Should You Have A French Drain?

Should You Have A French DrainYou should have a French drain to avoid water damage due to stagnant water. You need to address the red flag of standing water after an unremarkable rainstorm. Unwanted soil settling, flooding, and freeze-thaw problems can compromise affected areas of your property. Standing water will likely contribute to foundation problems resulting in a much more expensive repair project. Installing a French drain is an excellent preventative measure to protect your home and neighboring properties.

How French Drains Work

A French drain creates an unobstructed path for water to flow through the drain into an appropriate place gravitationally. The catch-all could be a sump pump, drainage ditch, storm drain, or the municipal sewer system. The contractor will install the trench drain’s perforated pipe on a downward grade. This ensures that the water flows away from your home and property. They will be effective when you bury drains or install them on the surface level with attractive rock on top.

Trench Drain Installation

Trench drain installation is a big project that may include city permits. Most homeowners call a licensed contractor for a job this size. If you go the DIY route, you’ll have to call the gas or utility companies before digging trenches. There’s no need to cause an unnecessary neighborhood outage or worse. You, or the contractor, can start digging once the area has been cleared and marked with spray paint.

After you dig the trench, you’ll need to line it with a landscaping fabric for root and weed reduction. You must install the pipes starting at the highest point and continuing until reaching the drainage outlet. You must test the drainage before continuing. Next, add gravel for further filtering, then top it off with compacted soil to avoid settling. Now you can add turf or grass seed for the finishing touch.

Drainage For Retaining Walls

Properties with sloping areas often have retaining walls to utilize property areas that are otherwise too steep to enjoy. You must divert the water at the first course of rockwork for maximum drainage. Standing water will damage retaining walls by carrying away soil and contributing to freeze-thaw damage. Water flowing toward your home can get stagnant, damaging the foundation and basement.

Are French Drains Cost-Effective

Although French drains aren’t inexpensive to install, they are extremely worthwhile in the long run. A person who owns a home with ongoing standing water issues needs to address this issue promptly. Standing water damage can cost far more than installing a trench drain. Basements start to leak. Cracks start appearing in walls due to a settling foundation.

A French drain will fix all those problems before they occur when installed early on. Your contractor can also bury your downspouts, making your property more aesthetically pleasing. When you upgrade your property, it also adds to the value upon resale. Prospective buyers can see that you’ve been serious about maintaining the property.

Abend Services is a family-run business founded by Carl and Catherine Abend in 1952. This husband and wife team was granted the 2nd plumbing license in Maryland. Katie Abend currently runs the woman-owned business celebrating diversity and treating each customer as family. Call Abend Services now for a water drainage assessment and estimate!