Posts Tagged ‘Moore French Drain Repair’

Drainage System Installation Moore Oklahoma.

A Basic Drainage System is a Type of Drain which is called an “Intake.”  Connected to a Pipe which is called a “Transition.” The Transition runs to an “Exit.” This is where the water is taken to get rid of.

Oklahoma Drainage installs 3 types of Intake Drains.  (French Drains, Surface Drains, and Channel Drains.)

Moore Oklahoma

was the location of our most recent French Drain Installation.  Our customer had a problem that is very common.  Every time it rained, she had a large pond in her back yard.  Water stood there so long that her normally nice Bermuda Grass died out because it was under water so long.

Her house was in a new subdivision, and her house was one of the first houses to be built.  When she moved in she had no neighbors and no Drainage Issues.  As new houses were built behind her and, on both sides, the standing water in her back yard started to be a problem and progressively became worse.

Problem Drainage Area

This is a good spot for a French Drain

New Houses are Built Higher

This happens in almost every new housing development.  As new houses come in and are being built, the pad that the houses are built on becomes higher and higher.  Each new builder brings in more and more dirt so all the water runs downhill on to the neighbors that have existing houses.  The oldest homes in most neighborhoods have the worst drainage problems.  The newer homes are higher.

Installing French Drain

 

 

To solve our customer’s drainage problem,

we installed a 4-inch ADS French Drain with a trench liner and a Soc Filter around the Drainpipe.

To dig the trench for the French Drain, we had to start digging by hand in 6-inch-deep standing water.  As the digging progressed toward the exit point at the street, the water started to drain in the trench before we even had the drainpipe or the gravel installed.  As we dug the mud was put into a wheelbarrow and taken to a waiting dump trailer.  Each shovel of mud had to be hauled away immediately to prevent it becoming a huge muddy mess.

Next, we installed the trench liner in the trench and then placed the ADS French Drainpipe in on top of it.  The only thing left was to bring in 67 grade crushed limestone to fill the French Drain Trench.

The Standing Water

flowed away immediately, and the surrounding ground began to dry out.  Drainage Problem solved.

Our Drainage Systems utilize French Drains, Surface Drains, Channel Drains, and Sump Pumps.   With over 32 years of experience, we provide top quality French Drains, Drainage Systems, and Sprinkler Repair.

A Drainage System has 3 basic parts.  They are the:  1.  Intake Point,  2.  Transition Stage,  3.  The Exit Point

 

The, ” Intake’ part of a Drainage System is usually located in the ,”Problem Drainage Area” at it lowest point.  This is where water is taken into the Drainage System through some type of Drain or Gutter.  A French Drain or a Surface Drain are the two most common intake Drains.

A French Drain

is a trench that runs through the Problem Drainage Area.  The French Drain Trench usually runs one or two feet deep but can be deeper or shallower depending on the need.  In most cases a trench liner is placed in the trench.  This is necessary to maintain the integrity of the French Drain Trench.  A perforated French Drainpipe is placed on top of  the liner and runs to the, “Transitions Stage.”

 

In the picture above, a gutter is connected to a French Drain.  The water from the gutter causes suction in the French Drain.  It works better as a result.

 

A Surface Drain is also used as an Intake point.  A Surface Drain is a basin with a square or round grate on top.  The Drainpipe that is connected to the Surface Drain or French Drain begins the Transition stage.  Simply put, for water to get into a Drainage System, it must pass through either a French Drain or a Surface Drain.

Large Amounts of Water

A French Drain is designed to handle large amounts of water over a large area.  A Surface Drain is designed to handle smaller amounts or water that is more centralized in a smaller area.

A French Drain takes in Surface Water and Sub-Surface Water (water flowing underground).  A Surface Drain can only take in Surface Water on top of the ground.

The Transition Stage is where water travels out of the French Drain or Surface Drain and into a Solid Drainpipe.  The Solid Drainpipe takes the water to an Exit point or another Problem Drainage Area.  Several French Drains or Surface Drains can be connected in any combination.  This is determined by the needs of the next Problem Drainage Area that is farther down the hill.

Limiting Factor

The limiting factor is the size of the Drainpipe between Drains.

The greater the number of Drains that are connected together, the larger the Solid Drainpipe must be between them.

Surface Drains induct small amounts of water into the Drainage System.  If you have a large 6 inch Drainpipe, many Surface Drains can be connected together on their way to the exit point.  French Drains Take In larger amounts of water faster.  As a result, only a Few French Drains can be connected together on their way to the exit point.  French Drains and Surface Drains can also be connected together by one Drainpipe.

 

Installing Cement around Curb Fitting for French Drain

Installing Cement around Curb Fitting for French Drain

 
Once water leaves the French Drain or Surface Drain, it runs through the solid Drainpipe (The Transitions) to the Exit Point.  
 
Water is released through two types of Exit Points.  They are the Pop-Up Emitter and the Curb Fitting.  A Pop-Up Emitter can be in any good open area.  A Curb Fitting is installed through the curb and requires Wet Cement to install it.
Popup Emitter to release water from a French Drain in Yukon

Popup Emitter to release water from a French Drain in Yukon

 

French Drain Repair and Installation is a Central Focus for Oklahoma Drainage.  We installed our first French Drain and completed our first Sprinkler Repair in Norman in 1993.

Oklahoma Drainage and Sprinkler Repair — Installing – French DrainsSurface DrainsChannel DrainsSump Pumps.

Providing Expert Sprinkler RepairBroken Sprinkler Pipes Sprinkler Head AdjustmentSprinkler Valve Replacement

We provide Service for Folks in: Norman, Oklahoma City, Edmond, and Moore.

Central and Western Oklahoma is our Service Area since 1993.  

                                                           (405) 203-9419

Norman Oklahoma French Drain Installation, French Drain Repair, 1234 Completed in Norman since 1993

Harsh weather in Oklahoma seems to becoming more common.  In 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 runoff can 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 Drain can help.

French Drain protects sidewalk
French Drain keeps water off of sidewalk

Drains can protect your home and property from water damage. Large 6 Inch French Drain Installed in Norman

Drainage Systems 

can be made up of one drain or a combination of many drainsDrainage problems can be very complex.   Complex Drainage Problems may require a combination of several different types of drains all 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 drain connected 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 water drain out on to the street.

 

French Drain Installation

French Drains are designed to do a lot of things. If you have an area that has unwanted water standing in it or running across it, a French Drain can be the answer. A French Drain is a trench that runs across the Drainage Problem Area. A French Drainpipe is placed in the bottom of the trench. The French Drainpipe is perforated with thousands of small holes. In most cases the Drainpipe has a nylon soc around the pipe to act as a filter for the French Drain. The French Drain trench is then filled with some type of small rock or stone.

Oklahoma Drainage typically uses crushed 1 inch Limestone to cover the French Drainpipe. The dirt that was dug out of the trench is taken away or spread out around the French Drain. The Limestone replaces the dirt and fills the French Drain Trench all the way to the surface.

 

French Drain Repair

Over time a French Drain may start to perform poorly.  It may quit working entirely.  This is due to many possible reasons.

Tree roots may be the issue.  Dirt may clog the perforated pipe.  The French Drainpipe may have become damaged as well.

Oklahoma Drainage and Sprinkler Repair has been Servicing and Repairing French Drains since 1993.  Over time almost everything needs service.

 

In the past 33 years,

Oklahoma Drainage has designed and installed a large number of Drainage Systems.  For the most part, we have utilized French Drains and Surface Drains of many different shapes and sizes.  In two decades, we have built up a high level of experience diagnosing Drainage Problems.  We know what to look for, what to expect, and how to approach a wide variety of situations where water is in a harmful or undesirable place.

6 Inch French drain
French Drain in Flood area

Oklahoma Drainage installs many types of Drains in a wide variety of places

Here are a few of them.

French Drain Installation

along foundations near walls behind retaining walls –  in and around flower beds –  in basements –  near sidewalks and along driveways –  pool decks and around swimming pools – on hillsides and on slopes to protect building and homes –

Surface Drain Installation

in sidewalks set in concrete –  in driveway set in concrete –  on side of house to catch water from gutter downspout – in basement with Sump Pump inside to pump out the water – in low spot in yard to handle a moderate amount of water – next to driveway to catch water run-off –  next to sidewalk to catch water run-off – connected to gutter down-spout –

Just what is a “French Drain?” 

Many times people incorrectly use the phrase, “French Drain,” to apply to many different types of Drains that could be used in a Drainage 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.  A Drainpipe is connected underground to an outlet on the Drain BasinStormwater Drains through the grate into the Drain Basin.  Once in the Drain Basin, water travels out of the basin through a Drainpipe

The Stormwater

continues downhill in an underground Drainpipe to an exit point. A Surface Drain may come in many different shapes or sizes.  It is a Drain Basin with a Drain Grate on top and a Drainpipe connected on the side.  The Drain Grate may be round or square.

A Channel Drain is a type of Surface Drain, and many times is installed in concrete across sidewalks or driveways.  It is long and narrow with a grate on top. Channel Drain installed in a sidewalk by a front door.

A French Drain is completely different from a Surface Drain

A basic French Drain

consists of a Perforated Drainpipe in the bottom of a trench.  A Trench Liner is sometimes used depending on the Drainage System Design and the type of soil.

Installing 4 Inch French Drain with trench Liner and pipe filter

The White Material is the Trench Liner. The black material is the Pipe Filter.

The Drainpipe should have a neoprene sock around the Perforated Drainpipe.   This is to ensure that the Drainpipe does not become clogged.

A trench is dug that is slightly wider than the French Drainpipe that is being used. 

There are several sizes of French Drainpipe.

  Three Inch, Four Inch, and Six Inch are the most common sizes of French drainpipe.

ads 4inch 6 inch

ADS Drainpipe, 6 Inch on the left, 4 Inch on the right.

The dirt that is 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 limestone.  It is the most economical option in my area.  Pea Gravel or some other type of small stone can work just as well.    The limestone or gravel is placed in the trench on top of the perforated Drainpipe and filled all the way to the surface (ground level).  

Trench Liner

In some cases where the French Drain needs to be deep, or is being placed in sandy soil, a special trench liner must be placed in the trench before the perforated Drainpipe 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 Drain Every time.

 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 isn’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 limestone.  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 A FRENCH DRAIN AND THEY LOOK GREAT AND LAST A LONG TIME.

Home Drainage Problems, Norman French Drain, Moore French Drain, French Drain Repair

Pictures of French Drains can be helpful!

Recently we installed a large French Drain System for a home in North Edmond.  Their gutters were dumping a huge amount of water into the flower beds.  Once in the flower beds, the water traveled down into the foundation and filled up the air conditioner vents.  We installed a large French Drain with 6-inch perforated pipe.  The gutter down spouts were removed and the gutters were run straight into the French Drain Pipe.

 

Gutter connected straight into French Drain System

Gutter connected straight into French Drain System

Fixing Home Drainage Problems can be difficult.

Oklahoma Drainage installs a wide variety of drains to solve a wide variety of Drainage Problems. If you need a Channel Drain installed across a sidewalk, We can help. If water is seeping into your foundation, A French Drain could solve the problem. If water is standing in a low spot in your backyard, a Surface Drain will be a good addition.

Drainage Problems are common with many homes in Oklahoma.  Storm-water run-off can cause damage to foundations, driveways, and sidewalks.  It can also ruin expensive plants and trees and yards.

Large 6 Inch French Drain Installed in Norman

Large 6 Inch French Drain Installed in Norman