French Drains: An Alternative to Gutters
French drains offer a solution to the pooling of water next to your home’s foundation after a torrential downpour. These drainage trenches redirect water away from your house and act as underground gutters.
In their simplest form, French drains are open trenches that are 2 or more feet deep and approximately 12 inches wide. They can be used to intercept water flowing down from higher ground.
The idea is to have gravity take control as the trench slopes about 1 quarter of an inch per foot down to where you want the drain to end. This provides a path for the rain water to run along uninterrupted.
For safety reasons and to prevent erosion, large gravel is often used to fill in the trenches. The water simply flows through the pores created by the piled stones. This fill materials provides structure to the trench so that it doesn’t collapse inward.
Sophisticated French Drains
Modern French drains include a 4 inch diameter perforated drainage pipe. This component is laid down on top of the first 2 inches of gravel in the trench. The holes in the pipe face downward. The pipe is then completely covered with 4 to 6 inches of gravel.
The top layer of gravel is covered with a fabric liner. Then, top soil can be added as a finishing touch. In this way a seamless landscape is created and the French drain is hidden from sight.
This approach can allow the drain to remain working for decades because it will not easily get clogged. If it does get clogged, a plumper’s pipe snake will easily fix the problem. A properly built French drain should last a lifetime.
Related posts:
- Unclog Drains
- Gutter System Protection - Realistic Expectations
- Decorative Gutter Downspouts - Rain Chains
- Alternatives to Traditional Gutters
- French Doors vs. Sliding Doors
Tags: Gutters
