Installing a French drain can help avoid water damage and maintain the beauty of your garden with smart landscaping ideas. The French drain technique was first introduced by a farmer, named French Henry from England, in the 19th century.
The French drainage system includes a trench filled with gravel, holding a pipe with holes to facilitate water drainage. It is wrapped with a filtration fabric that only allows the water to drain while conserving the soil on top.
French drains are helpful in preventing excessive water accumulation in the garden area.
In this article, we will discuss the steps to install a French drain and know when to hire a professional to prevent water damage in your garden.
Things you need to install a French drain:
- Safety gear including gloves, glasses, and boots
- Perforated pipe
- Gravel
- Fabric for landscape and filtration
- Pipe connector and end caps
- Excavation tools (tape measure, tamper, level, Wheelbarrow, tape measure, etc.)
Steps To Install French Drain:
You must follow the following steps to install a French drain in your garden.
Select the drain path and mark that area
First, you need to assess the problematic area of your garden, where you face maximum water clogging. Then, you need to select the drain path that will help the water flow freely. For this, you can choose a slopy area to facilitate quick drainage.
Mark this area with stakes and string so, you can easily do excavation work there.
Excavation Of the Trench
After marking the area for installing the French drain, you can clean the grasses and other obstructions from that area. Now, you can dig the trench along the marked route with a shovel. The ideal depth and width of the trench should be 24 and 18 inches respectively. Remember, you should maintain the proper slope throughout the trench to facilitate quick water drainage.
Lay the Landscape Fabric
The primary function of the landscape fabric is to prevent the soil from clogging the drainage pipe. It also serves as a base for the French drainage system. So, you can lay the landscape fabric to the trench after finishing the excavation work.
Layer The Trench with Gravel or Stones
Add a layer of stones to the landscape fabric. The stones should cover 2-3 inches of the depth of the trench. The layer of stones holds the perforated pipe. So, it should `be strong enough to serve as a base for drainage pipe.
Place The Perforated drainage pipe
Now, you can place the perforated drainage pipe on the layer of gravel by keeping the holes facing downwards. The pipe includes multiple sections that need to be fixed using the fittings provided with the pipe. You should fix the connectors properly to ensure proper water drainage.
Cover the perforated pipe with gravel
Add another layer of gravel to the perforated pipe to cover it entirely. The gravel should evenly cover the pipe and remain just below the adjacent ground level.
Cover the drainage with the landscape fabric
Fold the remaining fabric properly on the layer of gravel to prevent the water from seeping into the drainage pipe.
Backfilling and Restoring Your Garden
Now, you can backfill the trench with soil. Use a tamper to make the soil compact. This will provide strength to the drainage system. Finally, you can add new grass to complete the procedure. French drains help water flow freely without compromising the beauty of your garden.
Testing
You can take a simple test by running water through the drainage pipe to check if the water flows properly to the desired discharge point or not.
Conclusion
Installing a French Drain can be a very effective way to solve the water-clogging problem in your garden. However, you should inspect the drain regularly to prevent soil accumulation in the drainage pipe. You can call a professional to inspect or install a French drain if you lack expertise in installing one.
