How to clean french drain

Despite the design’s best efforts, French drains get clogged by dirt, debris and silt. They do need to be cleaned out regularly – about once per year – to ensure that they continue to direct water away from the building’s foundation. The best way to clean a French drain is mechanically, using an electric snake.

Maintaining a French Drain. Clean your French drain regularly. Regular cleaning of your French drain is necessary to prevent a buildup of dirt and debris that could cause a clog. Every week or so, use a garden rake to clear the surface of the drain to remove any debris that could obstruct water flow.

Homeowners who need to have their French drain cleared through hydrojetting services should plan to pay a plumber between $150 and $200 per hour for the clog to be cleared.

Generally speaking, a French drain will last approximately 30 to 40 years.

Why Good Drains Go Bad

Over time, a French drain may become clogged. Tiny soil and clay granules slip through the pores of the landscape fabric and gradually build up inside the pipe. Another common cause of French drain clogs is root intrusion from grass, shrubs, and trees.

Swales or Valleys

Swales, also called valleys, are an alternative to French drains that capture and divert rainwater. Swales are shallow ditches that do not contain pipes. You can usually find them along a property’s edge, following the natural grade of the land to direct runoff to ditches or wooded areas.

French drain depth: About 8 inches to 2 feet deep should be sufficient for many water-diverting projects, though related systems, such as those built around foundations and sub-ground living spaces, as well as the bases of retaining walls, may be deeper.

FILLING AND PIPING A FRENCH DRAIN

Choose one of two types, either rigid PVC with predrilled holes or flexible drain pipe cut with slits. PVC lasts longer, and if you encounter a clog, it can be cleaned with pressure or a plumber’s snake.

French drain systems manage surface water and protect property. Ideal for retaining walls, foundation and footing perimeter drains, landscape drains and sports fields. It’s the most common drainage problem, and it’s also the easiest to fix by extending downspouts away from a house or building.

Step 2: Use a garden hose to run water down the French drain. If you notice the water backing up instead of running straight through, it’s clogged.

The main difference between the two is that French drains capture and remove groundwater while trench drains quickly remove surface water before it can saturate the ground.

A properly designed French drain system does not require an outlet. The water will simply soak into the soil as it flows along the perforated pipe. In fact, a French drain doesn’t require an inlet on just one end either.

A French drain is a trench filled with a perforated pipe and gravel that allows water to drain naturally from your yard. Depending on the size of your yard and the scale of your drainage issue, you can purchase the pipes and equipment to create a French drain yourself.

Quality woven, pure polypropylene soil fabric has always been preferred for French drains, retaining walls, mulch and rock beds, soil stabilization, ditches, and pipe-in-gravel, chamber and mound septic leach field systems.

The water will simply soak into the soil as it flows along the perforated pipe. In fact, a French drain doesn’t require an inlet on just one end either. You can construct the drain to accept water along its length, and disperse it underground.

French drains provide an easy channel for water to flow through. Water runs into a gravel-filled trench, then into perforated pipe at the bottom of the trench. Water travels freely through the pipe, which empties a safe distance from the house.

Installing a French Drain Without a Pipe

When you omit the pipe from a French drain, you‘ve basically got a trench drain. If your soil drains well, you can simply dig the trench and cover the bottom with 3 to 4 inches of 3/4-inch drainage rock, depending on the depth of the trench.