothing to ‘turn on’ during a heavy storm or flood. Sump pumps on the other hand activate as soon as the float starts to rise. This means that as long as the pump can drain more water than can enter the pit the basement will not flood.

What does a French drain connect to?

An outdoor French drain is a trench you cover in rocks. It’s connected to pipes to guide water away from your home. The first part of French drains is the elevated or higher end, referred to as a drain field. The drain field is where the groundwater or excess surface water enters the drainpipes.

How do I create a French drain?

To build a French drain, choose a spot with a slight downhill slope, then dig a trench that is about 6 inches wide and 18 to 24 inches deep. Line the trench with water-permeable landscape fabric, leaving at least 10 inches of excess fabric on either side of the trench.

What is a French drain and how does it work?

French Drains How They Work. When the French drain is placed in the ground, the water is then disbursed along different paths, and pulls the water away from the areas that it is complicating. A trench is usually dug up in the area that the problem is occurring in. The slope of the trench then pulls the water away and into another location.

How to install a French drain?

1) Plan the Location. Figure out where the excess water is pooling and where you want it to go. 2) Dig a Trench. Dig a trench from the place in your yard that needs drainage to your chosen outlet. Check for underground utility lines and pipes before digging. 3) Line the Trench with Filter Fabric. To keep the French drain free of dirt, silt and tree roots, lay water-permeable filter fabric or a weed barrier over the gravel 4) Pour the Gravel Bedding. Pour and compact about 3 inches of gravel or landscaping stone along the bottom of the trench. 5) Hook Up the Pipe Connections. Install an inlet grate at the point where the water pools the most. 6) Set the Pipe Drain in the Trench. Lay the connected pipe structure in the trench on top of the layer of crushed stone, and make sure the drainage holes 7) Cover with Gravel and Filter Fabric. Cover the pipe with about 3 inches of gravel or crushed stone, but not enough to cross above ground level. 8) Backfill with Topsoil. Fill the trench with topsoil and compact to completely cover the entire French drain system. 9) Ongoing Maintenance. Reseed the surface if necessary or cover with landscaping stone. Regularly inspect and clean the inlet grate and outlet point. 10) Gravel-Free French Drainage System. To save some steps in the process of French drain installation, consider purchasing an alternative gravel-free drainage pipe system.

What is an interior French drain?

An interior French drain is a proficient draining method used to eliminate basement water problems. This method drains water from the hollow cores of the block to a pipe that runs under the floor. D-Bug’s process is superior due to grading and sloping the French drains anywhere from 6 to 18 inches toward the sump pump.