French Drain may be custom designed for practical use

French Drain may be custom designed for practical use Drainage system is a very important part of a house. It is the sole carrier of all the dust and worthless items away from the house. It should be well maintained and cleaned on a regular basis to avoid woeful situations later. An overflow or even a leak can make the situation worse for the concerned establishment. The land drain or French drain needs to be designed with proper planning in place. Drains are meant for regular and even intensive use on numerous occasions.

A land drain or French drain is primarily a trench with rock coverings redirecting surface and ground water away from a particular area. It may also consist of hollow pipes at the bottom to vent water quickly seeping down the rock or upper gravel.  French drain is usually a common drainage system designed for practical purposes. It is very useful in preventing surface and ground water against penetration and damaging the building foundation. This drain technique is suitable for water distribution flowing from the mouth of tank sewage treatment mechanism. The French drains come into use for retaining walls and relieving ground water pressure. Installation of such a drainage system with punctured drain pipe requires proceeding step by step. The steps mentioned below are more than handy in such cases:-

Firstly, find out if a place is available for drain pipe to be day lighted. This should be done while using the gravity for draining the pipe. One needs to have a slope for 1/8th or even 1/10th per ft of pipe run. There is a need to flag off and measure the exact length of pipe run. Based on the real circumstances and needs, one may dig out a trench measuring 6 ft wide and 24” deep. Afterwards, one can excavate this trench and ensure a good drop to let the water flow through gravity. The trench should be lined along the bottom on landscape fabric. Similarly, the trench sides should be done to have enough space for overlapping the top which concludes with pipe installation. French drain is basically a step by step process not meant to be done by hurrying into things. Each and every aspect needs to be well planned with precision paying attention to details.

Afterwards, one should proceed ahead by installing 2 ft of pea gravel giving full attention to grade. The next step should be fitting a single filter shock through this pierced drain pipe. The pipe should be installed with holes going down which prevents the dirt from penetrating the available holes. Pea gravel is suitable for concluding the pipe covering to at least 4ft towards surface. It should be also covered by landscape fabric to ensure the step completion. One may also install some coarse sand over the top. Further the addition of sod, crushed granite and grass seed or ground cover does the job perfectly. Starting the work of installing French drain after a proper planning is the best way to proceed. There may be some challenges sooner or later before completion.

Image credit: Rosamund Parkinson