If you have drainage problems around your home or have experienced a flooded basement, you will be able to benefit from the advantages of a French drain. This type of drain is a trench that is filled with gravel and is designed to direct any water away from your home, protecting your basement, foundation and the soil surrounding your home. The original French drains were simply trenches filled with gravel. Today, they also include a pipe to create the perfect scenario for water to run off. There are a few important steps you should follow to complete proper French drain installation.
Find the Excess Water
Your first step for proper French drain installation is to determine the area of your yard that has excessive water accumulation. Once you find the area with excessive water, you need to determine the perfect way to reroute the water. You need to be careful that you do not reroute the water into your neighbor’s yard or any other portion of land that is not yours because this could result in a lawsuit against you. You always want to ensure the water is rerouted away from your home and not toward it to prevent any further water damage.
Obstruction-Free Area
Once you have determined the area that needs to be rerouted, you need to determine exactly where to dig the trench. This is not always best done alone; at the least, you need the services your city provides to let you know where it is safe to dig to avoid hitting utility cables. You need to create a mini slope to allow the water to drain. It is best to plot the area out before digging to ensure the entire plan will work.
Line the Trench
Once you have dug the trench and are ready to reroute the water, you should line the trench with landscape fabric. This will ensure all soil stays out of the gravel with which your French drain is lined to allow it to work effectively.
French drain installation is a hefty job that is money well spent when you call in the experts. There are many factors that go into creating the perfect French drain. One small mistake could cause the water to run opposite of the area you intended or could even cause you to be involved in a lawsuit if it ends up running into your neighbor’s lawn.
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