How To Install A French Drain

Every homeowner should know how to install a French drain or notice a plumber who can. When draining your one thousand or home, you lot will observe the importance of French drains.

Its name may signal the drain is of French origin, but the truth is, it'south named after its inventor.

The French drain is over 100 years old. It is popular among homes across the Usa. A better pipe or bleed system is not available.

What Is A French Drain?

In the mid-1800s, Henry French, an agriculturist, invented the French drain. This is what the man is most famous for. His son, Daniel French, designed the Lincoln Memorial.

Although the Lincoln Memorial may be more than iconic, the French bleed changed the way that nosotros irrigate and bleed h2o. The French drain is a concealed bleed with many uses and variations.

How Does A French Drain Work?

French drain trench with weeds 1024x773 — Image found on High Desert Designs, LLC.

French drains help bleed yards and gardens. The pipe is hidden underground and covered with rocks. It is pierced with holes so water from the surface tin seep down and enter the pipe.

The water follows the path through the pipe and works like any other pipe. The rocks must allow the water to catamenia underneath without becoming a take chances to the basis higher up.

The purpose of the French drain is to motion water that might build up and loosen foundations. It also helps remove alluvion h2o from septic tanks.

How To Build A French Drain

Black eyed susans in french drain trench 1024x771 — Pennsylvania Landscape & Nursery Association

Building a French drain isn't hard. But information technology's best to follow expert advice and detect a pro to lend a paw.

Buying Materials

Earlier you start, brand a checklist. Hither is everything yous need to install a French drain:

Shovel
Piping (PVC with holes or drain pipe)
Gravel
Textile liner (water-permeable weed fabric)
Topsoil (optional)

Digging A Trench

You need to dig your trench 18 inches deep and 12 inches wide. This will concur the pipe while giving y'all room to work with. Experience free to go a few inches deeper, simply try not to go deeper than two feet.

Every bit for width, 12 inches is the minimum. It'south important not to go narrower or else y'all'll run into problems. Building a bigger trench won't cost more, just a smaller i can in the end.

Lining The Trench (Optional)

This is optional, merely most recommend information technology. There's no reason non to add a cloth liner to the trench before adding the piping. A landscaping fabric will practise and will prevent weeds from growing and disrupting the drain.

Line the entire trench with information technology, pulling upward over the edges. You tin also wrap the drainpipe with fabric if you desire, but one layer of textile, or else the h2o won't drain. Brand sure the landscaping textile is of good quality.

Stone Bed For Pipe

After y'all line the trench, you can add a sparse layer of rocks that will exist the foundation for your pipage. With this, you tin brand up for any flat areas or holes. Make certain the pipe will be fix in the bed.

The piping shouldn't motility much when you lot press downwardly on it. Simply you also don't want sharp rocks cutting into a pipe that is thin. Cheque for sharp rocks before pressing downwards and testing the pipage's bed.

French Drain Installation

This is the near of import stride. Installing the drain. Y'all tin either use perforated PVC or a drainage pipe that will bend. Lay the piping along the stone bed, making certain it is stable.

It's easier to work with a drainage pipe that is flexible more than than a PVC piping. PVC piping may be solid, just information technology needs a solid base. Flexible pipe is likewise cheaper, but not as strong.

Fill With Rocks

Fill the trench with rocks, covering both sides and the top of the pipe. Don't get out room for movement or the pipe could shift and crack, or create kinks. Encompass it well, all the fashion to the top unless you utilise the next pace.

Add Topsoil (Optional)

If you encompass the rocks and brand the French drain "invisible" so go out an inch or two for topsoil. Add the topsoil to meet the residuum of the ground and pack it tight. You can and so add grass seed.

Proceed in mind that if y'all demand to do repairs or make changes, it's better to take gravel to remove rather than grass and topsoil. This is why about French drains accept a gravel comprehend instead of a topsoil cover.

Walkway over french drain — Loftier Desert Designs, LLC.

Finding Someone To Install A French Drain/ DIY Project

Information technology may seem easy at first to find someone to install a French drain for y'all. Some general contractors tin can install French drains, but information technology's most common for a plumber to install the French drain. Landscaping and waterproofing companies tin besides install French drains.

Whoever you hire, make certain they are qualified and know the city codes. The cost of a French drain is $2,000 and $4,000. Nevertheless, the range can be equally big equally between $800 and $eight,000.

To figure your quote, measure how many anxiety of bleed you lot need. The boilerplate cost is $twenty to $30 per linear foot or between $one,000 and $1,500 in exterior applications and $45 to $sixty per linear pes or $5,000 to $six,000 for internal ones.

How To Install A French Bleed Frequently Asked Questions

Where Do I Drain To?

It's important to have a safety release point. It should be an area below your yard and somewhere with petty to no traffic. Earthworks a pond or something like is a great fashion to employ the release point without causing any further problems.

Can I Drain Onto A Neighbor's Property?

You tin never practice this. Even if your neighbor's property is bigger than yours and you have agreed to it. But information technology'southward not a practiced idea to drain onto a neighbor's belongings. To practise so is illegal, and unless an agreement is written on paper information technology could backfire.

How Do I Stay On Runway – French Drain Mistakes?

To make certain that the trench follows the planned path, use flags, spray paint, or a chalk line to mark information technology before you lot start digging. This way, even if yous have aid, the team tin stay on track without making any mistakes.

Tin I Bleed Uphill?

No. For h2o to movement uphill, it needs to be siphoned. This is a different type of irrigation system. Pipes should movement downhill. In this example, at least one inch every ten feet.

Do I Need A Let To Install A French Drain?

It depends on the code in your area. Contact an agricultural expert or official to notice the metropolis or neighborhood codes. You may be able to dig or you might need a permit that gives you the leeway you need.

Do I Have To Use Gravel For My French Drain?

A gravel drain cover is recommended, but the soil is fine. If you lot practise, you'll need a corrugated piping surrounded by polystyrene amass. The last matter to exercise is wrap information technology in the fabric and cover it with soil.

Can I Rent A French Drain Installer?

Yes, yous tin can. This will speed up the process and ensure information technology's washed right. Yous tin also call them if problems arise.

Are There Other Types Of French Drains?

French drains come up in many different varieties. Hither's a breakup of what they are and their purpose.

Curtain drain – this is a concealed drain that is covered in soil with vegetation planted on elevation. They deal more with surface water instead of groundwater like the standard French drain does.
Filter drain – often used with a French drain, this blazon deals with groundwater alone.
Interceptor drain – used in city sewage systems or storm sewers.
Dispersal drain – a multi-disperse drain that distributes h2o from septic systems.
Fin drain – a subterranean pipe with an upward placement. They direct h2o to a traditional drain.

How Do Yous Make clean A French Bleed?

Keeping your French drain make clean should be a priority. Cleaning a French drain is not difficult simply requires time and tools.

First, remove the grate or drain lid. You will need admission to the entire pipe. With a bones garden hose, flush whatever debris and other small items from the bleed. For best results, a power washer removes large items from the bleed.

If those ideas do not work, you'll demand to put an electric sewer snake in the drain. This is known every bit "snaking the drain." It helps your remove debris or clogs from the drain.

You'll need to force the snake through the drain. The goal is to remove any potential clogs from the drainpipe. During this step, it is vital that yous accept your time.

Later you lot've hitting the end of the drain, remove the sewer ophidian. When you do this, you lot'll remove debris stuck in your French drain.

For the last step, employ a garden hose to affluent the drain system. Repeat this process to remove all clogs.

How Much Does It Cost To Clean A French Drain?

A pro plumber will charge between $45 to $150 an hour to clean a French drain. For large jobs, a pro will use a hydro jet to make clean your French drain.

A hydro jet is a specialized tool that pushes high-force per unit area water through your abode's drain system. Due to its power and intensity, a hydro jet is not a DIY option.

If y'all have large dogs, then you know how much they shed. Pet hair can clog your drain system.

How Practise Y'all Install A French Drain In A Gravel Driveway?

Every bit you know, gravel is used to make a real French bleed. If you have a gravel driveway, you'll demand to apply PVC pipe. The piping should be iv to 6 inches in diameter. This is big plenty to drain h2o.

The PVC pipe must exist potent enough not to interruption when cars drive over it. If don't accept experience, phone call a pro. This isn't a DIY abode project for rookies.

Make up one's mind on the best place for your drain. It should exist in a location where it can drain water without causing damage. Take 2-foot wooden stakes and place them at either terminate of the French bleed.

If your driveway is longer than 50 anxiety, apply a third pale to mark the extra length. Put a stake from 15 inches wherever the French drain is the highest. Use a dry line to measure out the depth.

Dig a trench big enough so the pipe is affluent with your driveway's surface. Gum the PVC pipes together. When yous lay the pipage, the holes need to exist facing upwardly.

Cover the pipe with gravel. Remember: the top function of the pipage should not be covered. You lot want to e'er see it.