French Drain Intake, as part of a Simple Drainage System
A French Drain is the part of a Drainage System that is called the “Intake.” The French Drain takes in water and puts it into the Drainage System. Thus, it is called the Intake.
Surface water or Ground water is taken into the holes or slots of the perforated French Drainpipe. It Flows downhill through the French Drainpipe until it leaves the intake area. At this point the Perforated French Drainpipe changes to solid drainpipe with no holes and continues to flow downhill.
The White Material is the Trench Liner. The black material is the Pipe Filter.
The Above Picture
shows French Drain installation in a low area next to a foundation that stays wet all the time.
French Drain Protecting Driveway
Now in the picture above we see a completed French Drain. Water would run down the hill from the Right to Left in the Picture. Water would stand on the driveway and in the grass to the right. You can see the stain on the concrete where water would stand for long periods of time.
Now, the water flows toward the driveway but is intercepted by the gravel. The water goes straight down into the crushed Limestone and enters the French Drainpipe that is below the gravel in the Drainage Trench. Once it enters the Perforated French Drainpipe it flows downhill toward the Black Fence in the top of the Picture.
Transition from French Drain to Transition Drainpipe
At the Black Fence where the Gravel Ends the water transitions from the Perforated French Drainpipe into the Solid Transition Pipe and continues running toward the top of the picture past the Black Fence.
Transition Drainpipe Installation Running Out Through the Curb
Once the water is in the Transition Drainpipe it flows downhill to the exit.
What was described above is a Simple Drainage System with A French Drain as the intake.
If you want to know what A Complex Drainage System is click on the Link.
French Drain Answers are a Central Focus for Oklahoma Drainage. We installed our first French Drain and completed our first Sprinkler Repair in Norman in 1993.
