Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [french-drain]

102 questions
16
votes
4 answers

How do I build a French drain?

There's a shed near the side of the house with a roof that's pitched to shoot water at the house's foundation. That side of the house also has no gutters. There's a very slight grade to send water towards the front of the house. House is brick…
Steve Jackson
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4 answers

French Drain: Why do I need 3" of rock bedding beneath the pipe?

I'm having issues with a leaky basement in the Portland area. There's dirt, mud, and vegetation outside of my foundation wall, and it's absorbing lots of rainwater. 4 feet of it is inside my property line, but my neighbor has a wide grassy driveway…
M -
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White solid drain pipe vs black flexible corrugated pipe for a french drain

Which one is preferable if you have a straight line 2 feet deep trench in mostly clay soil? I'll put either one in a sock with gravel. There are some roots around the trench so I thought the solid pipe would be sturdier. Any comments on this would…
Peter Q
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1 answer

What should I do about my rendering & damp-proof course?

I have a house that was built around 1890 and is of brick construction with a rendered band running around the base which also forms square edged columns around the front door. Until recently the house had a concrete front garden that met the…
Gideon Purser
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7
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2 answers

What is the best way to seal a French drain board due to high levels of radon?

The Radon level in my crawl space is above the threshold (~5.5) and the level in my basement is around 4. I'd like to install a radon mitigation fan that sucks air from the sump pump of a French drain system. The problem is that the French drain…
Peter Q
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6
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6 answers

Preventing Clogging/Flooding at bottom of exterior basement steps

I just purchased a house this weekend, and moved in yesterday. I live in MD (USA), and there just happened to be a torrential downpour yesterday after we moved in. I went downstairs to check my sump pumps, and then checked the door leading to by…
dberm22
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6
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3 answers

Has anyone here ever rented a trencher? What was your experience?

I need to dig a 2 feet deep trench, about 100 feet long. Has anyone used one of these trenchers? The first one in particular? http://rentalsunlimited.com/catalog/trenchers/trenchers.html What was your experience? Any alternatives? Does Home Depot…
Peter Q
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6
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2 answers

Can I regrade this gravel section of yard myself?

My home is at lower elevation from the street. Water runs down the asphalt driveway and there is a french drain in front of the garage. On one side of the driveway there is a gravel patch that is not graded away from the house. The water catches…
Kyle Weller
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6
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1 answer

How should I install a french drain in this situation, and will it help?

I need to install a french drain to prevent the water from getting to the wall of my house. The water is coming off a patio, here is the layout I would like to understand a couple of things: 1) How effective is a french drain that is so close to…
MiniMe
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5
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2 answers

Curtain drain in the crawl space - Part 3

I've dug out a trench around the perimeter of my crawl space. Then I planned the next steps. I took a week off but I'd like to finish this project next weekend. I'm going to put a 4" perforated pipe. But my question is about the necessity of…
Peter Q
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1 answer

How should I install a curtain drain in my crawl space?

Since I have wet areas in the crawl space, I have decided to dig a trench at the perimeter of my crawl space to take care of the water. This would also allow me to install rigid foam insulation on the walls. The plan is to dig not only down to the…
Peter Q
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1 answer

How far from the foundation and how deep should a French drain be?

My wife and I bought a house recently but sadley the rainy season has come and I noticed a bad smell coming from the crawlspace I went under neath and found standing water about a inch deep running along two walls of the house. The rain water is…
Troy K
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Could this pipe be part of a french drain or something else related to a sump?

I excavated a wall in the corner of my basement and found what I'm assuming is a drain pipe, but the location has me baffled. It's literally in the corner of my basement. The placement doesn't seem ideal for a shower, sink, or toilet and there is…
thatguy
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1 answer

French Drain placement question

I am installing a French drain around the back side of my house to help protect the perimeter foundation. I have a 31'X 36' patio butted up against part of the foundation. Should I also install the French drain around the patio?
Brian Bush
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4
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1 answer

Can I use packing popcorn (peanuts) instead of gravel for filling a french drain?

I'm digging a 2 feet deep french drain a few feet away from the house. I'm wondering if instead of gravel I could surround the 4" perforated pipe with packing popcorn (or peanuts, or whatever they are called). I'll be backfilling 1 foot with dirt…
Peter Q
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