How to Make a French Drain

How to Make a French Drain How to Make a French Drain French drain system helps to reduce drainage problems in your lawn or garden. Digging or installing a French drain helps collect and move rain waters away from home. French drain is a gravel drain without a pipe system. The water just collects and travels in gravel or stone filled channel that starts from the surface. But in modern times we can consider the French drain to connect a pipe. You can make your own French drain if you look over the following tips.

Digging the Trench: Installing a French drain is different than the normal trenching. Make sure that French drain can be installed by the spaces between gravel, clay and soil. So, make it wider at the time of installation as wider system has more gravel and takes longer to clog up. Make your drain at least 5” to 12”wide and 7”to 10” deep. The capacity to collect and disperse the water is better in a wide drain. It will be better if the French drain is wrapped with the preamble landscape and it will help you to know the type of the water. Then put it through drain sleeve fabric and slow down any clogging by clay soil particles.

Arrange your tools: Use latest digging tools and technology to dig and widen a French drain. Grading the bottom or trench to obtain the proper slope is also much easier in French drain. You have to contact some local utility company to have all the underground utility as, Gas, Water, and Electricity, phone lines in your location in case of need. Before you think about digging you will handle all the leftover dirt. It is best to dig from the farthest end of the drainage system.

Re route excess water: The most important part of the drainage system is that you have to locate the area for re route the excess water. Probably, this can be an area where it may not have any negative impact on your own or anyone else’s land or building. The best solution can have the drain empty in soak away, especially in the areas with heavy clay soil.

Locate properly: If you can determine the exact location of the utilities you can get the best route for your drain running from the wet area and down to the outlet point. Make a note that it should be free from trees, shrubs, large rocks, building or garden. Your drain must be sloping down to run downward along with the entire flow of water. You can easily measure the grade by using two wooden stakes, some strings and a measuring tape.
Lay the drainage pipe enclose sing the gravel: Lay the drain pipe on top of the lining and fill with gravel on top of the trench. Remember, if you are using perforated pipes the holes are facing downwards. Fold the excess liner over top of the gravel.

Basically if you have a wet and soggy area in your property you can solve your problem by French drainage system. French drains have been used for many years to collect and move unwanted water from one area to another. There is another fact that it requires lots of physical effort but is fruitful too.