A traditional french drain is a drain that directs water away from an area via a trench filled with gravel. This allows the water to leech into the soil over a given distance, rather than pooling where you don't want it. I opted to run my french drain into a dry well at the end.

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Also know, what is a dry well drain?

A dry well or drywell is an underground structure that disposes of unwanted water, most commonly surface runoff and stormwater and in some cases greywater. A French drain can resemble a horizontal dry well that is not covered.

Beside above, when should you use a French drain? French drains are primarily used to prevent ground and surface water from seeping into building foundations, however, are many reasons why people will install a French drain to redirect surface and ground water. These drains are often used to remove excess water from low areas, or extremely wet areas of the property.

Also asked, is a French drain a good idea?

Water in your crawl space is never a good thing. For water in your crawl space, you can install either a deep French drain around the exterior of your home or an interior French drain. An interior drain is often the less expensive and more effective solution.

Do French drains need an outlet?

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. You can construct the drain to accept water along its length, and disperse it underground.

Related Question Answers

Can I install a French drain myself?

Install French drains properly and you can eliminate freestanding water. The best practice for installing French drains is to use perforated drainage pipes, which allow water to enter or exit through small openings along the pipe. Cover the pipe with at least 12 inches of washed gravel.

How do I dry out my yard?

To dry out the water, check your yard to find the source of the problem. For small, individual patches of moisture, dry your yard by leveling out the soil and possibly planting water-resistant plants. For large-scale problems, look into getting a drainage system like a French drain or dry well.

How do you unclog a dry well?

If your well is already clogged, you may need to scrape the walls till you cawaten get enough outflow to drain the basin dry, allowing for further cleaning. Alternately, you may need to pump the water out to get at the source of the clog.

Can I run rainwater pipe to soil pipe?

Additional rainwater pipes can discharge onto the ground, or into new or existing underground pipework. If you decide to allow rainwater pipes to discharge onto the ground, you need to make sure the water will not damage foundations (eg. Surface water must not be discharged into a foul drain or sewer.

Where should my French drain end?

Short answer to the title of "Where should french drain terminate?" is that, ideally, the french drain will terminate to an above-ground exit on the side of a hill or at least a downwards slope, so that the water that was in the drain can escape to get into the place that normal surface runoff goes from the property.

How far should a dry well be from the house?

As Far From the House as Possible It also can be made of a large container with holes. The further you can put the well away from the house the less likely the filtered water will return to dampen your foundation or basement. A distance of 30 feet would be ideal.

What happens if your well runs dry?

When a well “runs dry” it doesn't mean that the well will never produce water again. Aquifers can recharge through a combination of more precipitation and less pumps pulling water out of that aquifer. Sometimes wells can run dry permanently, but that is quite uncommon.

Is a dry well a good idea?

It's usually a good idea to consider replacement of a system that for whatever reason cannot properly process the liquids from the septic system that drain to the leach field, but in some cases, a dry well can help manage excess septic-system water.

Do I need a permit for a dry well?

Dry wells can be as simple as a deep hole filled with gravel, or as complex as a heavy, prefabricated concrete well. IMPORTANT NOTE: Many municipalities require a permit to install a dry well. Be sure to check with your district before digging.

How do you size a dry well?

The dry well must be at least 10 feet from your house and any other buildings that are level with yours. The dry well must be at least 25 feet from buildings that are downhill from it. Refer to the sizing chart. Decide what size storm you would like to store and infiltrate in your dry well.

Will French drain work in clay soil?

If you have clay, they will not drain properly. If you have sandier soils deeper, you may need to install a drywell that a french drain is piped to. clay will infiltrate gravel beds and clog them up. That's what filter fabric is for, both around the gravel, and the pipe in the gravel.

Should I bury my downspout?

Digging a trench is hard work and soil conditions influence how fast you can work, Miller says. He recommends limiting the digging to 10 to 15 feet a day, if there's more than 20 feet of drain pipe to bury. Work methodically to ensure the drain pipe always slopes away from the house.

How far should a French drain be from the house?

Digging the trench too close to the house can complicate your problems. A good rule of thumb is moving the drain one foot off the wall for each foot down you dig; for a four-foot deep drain, build it four feet from your walls.

Which is better sump pump or French drain?

If you have an excess of water in your basement, you may want to consider both a sump pump and French drain to waterproof your home. The French drain channels the water to the sump pump pit, which pumps the water out of the home much quicker that a pipe alone would do.

How far should a foundation be from a French drain?

A French drain consists of buried perforated pipes slightly sloped to easily channel water flow, in this case, away from the house foundation. Start by digging a 2-foot-deep-by-18-inch-wide trench 2 feet or so away from the foundation at the highest point where the rear yard meets the foundation.

Do French drains work well?

Properly constructed, french drains will work well to transmit water from the pipe to the exit of the pipe; however, they are not very efficient in dewatering poorly drained soils. Adequate fall means at least 2 ft lower per 100 ft of pipe or 0.25 in. Water “sticks to itself” by a process called cohesiveness.

Do French drains need maintenance?

Despite the design's best efforts, French drains get clogged by dirt, debris and silt. French drains can be a great way to direct rainwater runoff away from your foundation and septic system, but they require annual maintenance to keep them clear and working properly.

Are interior French drains effective?

Both exterior and interior French drains provide effective protection against flooding and water damage in your basement. Yet, due to the costs and difficulty of installing and servicing an exterior drain on existing houses, it may be better to install interior drains.