A French drain is a ditch that is covered with gravel that reroutes ground and surface water away from an area. It can have hollow pipes with slots to expel water that leaches down through the gravel. The purpose is to prevent erosion. A French drain can be a blessing for a property owner to prevent damage to foundation and flooding in the basement.
When you have the knowledge and tool, making a French drain can be quite easy. The following steps will help you make a French drain:
1. The first step is to decide the location where the drain will end. For instance, you may have the option of placing it an area where there is loose soil or close to a storm drain. It is essential that you find about building codes to make sure you will be in compliance before you start the project.
2. Next, you need to decide the appropriate method of routing the french drain. The best choice is to establish the drain along the edge of the property where it slopes. You also do not want any obstructions such as tree roots. The downward slope should be 1 foot of slope for every length of 100 feet. This is done to ensure gravity pulls the water downward. Any part of the slope that is going upward will disrupt the draining process. To make the slope, add a stake at the beginning of the trench and a stake where the trench will end. Tie a string to one end and take the string down to the other end and tie it to the other end of the stake. As you dig your trench, keep measuring between the string and the bottom of the trench to make sure it remains the same so that the end result will be a uniform downward slope.
3. Once you have picked the location and the routing method of the French drain, you have to dig trenches that are about 6 inches in width and about 4 times larger than pipe's diameter. Once the trenches are complete, you have to put in a layer of course gravel that is 2 inches.
4. Once the course gravel is installed, lay the pipe in the trench. Make sure the slots are pointing downward. Then, place landscape cloth over the pipe and cover the rest with gravel and the send. Then, add top soil to fill in the trench and add grass seed.
Water laden soil can be big problem for a property owner. French drains will dry the land and keep it from becoming overly saturated. Building a French drain is not difficult when you know what you are doing. The key point is to make sure you have a consistent downward slope. French drains catch the water and drains it away to a lower section of land in a non damaging manner, helps stop heavy machines from becoming bogged down, keeps the foundation dry, and makes a building more structurally sound.
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