22
votes
Accepted
French Drain: Why do I need 3" of rock bedding beneath the pipe?
If you put the pipe right on the fabric, you'll end up filtering the inflow through the 1/2" circles of fabric pressed up against the holes in the pipe, as opposed to filtering through all the ...
- 201k
17
votes
French Drain: Why do I need 3" of rock bedding beneath the pipe?
The water will still flow through the rocks with the pipe assuming your ditch slopes as well. If any sediment makes its way through or around the fabric, the extra 3" will help prevent the ...
- 775
15
votes
Accepted
Does this water tunnel for rain look ok?
Without some sort of retention, that trench will likely cave in or mud up.
Using the existing trench, you can improve it with a bit of effort:
Dig the trench a bit deeper and lay some "big-o"...
- 15.8k
14
votes
Does this water tunnel for rain look ok?
Call me old fashioned but there is a downspout which you can extend to your destination.
- 16.5k
11
votes
French Drain: Why do I need 3" of rock bedding beneath the pipe?
I'm doing similar right now,at my home.
The problem is twofold.
Silt and sediment will flow with the water and ultimately, may either clog the geotextile, or bypass it (through it if its a broad ...
- 610
6
votes
French drain did not solve the problem
Putting a drain sump on the inside is like catching the blood from a cut on your arm into a cup. What you really need to be doing is taking a hard look at what caused the cut and remedy that problem ...
- 64.1k
6
votes
Accepted
Should there be standing water at the bottom of a french drain?
Yes, that's a surface drain box (it may be connected to the pipes of a French drain, but it's not a part of a standard French drain) where the pipes are elevated from the floor so that you can remove ...
- 201k
5
votes
Are pre-drilled holes in pvc french drain pipe enough holes?
The holes in the pipe are enough; drilling more would weaken the pipe. The important thing with French drains is to have a good bed of gravel around the pipe for several inches. I like using a sock on ...
- 102k
4
votes
How do I attach gutters to a french drain, does the perforated pipe need to run entire distance?
You are trying to combine two systems: 1) collection of ground water, and 2) collection of roof drainage. This is a bad idea...don’t do it.
1) Perforated pipe is used to COLLECT ground water. The ...
- 23.1k
4
votes
Accepted
Downspout overwhelms French drain and water enters basement-- how to fix?
I ended up adding a new, non-perforated pipe parallel to the French drain to carry the downspout water away. I joined the two together far from the house to minimize chances of the downspout water ...
- 1,296
4
votes
Does this water tunnel for rain look ok?
That would not last as trench for very long.
The side walls will be eroded and fill up the trench.
To slow the process of erosion, line it with mosquito net.
- 16.8k
4
votes
Should Basement French Drain Have Water In It?
I expect your mother rarely looked into the covered sump in the past 20+ years.
There's a pretty clear waterline in the pictures - the high part of it is 2-3 corrugations above the current waterlevel. ...
- 201k
3
votes
Semi-finished basement, water-resistant "baseboards"?
I'd consider fiber cement trim board. Almost all of it is Class 1 (A) fire rated, it's easy to find at the big box stores in a variety of dimensions, and it will most likely pass for baseboard if it'...
- 6,905
3
votes
Accepted
Will a French Drain on the outside of a house keep water out of a crawlspace?
Cinder blocks are quite porous. To keep a basement or crawl space dry means keeping subterranean water (water table) and surface water off the foundation wall.
Where I live we have a water table at ...
- 23.1k
3
votes
Downspout overwhelms French drain and water enters basement-- how to fix?
Since your French Drain appears to be 6 inches deep, consider stacking the solid pvc pipe for the downspouts on top of it. You definitely need to not add water from roof into French drain collection ...
- 31
3
votes
French Drain or solid PVC pipe
A solid pipe will do no good as a French drain. If draining water away from a foundation I use a perf pipe in a “sock” the sock prevents dirt migration but allows the water to drain.
- 102k
3
votes
Will discolored concrete around French drain be a problem?
New and old concrete look different, period. That, of itself, is not a problem.
You can try to artificially age the new concrete to be more similar-looking to the old concrete. The "different ...
- 201k
3
votes
need help identifying an outdoor drain
The box is a collection drain box. It should not be 1/2 filled with dirt.
Dig the dirt out. You will find 1 or more "ports" where the water collected in the box should drain out. Where ...
- 24.9k
2
votes
Preventing Clogging/Flooding at bottom of exterior basement steps
We had a similar issue: a walkout basement with one small drain that got covered with leaves and other plant debris when it rained hard. I searched quite a bit for a solution, but ended up coming up ...
2
votes
Preventing Clogging/Flooding at bottom of exterior basement steps
Same sort of basement entry here in Seattle. Intermittent flooding and the hassle of sweeping wet leaves out of the stairwell for too many years.
I love my current solution.
A friend drilled support-...
- 21
2
votes
Could this pipe be part of a french drain or something else related to a sump?
It's possible that this was installed as part of a Radon mitigation system, or for future use as part of a Radon mitigation system if one was needed.
You shouldn't use it as a drain, unless you've ...
- 131k
2
votes
Accepted
Could this pipe be part of a french drain or something else related to a sump?
It actually isn't that bad of a place.
Most basement bathrooms I do end up being in a corner.
Builder planning on actual drain location is basically useless because they can't get in your head on ...
- 47.8k
2
votes
Accepted
Geotextile Filter for French drain woven or non-woven?
It has been 2 years now with a lot of snow in the winter and plenty of rain during spring and fall...I'm happy about my drainage system...it is dry in the crawlspace and the house is not moving ...
- 101
2
votes
Geotextile Filter for French drain woven or non-woven?
It depends on what your soil consists of. Actually, a nonwoven fabric is recommended for soils on the sandy side. However if your soil is a good part (>20%) clay, thats where things get tricky. The ...
- 21
2
votes
Accepted
Does a French drain need to terminate above ground?
Look at a typical "dry well" install - basically terminate the pipe into a blob of crushed rock, or an actual void/hole/tube punched full of holes, so the water can filter out. Just stopping the pipe ...
- 201k
2
votes
How do I install a french drain in a sunken concrete patio?
I don’t think that a French drain will benefit your situation unless the issue is surface water flowing over the top of the retaining wall. If that is the case, then it might help, but you would not ...
- 5,349
2
votes
French drain did not solve the problem
I think you are misunderstanding how interior french drains work. Exterior french drains help divert water away from the foundation and thereby reduce the amount of water entering the basement. ...
- 693
2
votes
How far from the foundation and how deep should a French drain be?
Location
Since the water generally comes from outside the home's footprint, drain tile is usually installed along the footing (inside, outside, or both, depending on the situation). Whether you need ...
- 129k
2
votes
So Help Please With Driveway Ditch and French Drain
You're going to need an outlet for that water regardless of whether you have a ditch or a french drain (and in your case, I think you are describing not so much a french drain as a "diversion trench")....
- 1,030
2
votes
self leveling layer with internal French drain
How long do you plan to keep the house?
I'd just get the tiles tested and remediated. How many square feet are you thinking about?
Self level isn't cheap and if you want to make your basement ...
- 13.4k
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