How do French Drains work?

If you have a soggy lawn or continual standing water, the solution may be a French drain. A French drain is excellent in collecting and channeling water, diverting it safely away. If you have any slope in your landscape, you can be sure that water runoff will flow downhill, and by the quickest route possible. If your yard is flat and there is no where for water to run, then without proper drainage you will face constant standing water especially if the underlying soil is clay based. Our drainage company can easily diagnose these issues and determine if the French drain is what you need or if you might also need a sump pump.

The French drain is conceptually very simple, a slightly sloped trench filled with pea size gravel surrounding perforated pipe that’s buried underground helps divert excess water away from your home and foundation.

French Drains are the perfect method to eliminate retention ponds on your landscape if you are located in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio Texas

How a French drain works

Once we’ve determined the areas where water is collecting on the property, we will map out exactly where the French drain will be located and start the installation process. Once the French drain system is installed, excess surface and subsurface water will channel through the gravel and into the perforated piping and flow through the trench and away from the property. Some of our clients have the water run into drainage ditches, others run the water into the street.

Categories: Drainage
Tags: french drain
Chris Maxwell-Gaines: I am a professional civil engineer that focuses on creating impacting and sustainable projects by identifying all of the hidden water conservation opportunities available in a project. I am particularly interested in working within the realms of sustainable site planning, integrated water management and planning, and low impact development practices.
Related Post