Drainage Problem? You May Need a French Drain?

Are wet areas in your lawn causing it to stay mushy and/or spongy? If so, you may need a French Drain. Here are some questions you can answer to decide if you have a drainage problem:

1. Is there standing water after a rain which takes several days to go away?

2. Do you have dying grass where the water stayed too long during the Winter months?

3. Are there low areas that just will not dry out until the hot days of Summer?

4. Are there bed areas that do not dry out even during the Summer months keeping plants from staying alive? You keep replacing them but no luck.

A French Drain can solve these problems. Let’s talk about how.

By digging a channel through those areas to drain it off, we can solve it. You see, a French Drain is just that. We look at the area and see where we can drain the water to. The area we will drain is where the French Drain will be installed. After the wet areas has been crossed, we will connect  a discharge pipe.

We start the French Drain by hand digging a channel through the area starting out 12 inches wide and 12 inches deep. The drain will slope 1/8″ per foot to drain off the water. The channel will be lined with a filter cloth that overlaps it. Then the bottom of the filter cloth will be filled with 2-3 inches of washed pea gravel. A 4″ corrugated pipe with a filter sock on it will be laid in the channel. The rest of the channel will be filled with washed pea gravel and the filter cloth lining the channel will be folded over on top of it and pinned down with sod staples.

You see, a French Drain is only a channel that allows water to soak in from all sides through the pea gravel and removes standing water.

To discuss your wet areas, or to schedule a consultation give me a call at 601-898-1333 or email me at paul@loveirrigation.com.