Now that you’ve identified a good location for your drain, it’s time to get started. Before you start digging, mark the area extending from your rain gutter for your French drain with spray paint. This will serve as your guide.
To begin building you’ll need a shovel, gravel, water permeable landscaping fabric, a few long nails and a perforated drainage pipe. The amount of each of these materials will depend on the depth, width and length of your drain. A standard French drain is 6 inches wide, 18-24 inches deep and about 3 feet long. (Keep in mind that you’ll need to dig deep enough to place the tubing so that the finished product doesn’t lie above your foundation.)
Once your trench is completed, spread about 3 inches of gravel along the bottom of the trench. Next, lay the landscaping fabric over the fabric, with about 10 inches of excess on either side of your trench. At this point, pin the fabric on either side with nails so that it will not move when you’re placing the drainage pipe and gravel. While some people don’t bother with using fabric, without it, your drain will fill with soil and clog over time.
Now you’re ready to lay your drain pipe and cover completely with more gravel. You’ll need to leave about 5 inches between the top of the gravel and the ground surface. Fold the fabric over the tubing and gravel, overlapping like you’re wrapping a present. Then fill the trench back in with soil. Depending on the location of your drain, you may wish to top the soil with sod. To further assist with drainage, create a bed of stones at the end of the drain pipe.
And voila, your new drainage system is ready to go!
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Have more questions? Call us—we’d love to help! Call the professionals at Go Green Plumbing at 336-252-2999 for service 7 days a week/24 hours a day. If water runs through it – We Do It!
