French Drains are useful systems
French Drains collect water and direct it away from your home to avoid foundation damage.
What Are French Drain Systems?
French drains are simple systems that are comprised of a ditch in the ground, with a perforated pipe inside, all covered with gravel. This ditch collects water, that is filtered through the gravel into the pipe, and directed to a set drainage area away from your home, such as a city sewer, rain barrel or drainage ditch.
Benefits of French Drain Systems
They can be installed both inside or outside of the home. Exterior French drains are cost-effective solutions to water issues on your property. If you notice pooling of water on your property, you may want to explore the French drain system to collect this water before it can move back towards your foundation wall.
French Drain Installation
One common spot to install a French drain is between your house and a neighbor’s house. Water may pool there during rain fall and have nowhere to move, risking a possible situation where it pools against your foundation. French drains can collect this water and move it down towards the sewer on the street.
French drain installation is a simple process that starts with the digging of a trench. A slope must be involved, moving water towards a chosen drainage location. This is where professional waterproofing contractors are required, to ensure a proper slope for the setup and also the correct angle of installation.
Finally, ensure that the stone in the French drain is covered with landscaping fabric which will discourage the growth of weeds in the system that can cause problems down the road.
Damage Prevention
French drains can also prevent damage to your landscaping by moving water off of your property to a drainage point. Standing or pooling water on your property can cause erosion of soil, damage to your grading, or damage to your grass or garden.
Landscaping Fabric
Ensure your trench and dry well are properly lined with landscaping fabric to discourage the growth of weeds and this will also help to filter debris from clogging the gravel and preventing the water from absorbing into the ground.
Interior Drain Solutions
Interior French drains are also very effective solutions that don’t disrupt the exterior landscaping of your home. Interior French drain installation starts with digging a trench around the perimeter of your basement wall, installing a drainage pipe inside, connecting this pipe to a sump pump or drainage system, and covering the pipe with crushed stone.
Keep in Mind
Keep in mind that interior French drains are not preventing water from entering your home. These systems are installed in response to water entering the home. They provide a solution for collection this water and moving it safely to the outside or a drainage point or sump pump without damaging your basement. These systems are effective at collecting water that may be entering through a vulnerable point in your basement where the wall meets the floor joint, and also water that may be flowing down your basement walls. These are great and cost-effective systems for collecting unwanted water in your basement and moving it to a safe drainage point.
Scope of Work
Interior French drain systems will involve interior excavation by a jackhammer, and poured concrete into your basement. They can involve the installation of a sump pump if the situation calls for it.
French Drains Used to Handle Excessive Roof Runoff
Excessive roof runoff can be dealt with by installing a French drain to collect water from the downspouts. In this application, a drainage pipe is connected to the downspouts and is buried underground.
This buried pipe leads to a ‘dry well’ that is situated at least 15 feet away from the home. Water is taken from the roof by the downspouts, and through the buried line to the dry well. This allows water to collect in the well during heavy rains and disperse into the soil far away from your home.
Dry Well Installation
This type of French drain application with a dry well is useful in situations where grading and drainage issues prevent traditional above ground drainage onto the lawn or into a storm sewer. The installation is cost effective and simple to construct, providing a knowledgeable waterproofing team like Stay Dry is doing the work.
Keep Size in Mind
The size and capacity of your dry well depends on the amount of water your property sees, and also the potential for heavy rains in your area.
If you have standing water on your property frequently, or water saturated land, poor sloping or grading on your property, or accumulation of water in your garage or against your foundation, consider talking to waterproofing professionals about French drains to handle roof runoff with the use of a dry well.