Thinking about installing your own French drains? Want to know how to install a French drain system? Our guide gives you the facts & information you want to know.
You are having problems with you drainage. It so happens that the land adjacent to yours is at a higher level and you are having too much dampness on your land. What you need is a better drainage system. One of the options is to install “French Drains”. A French drain, unlike a conventional drain which is a trench in which a drain pipe is laid, is basically a trench filled with gravel.
Installing a French drain is not very difficult nor is it very easy and the time required to install one depends largely on the quantity of water flow and the extent of ground that has to be traversed. The equipment required for laying a French drain is also not very sophisticated and can be purchased in any hardware store. What you require is a spade, landscape fabric, gravel, sand, sod, string level, string and two stakes.
If you decide to do the installation by yourself, first you have to determine where the outlet for the drain is going to be located. An ideal place would be at some distance from the house in an area with sandy soil where the drained water could pass into the ground harmlessly. However, before digging it is better that the location of underground cables and other underground pipes are ascertained to avoid damage to them. Also check that it doesn’t create problems for your neighbors to avoid unnecessary litigation.
How to install French drain system
When installing your French drain system a slope has to be provided for easy flow and to get the water to go where you want it to. A grade of 1% is recommended. A horizontal channel across the length of the slope is to be dug. The digging is the most difficult part of the whole procedure and the width of the ditch depends on the quantity of water to be disposed of. The more the bigger.
Once the excavation is completed, the ditch is lined with landscape fabric. This is to prevent dirt etc from entering the gravel. Then a layer of gravel follows. The landscape fabric is pulled over the top of the gravel layer. Next a layer of coarse gravel is shoveled over the fabric and again covered with fabric. Add about 4 inches of topsoil and finally place the sod on top. Lo and behold! Your French Drain is complete.
Another very easy way to install a French Drain is to hand over the job to a professional from scratch to finish, relax in the comfort of you sitting room and then pay the pro for the completed work. No hassles, no worries.
