Exterior French Drain Diagram

French drains need to have a slope of at least 1 so the force of gravity will work for you.

Exterior french drain diagram.

Landscaping decks and walkways might need to be ripped out to install the drain pipe. In the side yard we will only install half of the french drain system and a pair of small drywells to see if it corrects the drainage problem. The process is fairly simple. Installing an exterior french drain can be difficult and expensive.

It just requires a little preparation and planning the right tools and materials and a little diy know how. In the front yard we will fix the foundation ground slope problem. This means that the drain should slope down a total of at least 1 inch for every 10 feet of pipe. Parts of a french drain.

A french drain also called a footing drain is a pipe that carries water away from your house. While some types of these drains include a perforated drain pipe sometimes called drain tile and may be covered with grass the traditional french drain is simpler and easier to build. An interior drainage system is an easier more affordable option for waterproofing your basement. Larger trenches provide better drainage and last longer but require more work.

You can do the work yourself or hire a professional landscape contractor to do the job. A landscaping french drain is a gravel filled trench lined with landscape fabric to keep soil and silt out of the gravel. See the diagram below. A trench at least 12 inches wide and 18 to 24 inches deep.

The french drain is a simple yet versatile construction which can be used to drain standing water from problem areas in your yard or basement. The leftover soil from this can be used for the second step.