How to Build a French Drain that Lasts Forever in 50 seconds
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 มิ.ย. 2023
- Robert Sherwood is the host of The French Drain Man Channel giving all trade secrets in Building and drainage. With more then 35 years as a Licensed Builder understanding the need to do things right the first time.
Following the international code book helping DIYers around the world.
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Its funny to see these videos from US.
The way you build French Drain is VERY Different from here in Denmark.
We use only one pipe, never heard of two being used, and we use somthing we call FilterStones. They are only 4mm.
We go ALOT Deeper when in Grass, at least 50cm. If i costumer asked for that solotion that is in this video, i would tell that the grass would die in the summer with that thin layer of dirt over.
The way its done, is often a indication on how the weather is in your region. :)
Thank you for commenting and contributing.
Appreciate you
The grass would die in much of the US too. It's not deep enough.
Yeah if you do drains like this you are gonna have dead grass over every drain in the summer. Yard will look like 💩
most people in the us would do it the same way as you. two pipes is a good idea, and not many people do that. but in most climates here there should be more dirt below the sod.
Brother. 50cm is 20 inches.
We go deeper like 24-36..
I believe you need couple inches of dirt on top of fabric, to get better result on the Sod
yea, its insane how close to the surface these guys do them, i dont get why you wouldnt want to give the grass atleast 4" of soil. if anyone runs an aerator machine in these yards, the fabric is going to look like swiss cheese.
There are cheaply done that why the pipes are just taped together lmao
Here come all the experts !
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We have tons of these on the golf course. Remarkable and simple solution for pooling water in fairways and bunkers. Always double pipe that trench!
Good information. This is a nice Cadillac curtain drain. I've built them with no stone and a silt sock only around the tile, with a single run of perforated tile, catching runoff from a gravel drive to protect a shed foundation in one instance and it's been doing great. My homejob installations have all lasted fine in glacial till soils / moderately heavy clay soils just fine for 8 years. Your mileage will vary. The silt load is fairly low in most of my installations so I don't use AS much stone backfill atop the silt sock, and when I do backfill with stone it's whatever #4 or #6 crushed stone I have on hand typically. Always gotta work with my own labor and time limitations, and I've done all the work with just myself and my Dad sometimes helping.
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Frikin beautiful ,
Thanks for sharing
Love this! But Maybe a 2 minute video detailing everything that makes a quality French Drain would be a great video for the contractors to send to their potential customers.
French Drain Cheat Code:
Plywood highway so we don’t destroy your property during the process, trench excavated 12 inches deep and 14 inches wide, all spoils are hauled out Or repurposed on the property, large gravel, 2-4 pipes, fabric is burrito wrapped and stapled, loamy soil is installed on the fabric at a 2 inch depth if there is no irrigation system and the sod is meticulously put back together.
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My brother was doing this in Ct for near 40 years and he said they will silt up in around 10 years. Sure enough, at 12 years mine was backing up and had to be cleaned. "FOREVER" is just an expression meaning it will usually be the next owner.
Well if no fabric is used that's what happens. We use a non wolven geo textile double punched fabric.
@@FRENCHDRAINMAN ... fabric on 3 sides and open on top. It's basically a swale at the bottom of a hill.
I always felt that would happen cuz im a genius. Dirts going to clogg that nettling till water pushes it thru
@@rupe53no you put the fabric on top, it wraps around silly. That also prevents silt from getting in
@@Ragnarrodrok ... so the pipe doesn't silt up, but the fabric still clogs. Either way it will eventually need maintenance.
New sub good knowledge
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I can't believe that the sod over the stone won't completely dry up - especially in the southwest.
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We need you in Florida man! Contractors here are trash
Call "Sam's French Drains" in Florida
@@FRENCHDRAINMANhow about in Houston, Tx?!
Friday is for fishin' ! 😊
how about making a video on? Where do these drains lead to? Where do these pipes lead to?Do they lead into a pumping system?
I show that in all of my full-length videos. I suggest you go to my playlist and watch my full-length videos because we have systems going to a pump system, a culvert pipe under a driveway, a front ditch, and a storm drain. We show it all, but you won't find it in a short video.
@@FRENCHDRAINMAN cool will do
Here in Staten island NY there's alot of homes wity basmemets where there’s a lot of underground water and they all use French drains, but nobody does them correctly
? ? ? I'm not a pro but . . . I think if you are talking basements you might be needing to dig as deep as 6 - 12" inches lower than the basement floor. Maybe a French Drain at 1 - 2' feet below the grass (next to the house) might help move heavy surface rains out to other drainage before it gets to be a problem with the basement's walls and floor. Also, a 'properly' installed sump pump might be a big help. Remember, when electricity 'goes out' the sump pump will be inoperable for that time period. I had a sump pump installed in my basement yrs ago and it solved about 85% of the water related issues. After installation of the pump, if we had a 3 day 'drencher', sometimes I would get water across the basement floor. It really reduced the floor getting water streams trickling over it, the block walls got a lot less moisture, and just going into the basement you could tell immediately that the humidity was probably 80% less. All-in-all, the sump pump was really quite cost effective.
What your talking about needs a well thought out evaluation to avoid wasting a lot of money for poor results.
Make sure your roof drains are successfully connecting to good tight tiles/pipe going to storm sewers (or street sewers). Take a good look at your neighbors rain drainage as well ! If their water isn't properly directed away from the area (to storm sewers) they may be contributing to your water problems.
Good Luck ! 😊
to make it an authentic French drain, you should give up as soon as you get started
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Not forgetting that you should also avoid having a shower for a week, to be truly French
@@mrb3673French is the guys last name that invinted the French drain, it didn’t originate in France 😂
Interesting 👍👍
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One run with sock on it inside fabric and drain rock (round) even 3/4 inch size would work just as good and maybe longer then that 2 hose run. We have a lot of rain around here so big O pipe without a sock on it will eventually get clogged along the holes in the pipe
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What about if you're using a pipe sock around ur drain pipe?
Awesome video ive just bought a excavator amd done a few underground gutter,waterlines, and drains. Wish i could find that blue pipe near me
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Why does the lawn keep burning up in this strip on the side of the yard?
We are in a drought. Prescription is water
@@FRENCHDRAINMAN I meant that the the soil is thin there and will always dry out first leaving a brown strip.
Yeah no dirt for the grass roots to grow in
@@court2379 i dont see a solution to this problem sadly. if you put more dirt on top then it will block drainage.
@@cryengine_xcatch basin to direct the water down
you would think it would be code to grade the dirt for drainage before building
its like the build a structure in a drain puddle and leave the owner to figure out how to drain the water once it is now the hardest and most expensive to do
The majority of the water problems we fix are due to landscaping or a homeowner putting a shed in place without understanding the way the yard was supposed to drain.
Really think you'e benefit from some reading. This book was written for you. Gospel, where drainage is concerned. "Practical Drainage For Golf, Sportsturf, & Horticulture" by Keith McIntyre.
Thank you 😊
I've dug up poorly built ones before but never one constructed in this manner. I'd be curious to see what this looks like in 10 or 20 years.
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How much did this exact job cost?
Interesting
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Seems you make your tenches very shallow..... shouldn't they be deeper so there can be some more depth of soil atop the trench? I've seen many French drains with dead grass
is the concept the same for an interior drain setting, within a basement?
Interior is different
Curious too. Just had a very shoddy job done in my basement. Had an existing one along one wall, worked ok but wasn't cutting it. Guys came in and did the rest of basement and first rain no water was even making it to the existing F. Drain because they screwed up when tying the old to the new. Did a messy half-@ssed fix. I just cut ties instead of continuing with these clowns. Basement was still flooding but I was also having a friend parging my 200yo fieldstone foundation + basement walls. He specifically said "I don't waterproof" but that was the result of his work. French drain did nothing & the guy who never promises "waterproofing" solved a bad flooding problem 100%. Just wish I'd had him in prior to paying for the French drain.
The word soil has entered the chat.
🙄
Hey Frenchdrainman....would love if you could answer this questions....is it ok to use 2 pipes in a drain that runs down a gravel driveway that would have cars driving over it? Or better to use one pipe in this instance? Less chance of crushing the pipes with one?
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In the back of my house its all dirt. When i put in the french drain can I leave it with the stone exposed atcthe top?
You Tube Search "Open French Drain French Drain Man "
Clean stone or stone with dust like the one in the video?
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That dust is on almost all stone, save river gravel and is negligible to the operation of the system. A couple good rainfalls and it will wash through the system.
Can I surround a french drain in ornamental pavers, so long as all the water still drains downhill?
Yes
Hello , do you put rock under pipe ? Thank you
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Can I drive a f150 over this with out crushing it or should I use the plastic pipe with holes as replacement for the black softer pipe?😅
You can drive an F150 on the blue pipe
I don't understand the wrap. I get the bottom wrap, but if the point of the stone is to allow surface drainage, aren't you hampering this function by sealing the stones with an impermeable wrap? What am I missing?
Non-woven Geotextile Fabric in 4 oz and 8 oz
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The black colour fabric is woven polyester geotextiles right?
No it is not
Go to frenchdrainman.com
great idea on 2 pipes question about your rock I always use washed rock your rock seems a bit dusty
Dust washes through the first rain.
It's 💯
@@FRENCHDRAINMAN OK
Looks good. However, many landscaping experts recommend using double-wall PVC pipe rather than the cheaper flexible corrugated plastic pipe. It doesn’t cost that much more and is more durable and moves a lot of water much faster.
There are far more fittings, more labor, and it's terrible for the environment. Google search "US ban on PVC."
@@FRENCHDRAINMAN What's the new blue pipe that the municipal water authorities are using if it's not PVC? That cheap corrugated plastic piping is complete crap.
Can you do an American drain? Wondering what the difference is between France and American style drainage.
Henry Flag French
What did you use as base is it plastic? geotextile? or something else
Non-woven Geotextile Fabric in 4 oz and 8 oz
frenchdrainman.com/filter-fabric/
You can comprise the height of the fill in allowing more soil near the surface for the sod not to burn back during drought, by using tar paper as a cap over the closed burrito when in finishing preparation. Soil is added over the tar paper than the return of the sod. Depth of soil may vary for the drought harshness of the region. But remember it will not be really perfect during drought season. Your trying to keep moisture in the soil laying above a porous made subterranean below the tar paper. Remember drought is drought.
You should watch some of my most recent full-length videos because we cover all this.
@@FRENCHDRAINMAN thanks.
Do you have any issue with placing two pipes side by side?
None
Is it okay to combine a French drain with a solid pipe?
Yes
What size is that rock? Is it considered gravel? How do I order it?
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The sod over the fabric without dirt is impressive...let's see how that grows in a future video...I'll buy some of that sod now
Been doing it the same way for 38 years. We're in a Michigan, northern climate, and our customers have automatic sprinkler systems.
Exactly my point in another video. Your videos reach a wide audience. Where grass is growing with limited irrigation, this will dry out and die regardless of being in irrigation zone. We don't get to irrigate but sometimes once a week.
How does the grass grow on top? Is that an issue?
Yes its a issue. This house has automatic sprinklers.
Wondering how much stone is needed per meter? Thanks
1 cubic yard every 30 ft
@@FRENCHDRAINMAN thank you
Make it deeper. Keep it away from root sources, like bushes or trees. Sand works better. Sand drains very well but will also keep the dirt out. Eventually dirt will get through the fabric and fill in around the stone, reducing drainage capacity
Thank you for commenting and sharing
Can see that sand packing up like a cement block.
What are you talking about. Sand will wash out into the dirt and into the pipes. Go outside and learn something.
What are you talking about? Sand will wash away into the dirt & pipes. Go outside and learn something.
How do u keep it away from root sources, do it in the desert? Then it might last forever
Can you use 1x3 crushed concrete
It will kill the grass at the discharge line.
Do some research on the size of rock vs void. I think you'll find that smaller rock has way more void than large rock. There is a point of diminishing returns, but I believe that 1-inch rock has much more void than 2 in. rock.
ROUND ROCK not crushed. I have 50 videos both showing this and saying ROUND ROCK. Thank you for commenting and contributing I appreciate you!
@@FRENCHDRAINMANwould 1.5in round rock do the trick?
How deep do you dig your trench?
14"x14"
I put one in 22 years ago.
Probably still going good, I don't know though, I quit a year later. Lol
If you did it like this, a stone vein would last forever.
How much does something like this cost for aprox 50 feet
There are too many variables. If it's not machine accessible and it's all handled manually, the pricing is different. If there are tree roots and you're digging in an area that's known to have boulder rocks, you have to charge for that.
Can you build a French drain in Northern Maine?
I'm in Michigan. Just diy a French Drain system
Go to frenchdrainman.com
Any advice on how to figure out best location to place one? For example when the problem is water pooling against a house
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what kind of pipe is that?
Frenchdrainman.com
The guy with the shovel is genius, he convinced you he was working
😂
and that patch of grass will have no problem thriving?
th-cam.com/video/wPkMB7qlUSo/w-d-xo.html
Nothing lasts forever Frenchie.
💪 💯
shouldnt you wash the rocks so there;s less dust getting wrapped in with it?
The dust just washes right through the system after the first couple of rains.
Thanks. So much gold in your content. Subscribed!
IT will fail. The fabric will clog no fabric in bottom.
Not our fabric it's double punched
So where does the drain lead to?
Storm drain
That makes sense, thank you.
Pipe should have sock on it, dirt will wash down over time an plug exist. Grass will burn out with not enough top soil under sod.
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Where are these pipes going?
Storm drain
My whole yard is pipe and rock. What now?
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The only thing I had to do was get the material and pay 3 guys I picked up from the 7/11 $100 each and in about 4 hours i had a nice new 45ft drain on my side yard😂
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Air prune ?
Yes sir
I am in landscaping, I have bewn looking for good ground protection. What mats do you use and how has your experience with them been?
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I think the pipe is damaged as the rocks hit it, and then the human stepping and pressing on
No, it's an extra heavy-duty pipe, NOT the cheap stuff
and how much this cost?
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Why have you put grass over the top in the uk we would use 1 pipe & not put grass on the stone to keep free drainage!!
Shouldn't you wash the rock before putting it in?
In the first few storms, the dirt washes right through the perforated pipe.
One cubic yard per 30 feet of run is an awfully shallow drain. If you're just trying to dry out soggy grass, this may be fine.
Yes.
Also, there are 2 pipes filling the bottom of the trench.
Farmers have been tiling their fields for a hundred years without all of this material and expense. The proper slope and drain is the important part. A fast moving field tile will be full flowing at 25%
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What is tiling in this context?
@@stewartbridge5162 Tiling refers to the ancient system of building culverts under agricultural fields to drain away excess water. Originally, this was done with clay tile then clay pipe and now plastic poly pipe. Here is a YT of tile plowing th-cam.com/video/OlJHAoJ3B38/w-d-xo.html
Idadho thanks for a very good explanation, makes a lot of sense
But they were not building multimillion dollar mansions next to them.
I need to do something like this... Water drainage issue in my front yard & sometimes ends up in the basement.
Not to be off topic but your narration sounds like sandlot movie.
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Why lay the grass when it will not have enough soil
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That looks like crushed rock? Must use Natural round rock
Yes, it's natural round rock.
@@FRENCHDRAINMAN can I install drain in side yard setback footage?
You don't even have any fabric over the gravel that won't last with roots growing
th-cam.com/video/mSfXGLlyIKM/w-d-xo.html
Get a 2 wheel wheelbarrow, and get out of
the Stone Age😎. You will be amazed.
2-wheeled barrows are great, until you have to get them through a tight space. That's why wheelbarrows traditionally look the way they do; to traverse tight spaces in garden beds/fields. 2-wheeled barrows are fine for open spaces, but if you have that much clearance, you might as well be using a 4-wheeled cart that eliminates lifting altogether and allows the cart to be pulled up as it goes forward, as opposed to being pushed down into the ground, increasing friction.
They both have their place.
so 0.2 cubic furlongs to a half score of straight leagues, got it.
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Need to use PVC pipe on corrugated
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Needs to be rounded rock not sharp it will fill in with sharp rock
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First thing is not to use corrugated pipes😂
Go to my TH-cam homepage and learn something. I have a playlist that's titled PVC vs Corrugated
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Why is large stone better? Don't they just need to be the same size?
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Larger stone is used because there is more space in between the stones which means it can take on more water if necessary .
@@jim5712 Compare the porosity of river rock and crushed stone.
@@FRENCHDRAINMAN The stones in that video don't look to be about the same size which means the small rocks fill the space between the big rocks.
@@multipotentialite Stone tends to be sold in multiple forms. One is "excluded" stone, rated by size, eg. 1.5"-2". In that example, you're going to be buying stones that are all between 1.5"-2" in diameter, without any smaller stones included (hence "excluded" stone). So while some rocks are smaller than others, none are bigger than 2" or smaller than 1.5".
Won't catch anything during flash floods
It's been in a flash flood already, and it worked great!
@@FRENCHDRAINMAN would work better if it wasnt covered with dirt
Any time they have a drought they are going to have a very ugly and very dead grass strip.
No, they have automatic sprinklers
French drain to last forever, you don't use corregated pipe
PVC is built for the inside of the home and corrugated pipe is built for the outside of the home. I do have a playlist on my homepage that is titled PVC VS corrugated. I recommend that you watch It to educate yourself.
@@FRENCHDRAINMAN really I just pulled old corregated out of the ground and it was packed full of soot and completely backed up and failed pvc is harder and smoother for no clogs or breaks
When the going gets tough the French drain probably surrenders to the rain? I don't see the point.
French Drain works 365 days a year
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@@FRENCHDRAINMAN unless threatened with war, then anything french surrenders.
Alot of dust .ide wash my stone first 😅
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I lost attention once you said 1 cubic yard and X 30 linear feet, what the hell is that? you guys need to change to SI and forget about those ridiculous units.
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There isn't a building material produced today that's designed to last 50 years so definitely no building material made today that will last forever not even 70 years. The stone might be there in 100 years but not gonna be a drain at that time
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Yep, it's best to let the earth do what it does.
The dang French! Lol jk
Henry Flag French
Nothing lasts forever
Pipe last 200 - 500 years stone last forever
That slinky pipe is crap
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Yeah right, remove the roots first, install the drain, then come and do it again in 5 or 10 years when the roots grow back in. Last forever, you are full of it.
A double pipe system full of Stone last forever. 38 years and I still do not have one drain that has failed.
Looks dusty😂
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This is what it would sound like if Donald Trump were asked to describe how to install a French drain.
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It's good to know your mind is 💯 % possessed by Donald Trump.
Trump 2024