French drains Austin are perforated trench pipes covered with gravel to drain surface runoffs a safe distance from your home. It allows water to sink into the ground rather than running along the surface. If you have a problem with surface water, such as a soggy lawn or a driveway that washes out, French drains will help. Excess water runs into gravel-filled trench trickles into a perforated pipe at the bottom, which empties a safe distance from your home.
The French drain is also called a curtain drain, perimeter drain, weeping tile, or agricultural drain. While French drains may look a bit complicated, there’s no need to worry. At Ace Construction Texas, We are experts in constructing and installing French drain systems in Central Texas using construction robotics. In this post, we’ll help you understand French drains and how they can benefit your home’s landscape.
What Do French Drains Do
A French drain is an underground trench with a perforated pipe at the bottom. It is surrounded by gravel and covered with grass. Its purpose is to redirect groundwater away from a low point area in your yard to prevent water pooling and erosion in the garden.
A French drain is used with an external drainage system, which comprises underground pipes that run water to a specified location away from your house.
Many homes in Texas suffer from poor grading or soil compaction, resulting in drainage problems such as water pooling in yards, wet basements, foundation damage, or erosion. Ace Construction Texas provides residential & commercial Austin drainage services to prevent flooding and effectively solve your drainage problems.
What Does It Look Like
It’s called a French drain because Henry Flagg French invented it. It’s not a French invention, but it was developed in Massachusetts by Henry Flagg French in 1859. A typical French drain should have about a 2 feet wide and 2 feet deep ditch.
Your french drain needs to slope downhill at least 1/8 inch per foot for adequate drainage. A perforated pipe surrounded by gravel is used at the trench bottom to direct groundwater from the foundation walls.
When Do You Need A French Drain
A french drain is more than a simple trench. It is an engineered system where gravel, pipe, fabric, and other components work together to create the ideal environment for the water to move away from where you don’t want it. French drains are low maintenance and will last for decades with proper installation. Here are some instances where installing a french drain will serve you well;
- Install a French drain if you want to deal with pools or puddles of water accumulating around your yard. To dry out a wet basement, drain standing water that’s causing problems in the garden or as part of a more extensive drainage system to divert excess water from the house’s foundation.
- Water runoffs can cause soil erosion and cause cracks in the foundation. A French drain will remove excess water before this happens so that you don’t have to worry about damaging your home’s foundation.
- It helps to waterproof your basement; you’ll see that installing a french drain makes sense financially.
Different Kinds of French Drain Systems
There are different French drains, each with advantages and disadvantages. Choosing the right one depends on your home’s location, landscape, and water drainage needs.
Standard French Drain
The traditional french drain is the most common. It features a trench, fabric, and a perforated pipelined with gravel.
The typical standard French drain is about six inches wide and eight inches deep. The trenches can be any length you need them to be. If you want to make your drainage system more efficient, you can dig a more deep and broader trench, but that’s not usually necessary unless there is a high volume of water to deal with or if you’re in an area that receives a lot of rain every year.
Collector and Interceptor French Drain system
If you have one specific area that always seems to flood, such as a driveway or low spot in your backyard, installing a catch basin is a good solution for your yard drainage problems. The concept is simple, catch the water and divert it to a drainage pipe. Water from the gutters and downspouts will trickle into the drainpipe, down to the catch basin, and then flow through a perforated pipe to a dry well or sump pit.
The area around a catch basin is protected from erosion because the water flows into specially designed drainage collectors with a grate on top to prevent gravel or other debris from clogging the system. The french drain trench collects water on ground level and redirects it to a sump pump or different location where it can drain properly.
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How to Install French Drains
Installing French drains can be a DIY project, but we recommend contacting a local professional who understands how french drains work. If you have questions about installing a french drain, call our experts at Ace Construction Texas. These are the essential tips to ensure the french drain is installed correctly:
Select the Area
Select an area where surface water is likely to accumulate after a storm and decide where you want the drainage system to end up. Carrying out an area survey will ensure that you don’t accidentally hit any underground utility lines during your digging. You can run collected water into a storm sewer if one is available or into a dry well.
Excavate the Trench
Digging a trench is the most labor-intensive part of this project, not only challenging but a dirty job. You might need to rent a power trencher. Dig a trench about two feet wide in your required area and a few inches deep, depending on your retaining wall or other reasons.
Place your perforated pipe in the trench and make sure it is sloping away from your home at a rate of 1/8 inch per foot. If you are using more than one pipe, connect them with a special fitting made for this purpose.
Lining the trench with filter fabric
Covering the piping with fabric is also optional but will help keep silt and dirt out of the perforated pipe holes so it stays clean without clogging up your system in the future.
Cover The Piping With Gravel
The pipe should be covered with gravel, not soil. A few inches of gravel will also prevent soil erosion during heavy rains when all of that water flows through the pipe toward a drainage ditch or in open ditches where it won’t cause problems for you or your neighbors.
Ace Construction Texas – Professional French Drain Installation
A French drain is an excellent tool to prevent flooding in your basement floor or yard. Water that seeps through the walls or floor of your basement can lead to mold and other damage, so it is essential to take steps to reduce moisture levels. Ace Construction Texas is an experienced and reliable French drains Austin contractor for all your drainage problems. Save yourself from future headaches and repair; invest in proper installation now. Our French drains help you collect water and remove it away from your home where it does not cause any damage.
