Tired of having a wet spot in the middle of your yard that won’t dry out? Have you had problems with water pooling in your basement? If your answer is yes, you’ve come to the right place.
Many people experience standing water or excessive groundwater near the foundation of their home or vacation home. As a result, they either have puddles or large areas of mud and standing water.
The best solution is a French drain, also known as a curtain drain. Even though the French word might imply something fancy, in this case, it is the opposite. There is nothing fancy about the French drain!
So let’s see what a French drain is, how it works, and finally, how to install it!
What is a French Drain?
A French drain is a drainage system often used to treat excess water and redirect runoff to the curb, municipal sewer, or elsewhere (not on your neighbor’s lawn).
It is basically a simple trench filled with gravel or stones and a perforated pipe. But how does it work?
The French drain or pipe, more precisely, draws water from the saturated soil and reduces stagnant water due to gravity; it causes water to flow down because water will always follow the path of least resistance, which in this case is down.
It then passes through gravel and stones into the pipe, where it can flow freely to a municipal sewer, away from your home and yard.
The angle of the pipe is critical as it must be placed on a slight downward slope for your French drain to be functional. So although it sounds illogical to use perforated drainage pipes, there is an explanation for it.
As the water descends from above, it passes through the gravel and stones and floods up through the seams of each section of pipe, and the pipe carries it away.
If you are thinking about draining the trench, it is not the same as the french drain; the trench drain is an above-ground system, while the French drain is an underground solution.
Do I need a French drain?
If you have problems with swampy yards, rainwater, excess water and mud, the french drain system is a simple and excellent solution. It will redirect water away from low spots on your property and away from your home’s foundation.
However, if you have severe drainage problems, there may be better choices than the French drain. French drains successfully redirect water, but there has to be a place or a good place where the water will eventually end up.
Moreover, it must be installed at a certain slope or angle to achieve this. Otherwise, it will just fill up your French drain and you’ll just have a displaced area of the yard soaked with water, which defeats the purpose of the drain.
Step-by-step guide: How to install a perforated drainpipe?
For this DIY project, you will need
- Row
- Gravel
- Perforated drain pipe
- Roulette
- stakes
- Tamper
- Sledge-hammer
- Landscape fabric
- row
- Garden rake
Before starting this project, make sure there are no buried power, utility, or water lines near your trench, as you could accidentally cut one. You can also call your national hotline to check if and where you have underground utilities.
Then you’ll need to call a professional to fix the French channel and broken lines, which could turn this into an expensive DIY project. Also, check with a municipal official to find out if you need a permit for your French drain, as some areas require a permit.
Step 1: Dig a trench
With the shovel, dig a trench about twice the width of the perforated pipe. The groove should be around 2 feet deep and slightly angled down in the direction you want the water to go. If there are roots in your French channel, cut them out.
Step 2: Install Stakes
Add stakes every four to six feet of your French channel using a sledgehammer. You can also drive two stakes into the ground to mark the size of the trench.
Next, connect the stakes with string, allowing you to measure the grade as you proceed with the installation process.
Locate where the water will enter the pipe and tie the strings to the stakes you have installed along the drain. Next, level the stakes using a level line.
As you move from stake to stake, try to create a slope of 1/8 per foot of linear run by moving the string down the second stake about 1/2 or 1/3 inch.
Step 3: Measure and compact the soil
Measure the distance between the strings and the bottom of the trench; start at the beginning of the trench and add or remove gravel depending on the distance as you go from stake to stake.
There should be a constant distance between the stakes and the bottom of the trench. Then compact the soil with a tamper, but keep the same distance between the stakes and the bottom of the trench.
Step 4: Remove stakes and add landscaping material
Your next step is to remove the strings and stakes, so there is room for the perforated pipe. Install permeable landscaping fabric in the trench to prevent soil from mixing with gravel and potentially clogging the pipe.
Some people tend to use a sock or other cloth or material for this, but we don’t suggest you try this as it is not designed for the purpose of the landscaping fabric.
Don’t be cheap with your landscaping material; lay it along the entire trench and extend it to the topsoil. You will use this to cover the gravel fill, so don’t forget to do this. If the fabric is too short, the French drain may be defective.
Step 5: Install the gravel bedding
Pour in at least two inches of gravel and smooth it out with a garden rake if you have one handy. Use this opportunity to check that you have maintained the correct slope of the trench.
As mentioned, proper slope is vital to the functioning of the French channel and to achieving optimal drainage.
Step 6: Install the pipe
Lay the PVC pipe on the base of your trench, covered with gravel. The holes on the pipe should face down towards the bottom of the trench. If the holes face up, the water must rise and soak the entire area before it can enter the holes and be redirected.
After installation, add another layer of gravel and cover the pipe with it.
Step 7: Cover with gravel and add soil
The final step is to cover the gravel with the landscaping material and add soil and turf on top of the material.
Is there another way to install a pipe?
You can install the pipe without using stakes and strings. However, using strings and a stake will allow you to achieve that slope and have better control over the process and measurement.
Conclusion
While you might think that installing a French drain or perforated pipe is a complicated task, this article will prove you wrong. Don’t be put off by the many steps; if you have time and patience, you will do it in a few hours.
Finally, you won’t have to deal with swampy yards and excess water. Have you ever tried this? Please share your experience with us. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!
