We solve all types of unwanted water problems in and around your home or business. Oklahoma Drainage Provides : Drainage System Installation utilizing French Drains, Surface Drains, Channel Drains, and Sump Pumps.
If you need a French Drain along an exterior wall, or a surface drain installed in concrete in a sidewalk or driveway, or a sump pump in a basement, We can help. There are literally thousands of specific drain installation applications.
Hard rain and flooding seem to be more common all the time. When I started this business in 1993, having over an inch of rainfall in an hour was pretty extreme. Now having over 4 inch an hour rainfall is not unheard of and is becoming more common.
Protecting our homes and businesses from unwanted water should be a goal for all of us.
Oklahoma Drainage has seen and dealt with virtually every possible Drainage and Standing water problem that can occur in or around your home. With over 2700 Drainage Systems installed since 1993, we have amassed a great deal of experience. This is helpful in seeing underlying problems. We look for Secondary Water Issues not just the Primary ones. In this business EXPERIENCE TRULY COUNTS!
Hiring your brother- in- law or a Landscape Company to put in your Drainage System is a bad idea. If a landscape company also installs French Drains, you should run!
Why don't they specialize??? Does your Lawyer also do physical therapy?
Some Builders also make bad choices concerning drainage on new homes they are building. New houses should not have problems with water. Builders usually have a landscape company that installs their drains. Sometimes its a maintenance guy that works for the builder. It's Usually the cheapest fix possible. I've testified in more than one class action lawsuit where a whole housing sub-division had unnecessary Drainage Issues.
Water can cause a huge amount of damage. How important is your money and your home? Over 30% of the work done by Oklahoma Drainage is fixing other people's mistakes. I appreciate the work, but I get frustrated when bad things happen to good people concerning water!
Blane Callen, 405 203 9419
1. Water gets to the problem area by falling from the sky.
2. Water gets to the problem area by flowing down hill over the ground.
3. Water gets to the problem area by flowing underground. (Sub-Surface water flow)
Number 3, Sub-Surface water flow is the big consideration. When doing a Drainage Diagnostic, this is the area that is many times missed or not considered by less experienced companies. People Don’t always think about water flowing under ground. They only consider what they see. This is a big mistake when considering how to best address a Water Problem.
Oklahoma Drainage relies on 30 years of experience. Many Times it is cheaper and more effective to install a French Drainover a Surface Drain. A Surface Drain can’t move as much water as a French Drain, and a Surface Drain can’t Drain away Sub-Surface water. Surface Drains should be installed in areas where the Drainage Problem area is smaller and is not affected by sub-surface water.
French Drainsdo a great job running along foundations and driveways. A French Drain will keep water away from cement and prevent damage to concrete if water should freeze up against it. A French Drain can keep your foundation Dry.
One Problem with connecting Gutter Down Spouts into a French Drainis overwhelming the Drainage System with too much water. Three Gutter Down Spoutsis usually OK to connect into a French Drain. More than 3 Down Spouts can be too many. The Drainage System Design should also take into account the size of the French Drainand the Gutters. If you have a large long French Drain or over-sized gutters, the number of Gutter Down Spouts connected into the French Drain Should be reduced. This problem can usually be solved by increasing the size of the French Drain Pipe. This usually means moving up from a 4 inch French DrainPipe to a 6 inch French Drain Pipe. Four inch is the most common size of French Drain Pipe. If you have more than 3 gutter Down Spouts to connect, you should move up to a 6 inch French DrainPipe.
Drains can protect your home and property from water damage. Large 6 Inch French Drain Installed in Norman
Drainage Systemscan be made up of one drainor a combination of many drains. Drainage problems can be very complex. Complex Drainage Problems may require a combination of several different types of drainsall inter-connected and working together. Other times the drainage problem may be simple and straight-forward requiring only one drain or several of the same type of drainconnected together.
A simple Drainage System might consist of a Surface Drain that is connected to a second Surface Drainwhich runs to a Pop-up Emitter which lets water drain over the curb and into the street.
An “Exit Point” is the term used for where all the water leaves theDrainage System. Determining the Exit Point is very critical. It is one of the first things we do when diagnosing a Drainage Problem.
Drainage Systems can:
1. Keep water away from foundations— AFrench Drainis best because it can move Surface Water and Sub-Surface Water(water moving under ground) away from the foundation. Many times less experienced companies install Surface Drains to keep water away from foundations. This can be a big mistake. A Surface Drain can’t move or drain Sub-Surface Water. Also A Surface Drain often can’t move enough water fast enough and easily becomes overwhelmed during a heavy rain. A Surface Drainalso can’t cover or protect a broad enough area. Surface Drains should be designed in a Drainage System to be located in smaller Drainage Areas moving moderate amounts of water. Surface Drainslook better than French Drains. If ,”appearance” is more important than Drainage Capacity, Go with the Surface Drain. Just know what you are getting into and what your expectations should be. One side of a foundation alone, can be over 100 feet. A 4 inch or 6 inch French Drain is best when protecting a large area such as a foundation.Surface Drain Installed next to sidewalk in Oklahoma City.
Gutter Connected to Drain
2. Keep water away from small or enclosed areas. This might be a low area just through a gate on the side of a house, or the low area between a flowerbed and the wall of a house, or standing water on or near a sidewalk or driveway. These types of Drainage Problems are best served with Surface Drains. A Surface Drain can move water away from a low area that is relatively small. This can occur in yards, flowerbeds, sidewalks and driveways. A Surface Drain is designed to move Surface Water away from a problem area to a predetermined exit point. Surface Drains are available in many sizes. How quickly they remove standing water is usually determined by the size of the Drain Pipe that is connected to the Drain.Surface Drain Installation in Norman
Simply put, a Drainage System is one or a group of underground Drain Pipes that take water away from a place that has water standing on it or flowing across it. The water that is in the problem area, can be causing damage or may be inconvenient or both. (Usually Both) A simple Drainage System is a Drainfor the water to enter, a Drain Pipe to move the water away from the Drain, and an Exit Point for the water to be released out of the Drain Pipe.
Drainage Systems quickly can become more complicated. Considerations must include:
How does the water get to the problem area? There may be one or many sources.
Water Sources:
1. It falls from the sky directly
2. It flows down hill over the surface (surface water)
3. It flows underground under the surface (sub-surface water)
4. It flows from the edge of a roof ( There may be many roofs near the problem area, neighbors etc.)
5. It flows from a gutter downspout
6. It flows over the edge of a gutter because the gutter is too small is is clogged
7. It flows up from the ground (seeps and springs are common in Oklahoma)
8. It flows from asprinkler system use ( yours or your neighbors)
9. It flows from a leaking pipe ( water mains, water meters, water lines, sprinkler pipes, sprinkler valves)
There are other reasons for Drainage Problems, the above reasons are just the most common.
Once the number of water sources is determined, a rough estimate of the amount of water that needs to be drained away on average must be estimated. This can be simplified down to “SMALL, MEDIUM, OR LARGE AMOUNTS OF WATER TO BE DRAINED AWAY. You don’t have to be an engineer trying to calculate fluid dynamics. Experience at diagnosing drainage problems helps however. How much water needs to be moved will help determine the type and size of the Surface Drainor French Drain that needs to be installed. It also helps to determine the size of Drain Pipe required for the Drainage System. A good rule to follow is, “If in doubt, install a larger Drain and Drain Pipe.” Unused Drainage Capacity is better than property damage caused by a Drain that is overwhelmed by too much water.
For home and small business use typical materials used are:
French Drains move Surface Water and Sub-Surface Water
Surface Drainsmove Surface Water only
Surface Drains look nicer than French Drains in most cases
Once the type and number of drains is determined and what size Drain Pipe will connect them, an exit point must be selected. (Where is the Drainage System going to take the water to and release it?)
The Drainage Curb Fitting is installed when the desired exit point for the French Drain will release theDrainage Water into the Street. The Drainage Curb Fitting is rectangular in shape and made to be installed through the curb. A small section of Curb is cut out with a concrete saw. The Section is a few inches wider than the Drainage Curb Fitting. We then install new concrete around the curb fitting. Once the concrete has dried, the Drain Pipe coming from a French Drain or Surface Drain is connected to the Drainage Curb fitting and then covered with dirt.Cutting The Curb and Installing Curb Fitting for French Drain
The Drainage Pop-Up Emitteris connected to the end of aDrain Pipe. It is downhill from a French Drainor a Surface Drain. It is a small release basin with a green pop-up lid. When releasing water, it pops up about an inch to release the water from the French Drain or Surface Drain. When the Storm Water has moved through the Drainage System and out of the Pop-Up Emitter, the green lid closes back to its original closed position. The emitter is designed to release water out into a yard or down a hill or other desirableDrainage Exit Pointwhere there is no curb.Popup Emitter to release water from a Drainage System in Yukon.
Recently Oklahoma Drainage and Sprinkler Repairinstalled a large 6 inchFrench Drain in Edmond. The customer had water running under his back porch step and into his basement. We did a Free Drainage Diagnostic and Estimate. The French Draindesign that we proposed would intercept the surface water and subsurface water that was flowing under the steps. The French Draindesign called for a 6 inch French Drain to be installed above and several feet away from the steps. It would run around the house parallel to the foundation and about 5 feet to the East. The French Drainwould run past the steps to a point where water must cross the French Drain or run up hill to the steps which in this case was not possible. Once past the steps, theFrench Drain would transition to Solid 6 inch Drain Pipe and continue on around the house to the Pop-Up Emitter down hill in the side yard. Along the way we attached several Gutter Down Spoutsinto the French Drain.
A basicFrench Drainconsists of aPerforated Drain Pipein the bottom of a trench. The French Drain Trench runs through a Problem Drainage Areathat needs to be drained. The French Drain Pipe is perforated (Full of Small Holes) and has Neo-Prene Soc around the pipe. This soc helps prevent debris from clogging the French Drain Pipe.
Many times we wait until things dry out a bit before beginning a French Drain Installation. Some times the water never goes away. So we start digging in standing water and putting the mud in a wheelbarrow. We then haul it to a dump trailer to be hauled away. It isn’t the easiest thing to do.
Recently Oklahoma Drainage and Sprinkler Repair Installed a French Drain as part of a Drainage System in Mid West City Oklahoma.
Our customer had a back porch Sun Room. Every time he had a hard rain, Water would run in one door and out the other. An indoor creek across his Sun Room.
We installed a French Drain in front of the South Door. It was 26 feet long and ran from a gutter downspout which it was connected to, in front of the South Door and along the house covering the entire “Low” Area. Then we connected 4 inch ADS Solid Drain pipe to the French Drain and ran down hill around the corner of the house to the street.
Once the 4 inch solid drain pipe was connected to the French Drain and the two gutter down spouts, a pop-up emitter was installed to release the water at the street.
The next step was to cover the drain pipe with dirt and put the sod back in place on top of the pipe. There was about 8 wheelbarrows of dirt left over that was displaced by the drain pipe and the French Drain. The extra dirt was scooped up and hauled away.
While installing the drainage system, it was necessary to move two sprinkler heads that were in the way of the drain pipe installation. This was no problem. Installing drainage systems and French drains for folks who have a sprinkler system is very common. Moving Sprinkler heads or pipes sometimes is necessary. We always leave the sprinkler system in complete working order and we discuss any changes in the sprinkler system with the customer before we do it to make sure that everyone is on the same page. In most cases the customer cant tell that we made any changes to the sprinkler system at all.
If You live in Oklahoma City and water damaging your foundation, We can install a French Drain for you.
If you live in Norman and have water standing on your driveway, We can install a Channel Drain for you.
If you live in Edmond and have water flooding your basement, We can install a Sump Pump for you.
If you live in Moore and have water washing out your flower bed mulch, We can install a Surface Drain for you.
If you live in Yukon and need grass to grow we can install Sod too!
Recently we installed a French Drain that ran parallel between two houses in Moore Oklahoma. We also installed a French Drain under a walkway to a pool in Choctaw.
French Drain Installed along and under walk way to pool.
As you can see, we installed a French Drain under the left edge of the walk way. The stones and gravel were temporarily removed while the French Drain was installed. Then the walk way was put back on top of the French Drain.
Completed French Drain under walk way
Yesterday it rained very hard on the walkway in Choctaw. We received a text from the home owner.
Text and photo of French Drain
Before we installed the French Drain, our customer told us that the walk way to the pool typically stood in 6 inches of water after even a small rain. The water would pool on the right side and stay there for a long time after the rain had gone. As you can see in the text pic, there is very little water standing while it is raining, and when the rain stopped, the water was gone completely.
Our customer in Moore also sent us a text as well. He had standing water between his house and his neighbors. His neighbor did not have any gutters which made the water problem worse. We installed a French Drain running down the property line between the two houses. We connected the customer’s gutters directly into the Drainage System with 4 inch gutter connections. Had the neighbor had gutters, we would have connected them as well. The French Drain transitioned to a solid drain pipe which ran across the front yard, under the sidewalk to the street. We cut the curb and installed a curb outlet.
Curb outlet with more than 6 inches of fall
DRAIN TEXT
Drainage Systems can be made up of one drainor a combination of many drains. Drainage problems can be very complex. Complex Drainage Problems may require a combination of several different types of drainsall inter-connected and working together. Other times the drainage problem may be simple and straight-forward requiring only one drain or several of the same type of drainconnected together.
An example of a complex drainage system would be: A French Drain in the back yard connected to a Surface Drain near a flower bed connected to several gutter downspouts, which are connected to a Channel Drain going across a driveway, which is connected to additional Surface Drain in the front yard, which runs to a Curb Fitting that lets all the waterdrain out on to the street.
A simple Drainage System might consist of a Surface Drain that is connected to a second Surface Drain which runs to a Pop-up Emitter which lets water drain over the curb and into the street.
An “Exit Point” is the term used for where all the water leaves the Drainage System. Determining the Exit Point is very critical. It is one of the first things we do when diagnosing a Drainage Problem.
Drainage Systems can:
1. Keep water away from foundations— AFrench Drainis best because it can move Surface Water and Sub-Surface Water(water moving under ground) away from the foundation. Many times less experienced companies install Surface Drains to keep water away from foundations. This can be a big mistake. A Surface Drain can’t move or drain Sub-Surface Water. Also A Surface Drain often can’t move enough water fast enough and easily becomes overwhelmed during a heavy rain. A Surface Drainalso can’t cover or protect a broad enough area. Surface Drains should be designed in a Drainage System to be located in smaller Drainage Areas moving moderate amounts of water. Surface Drainslook better than French Drains. If ,”appearance” is more important than Drainage Capacity, Go with the Surface Drain. Just know what you are getting into and what your expectations should be. One side of a foundation alone, can be over 100 feet. A 4 inch or 6 inch French Drain is best when protecting a large area such as a foundation.
Surface Drain Installed next to sidewalk in Oklahoma City.
2. Keep water away from small or enclosed areas. This might be a low area just through a gate on the side of a house, or the low area between a flowerbed and the wall of a house, or standing water on or near a sidewalk or driveway. These types of Drainage Problems are best served with Surface Drains. A Surface Drain can move water away from a low area that is relatively small. This can occur in yards, flowerbeds, sidewalks and driveways. ASurface Drain is designed to move Surface Water away from a problem area to a predetermined exit point. Surface Drains are available in many sizes. How quickly they remove standing water is usually determined by the size of the Drain Pipe that is connected to the Drain.
We install Drains in lots of places including, Yards, Flower Beds, Driveways, Sidewalks, and next to Swimming Pools.
Surface Drain Installation in Oklahoma City
Just what is a “French Drain?” Many times people incorrectly use the phrase, “French Drain,” to apply to many different types ofDrains that could be used in aDrainage System. The term is widely used and many times incorrectly connected to “Surface Drains,” or “Channel Drains.”
A Surface Drain has a grate that sits on top of a basin. The basin is underground. ADrain Pipe is connected underground to an outlet on the Drain Basin. Storm-Water Drains through the grate into the Drain Basin. Once in the Drain Basin, water travels out of the basin through a Drain Pipe. The Storm-Water continues downhill in an underground Drain Pipe to an exit point.
THIS IS NOT A FRENCH DRAIN!
A Surface Drain may come in many different shapes or sizes. The Drain Grate may be round or square. Here is a picture of a common Surface Drain.
Surface Drain and Drain Pipe
A Channel Drain is a type of Surface Drain and many times is installed in concrete across sidewalks or driveways.
Channel Drain
A French Drain is completely different from a Surface Drain. A basic French Drain consists of a Perforated Drain Pipe in the bottom of a trench. TheDrain Pipeshould have a neoprene sock around the Perforated Drain Pipe. This is to ensure that theDrain Pipe does not become clogged.
The dirt that was taken out to make the trench is hauled away. It is replaced by some type of small stone or gravel depending on what is desired or available. I prefer crushed 1 inch lime stone. It is the most economical option in my area. Pea Gravel or some other type of small stone can work just as well. The lime-stone or gravel is placed in the trench on top of the perforated Drain Pipe and filled all the way to the surface (ground level). In some cases where theFrench Drainneeds to be deep or is being placed in sandy soil, a special trench liner must be placed in the trench before the perforated Drain Pipe or the Gravel are installed. This helps maintain the integrity of the trench over time. It also increases the cost of the French Drain and the amount of time to install it. I install a trench liner in a French Drainabout 20% of the time. Most of the time a liner in not needed.
A French Drain is designed to handle a large volume of water and cover a large area. The Drain is anyplace the trench goes. It has many applications and can be used in many situations. It can be installed by itself or incorporated into a Drainage System with Surface Drains or Gutter Down-Spouts connected to it.
The main downfall of a French Drain is that they, for the most part aren’t very pretty. They don’t look very nice in a yard once they are completed.
Depending on the area the French Drain is installed and the type of grass around the French Drain, will dictate whether grass grows over the lime stone. Grass can grow up and through the gravel in the French Drain over time eventually covering the gravel. This is Ok. It won’t have a measurable effect on the performance of the drain.
DONT COVER THE GRAVEL IN THE FRENCH DRAIN WITH DIRT. THE FRENCH DRAIN WON’T WORK IF THE TRENCH IS CLOGGED WITH DIRT. DON’T EVEN INSTALL IT IF YOU ARE GOING TO COVER IT UP WITH DIRT.
DECORATIVE STONE CAN BE USED TO COVER AFRENCH DRAIN AND THEY LOOK GREAT AND LAST A LIFETIME.
French Drains Can Look Great!
Simply put, a Drainage System is one or a group of underground Drain Pipes that take water away from a place that has water standing on it or flowing across it. The water that is in the problem area, can be causing damage or may be inconvenient or both. (Usually Both) A simple Drainage System is a Drainfor the water to enter, a Drain Pipe to move the water away from the Drain, and an Exit Point for the water to be released out of the Drain Pipe.
Drainage Systems quickly can become more complicated. Considerations must include:
How does the water get to the problem area? There may be one or many sources.
Water Sources:
1. It falls from the sky directly
2. It flows down hill over the surface (surface water)
3. It flows underground under the surface (sub-surface water)
4. It flows from the edge of a roof ( There may be many roofs near the problem area, neighbors etc.)
5. It flows from a gutter downspout
6. It flows over the edge of a gutter because the gutter is too small is is clogged
7. It flows up from the ground (seeps and springs are common in Oklahoma)
8. It flows from asprinkler system use ( yours or your neighbors)
9. It flows from a leaking pipe ( water mains, water meters, water lines, sprinkler pipes, sprinkler valves)
There are other reasons for Drainage Problems, the above reasons are just the most common.
Once the number of water sources is determined, a rough estimate of the amount of water that needs to be drained away on average must be estimated. This can be simplified down to “SMALL, MEDIUM, OR LARGE AMOUNTS OF WATER TO BE DRAINED AWAY. You don’t have to be an engineer trying to calculate fluid dynamics. Experience at diagnosing drainage problems helps however. How much water needs to be moved will help determine the type and size of the Surface Drainor French Drain that needs to be installed. It also helps to determine the size of Drain Pipe required for the Drainage System. A good rule to follow is, “If in doubt, install a larger Drain and Drain Pipe.” Unused Drainage Capacity is better than property damage caused by a Drain that is overwhelmed by too much water.
For home and small business use typical materials used are:
French Drains are designed to cover large areas and move lots of water. During a hard rain water will seep down through the gravel and into the Perforated French Drain Pipe that is buried under the gravel. The water fills into the pipe and moves down hill to the desired Exit Point. French Drains like the one in the picture above that are in the sun most of the day will have grass that overgrows the limestone. The gravel will disappear over time. The French Drain will continue to work even after the grass has grown over it. A “Thatch Filter ” is made up of the grass that covers the French Drain. The French Drain then has two filters. First is the Neo-Prene Soc that comes around the Perforated French Drain Pipe. Later when the grass grows over it, the French Drain then has a second Thatch Filter. This ensures that the French Drain Pipe won’t clog over time with dirt, sand, or debris. This only works with grass that does well in the sun like Bermuda or Tift.
Shade Grasses won’t grow up and through French Drain gravel.
YOU DON’T WANT TO COVER THEFRENCH DRAINWITH DIRT. IT WILL GREATLY REDUCE THE DRAINAGE PERFORMANCE OF THE FRENCH DRAIN. IT DEFEATS THE ENTIRE REASON FOR THE FRENCH DRAIN. IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE WAY IT LOOKS AND CAN’T BE PATIENT ENOUGH TO WAIT UNTIL THE GRASS GROWS THROUGH IT IF IT IS IN THE SUN, THEN DON’T INSTALL IT AT ALL.
IF THE FRENCH DRAIN IS INSTALLED IN THE SHADE YOU CAN USE DECORATIVE ROCK TO MAKE A FOOT PATH OR ROCK GARDEN ON TOP OF IT. YOU ARE ONLY LIMITED BY YOU IMAGINATION.
French Drains can be decorated with many types of stone
Once the type and number of drains is determined and what size Drain Pipe will connect them, an exit point must be selected. (Where is the Drainage System going to take the water to and release it?)
The Drainage Curb Fitting is installed when the desired exit point for the French Drain will release theDrainage Water into the Street. The Drainage Curb Fitting is rectangular in shape and made to be installed through the curb. A small section of Curb is cut out with a concrete saw. The Section is a few inches wider than the Drainage Curb Fitting. We then install new concrete around the curb fitting. Once the concrete has dried, the Drain Pipe coming from a French Drain or Surface Drain is connected to the Drainage Curb fitting and then covered with dirt.
The Drainage Pop-Up Emitteris connected to the end of aDrain Pipe. It is downhill from a French Drainor a Surface Drain. It is a small release basin with a green pop-up lid. When releasing water, it pops up about an inch to release the water from the French Drain or Surface Drain. When the Storm Water has moved through the Drainage System and out of the Pop-Up Emitter, the green lid closes back to its original closed position. The emitter is designed to release water out into a yard or down a hill or other desirableDrainage Exit Pointwhere there is no curb.
The above are the most common problems that we deal with.
Oklahoma Drainage and Sprinkler Repair– can help if you need to re-design your sprinkler system. If for example you are adding a swimming pool in your back yard, we can move the sprinkler heads and sprinkler pipes to fit the new dimensions of your yard. We can redesign or add-on to sprinkler systems where the home owners needs change.
This week we installed a 6 Inch French Drain in Oklahoma City. Water was running down the hill, under the back fence, into the back yard, across the sidewalk, and into the side door going into the garage. After every heavy rain, water was getting into the garage. We installed a 6 Inch French Drainacross the back yard to divert the water. We also connected theGutter Down Spouts Directly into the French Drain. Once the French Drainwas down hill from the house, we changed from French Drain Pipeto solid 6 inch ADS Drain Pipe and continued across the front yard to the street. Once at the curb, we cut the curb with a concrete saw and installed a Curb Outlet for the French Drain. Problem solved!
Installing French Drain in standing water
Something to think about — Most people see and deal with what is obvious when it comes to Drainage Problems. Surface Water is “Obvious”! People see it washing over the surface into the area that collects the water. Simple enough.
Designing a Drainage System to intercept the Surface Water is the first step, but many times is not the only step. Often Sub-Surface Water( Water Running Under Ground ) is not accounted for by people with less experience in designing Drainage Systems. They install A Drainage System that uses Surface Drains to Intercept the running surface water. Sometimes that works if that is the only water source to the Problem Drainage Area.
Surface Drains drain surface water away only. Sub Surface water runs right around them and into the same Problem Drainage Area. There may be less water there than there was before but the problem still remains.
A French Drain is the solution when water is running into a problem area over the surface and under ground. A French Drain solves both problems and the area will be dry.
Water standing on Driveway, a channel drain is needed.
Recently we installed a French Drain that ran parallel between two houses in Moore Oklahoma. We also installed a French Drain under a walkway to a pool in Choctaw.
French Drain Installed along and under walk way to pool.
As you can see, we installed a French Drain under the left edge of the walk way. The stones and gravel were temporarily removed while the French Drain was installed. Then the walk way was put back on top of the French Drain.
Completed French Drain under walk way
Yesterday it rained very hard on the walkway in Choctaw. We received a text from the home owner.
Text and photo of French Drain
Before we installed the French Drain, our customer told us that the walk way to the pool typically stood in 6 inches of water after even a small rain. The water would pool on the right side and stay there for a long time after the rain had gone. As you can see in the text pic, there is very little water standing while it is raining, and when the rain stopped, the water was gone completely.
Our customer in Moore also sent us a text as well. He had standing water between his house and his neighbors. His neighbor did not have any gutters which made the water problem worse. We installed a French Drain running down the property line between the two houses. We connected the customer’s gutters directly into the Drainage System with 4 inch gutter connections. Had the neighbor had gutters, we would have connected them as well. The French Drain transitioned to a solid drain pipe which ran across the front yard, under the sidewalk to the street. We cut the curb and installed a curb outlet.
Recently Norman Oklahoma had 4 inches of rain in two hours. That’s the most rain in a short time that I can remember. Storm-Water runoffcan cause damage to all types of property and buildings. Water getting inside your house is never a good thing. A Drainage System that utilizes a French Draincan help. Drains can protect your home and property from water damage. Oklahoma Drainage and Sprinkler Repair installs a wide variety of Drains in many different places. A Drain or Group of Drains with Drain Pipe going to an exit point is a “Drainage System.”
Drainage Systemscan be made up of one drainor a combination of many drains. Drainage problems can be very complex. Complex Drainage Problems may require a combination of several different types of drainsall inter-connected and working together. Other times the drainage problem may be simple and straight-forward requiring only one drain or several of the same type of drainconnected together.
An “Exit Point” is the term used for where all the water leaves theDrainage System. Determining the Exit Point is very critical. It is one of the first things we do when diagnosing a Drainage Problem.
1. Keep water away from foundations— AFrench Drainis best because it can move Surface Water and Sub-Surface Water(water moving under ground) away from the foundation. Many times less experienced companies install Surface Drains to keep water away from foundations. This can be a big mistake. A Surface Drain can’t move or drain Sub-Surface Water. Also A Surface Drain often can’t move enough water fast enough and easily becomes overwhelmed during a heavy rain. A Surface Drainalso can’t cover or protect a broad enough area. Surface Drains should be designed in a Drainage System to be located in smaller Drainage Areas moving moderate amounts of water. Surface Drainslook better than French Drains. If ,”appearance” is more important than Drainage Capacity, Go with the Surface Drain. Just know what you are getting into and what your expectations should be. One side of a foundation alone, can be over 100 feet. A 4 inch or 6 inch French Drain is best when protecting a large area such as a foundation.
2. Keep water away from small or enclosed areas. This might be a low area just through a gate on the side of a house, or the low area between a flowerbed and the wall of a house, or standing water on or near a sidewalk or driveway. These types of Drainage Problems are best served with Surface Drains. A Surface Drain can move water away from a low area that is relatively small. This can occur in yards, flowerbeds, sidewalks and driveways. A Surface Drain is designed to move Surface Water away from a problem area to a predetermined exit point. Surface Drains are available in many sizes. How quickly they remove standing water is usually determined by the size of the Drain Pipe that is connected to the Drain.
Simply put, a Drainage System is one or a group of underground Drain Pipesthat take water away from a place that has water standing on it or flowing across it. The water that is in the problem area, can be causing damage or may be inconvenient or both. (Usually Both) A simple Drainage System is a Drainfor the water to enter, a Drain Pipe to move the water away from the Drain, and an Exit Point for the water to be released out of the Drain Pipe.
Drainage Systems quickly can become more complicated. Considerations must include:
How does the water get to the problem area? There may be one or many sources.
Water Sources:
1. It falls from the sky directly
2. It flows down hill over the surface (surface water)
3. It flows underground under the surface (sub-surface water)
4. It flows from the edge of a roof ( There may be many roofs near the problem area, neighbors etc.)
5. It flows from a gutter downspout
6. It flows over the edge of a gutter because the gutter is too small is is clogged
7. It flows up from the ground (seeps and springs are common in Oklahoma)
8. It flows from asprinkler system use ( yours or your neighbors)
9. It flows from a leaking pipe ( water mains, water meters, water lines, sprinkler pipes, sprinkler valves)
There are other reasons for Drainage Problems, the above reasons are just the most common.
Once the number of water sources is determined, a rough estimate of the amount of water that needs to be drained away on average must be estimated. This can be simplified down to “SMALL, MEDIUM, OR LARGE AMOUNTS OF WATER TO BE DRAINED AWAY. You don’t have to be an engineer trying to calculate fluid dynamics. Experience at diagnosing drainage problems helps however. How much water needs to be moved will help determine the type and size of the Surface DrainorFrench Drainthat needs to be installed. It also helps to determine the size of Drain Pipe required for the Drainage System. A good rule to follow is, “If in doubt, install a larger Drain and Drain Pipe.” Unused Drainage Capacity is better than property damage caused by a Drain that is overwhelmed by too much water.
For home and small business use typical materials used are:
In many cases slope is easy to determine if the distance from the drain to the exit is obliviously down hill. The trouble is installing a French Drain or a Drainage System where the drain pipe is not always on a pronounced slope. A slight slope can be hard to see. If the ground looks level then the water won’t flow very quickly, If at all. If the entrance drain is slightly higher than the exit, say only a few inches, then the water will flow across level ground to the exit point. Problem is, the water will move very slowly as long as water is still coming into the French Drain. It pushes the water in front of it out of the exit very slowly. Movement will stop when water stops coming into the Drain. It will stay in the pipe and just sit there till the next time it rains.
If you are Installing a Drainage System across level ground, it will never drain very well.
If you are not sure if a Drainage System is possible because there might not be enoughSlope, there is a simple test you can run. This test takes a good bit of digging.
Start digging the trench where the drain pipe will run. Lets say for example that its about 60 feet. Start digging where the drain will be. Typically a 4 inch drain pipe will need to be installed in a trench 8 to 16 inches deep, depending on your needs. Dig about 10 feet from where the drain will be toward the exit point. Once you have dug a trench at least 8 inches deep, and about 10 feet long toward the exit, Take a hose and place it in the trench where the drain will be installed. There should not be pipe in the trench at this time, just the empty trench.
Turn on the hose so a small amount of water is coming out. The water will start to flow down the trench from where the drain will be, toward the exit. Again there is no drain pipe in the trench.
Watch the water as it flows down the Drainage Trench. In some areas it will flow quickly which is good. Look for areas where water flows more slowly and begins to pool. Once this occurs, turn off the hose and get your shovel. With water still in the trench, dig downhill from the pooling spot. Remove the dirt that is slowing the waters flow toward the exit. Repeat this process until you have reached the exit point of the Drainage System.
This may seem like a lot of unnecessary work. Believe me it is worth it. Once the water flows at a fairly steady rate all the way to the exit, you have ” Set the Flow of the Drain.”
This process is called “Setting The flow.”
There are benefits to taking this process seriously.
First it will tell you if the flow is even possible for the Drainage System that you want to install. If you can’t get the water to flow to the Exit Point Cover up your Drainage Trench and Consider Other Options because this particularDrainage Design will not work. If you can redesign your system by moving your drain pipe or your exit point, then do so. A Sump Pump may be your only option if moving the drain pipe or the exit does not improve things. Sump Pumps will be covered in a future blog.
Second, If you were successful in setting the flow, then you will roughly know how fast the water will flow in yourDrainage System. It will give you a “Worse Case Scenario” for your Drain’s Performance.
Water will always flow better and faster and more efficiently in a Drain Pipe, than in a trench.
If the water is flowing pretty good in the Drainage Trench without a Drain Pipe in it yet, then it will flow even better once the Drain Pipe is installed.
This process is much better than blindly digging a drainage trench and installing a Drainage System. It will keep you from installing something that doesn’t work!