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
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. A Trench Liner is sometimes used depending on the Drainage System Design and the type of soil. The Drain Pipe should have a neoprene sock around the Perforated Drain Pipe. This is to ensure that the Drain Pipe does not become clogged. A trench is dug that is slightly wider than the French Drain Pipe that is being used. There are several sizes ofFrench Drain Pipe. Three Inch, Four Inch, and Six Inch are the most common sizes of French drainPipe. 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 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 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 Drain Pipeor the Gravel are installed. This helps maintain the integrity of the trench over time. It also increases the cost of theFrench Drain and the amount of time to install it.
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 French Drain. In some cases thick grass growing up through the French Drain will create a natural “Thatch” filter. This makes the French Drain invisible. The trick is to allow the grass to grow over the French Drain Gravel without covering it up with dirt. Grasses such as Bermuda which grow well in the sun will put out runners and new roots and will grow up and through the French Drain. This will not affect the performance of the French Drain. The problem is that some times depending on the type of soil involved, it may take a long time to completely cover up the French Drain. Sprinkling grass seed down in the gravel will speed up the process.
DON’T 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.
If you install a French Drain in a sunny area, you can:
A. Leave the French Drain as-is and allow grass to grow over it in time.
B. Add grass seed directly to the French Drain gravel with (Light Hand Watering) to speed the growth process
C. Leave the French Drain as-is but decorate it with stepping stones and landscaping rocks ( leaving large cracks between stones to allow water to get into the French Drain,
2
If you install a French Drain in a shady area you can:
A. Leave the French Drain as-is, it will work well and look as it did for many years.
B. Leave the French Drain as-is, but decorate it with stepping stones or landscaping rocks. Many French Drains are hidden under rock walk ways.
Edmond is one of the communities in Central Oklahoma that Oklahoma Drainage services. We have installed almost a thousand French Drainsin the Edmond community in the past 21 years. Edmond has many hills and valleys. Many Neighborhoods are built on hillsides. This causes many Drainage Problems. We have installed French Drains by themselves and as a part of Drainage Systems to protect Driveways, Sidewalks, Foundations all over Edmond. French Drains may be installed in Flower Beds or grassy areas too. French Drains when installed correctly can provide many years of property protection and Piece of Mind.
A little bit North of Downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Drainage installed a 6 inch French Drain between two businesses which were less than three feet apart. The French Drain went between a Law Firm and a Tire shop. Water was leaking through the walls of both businesses. Gutters between the two establishments were dumping a huge amount of water. We installed a 6 inch French Drain between the two.
French Drain connected to gutter
It took a long time to get the dirt out of the trench for the French Drain. It was a very tight fit. We had to use a little red wagon to haul out the dirt for the French Drain and haul back in the crushed limestone for the French Drain. It looked a little silly, but it was the only thing we could find that was narrow enough to fit between the buildings. A French Drain that normally would take 1 day to install took three.
The French Drain had a Double Exit Point. This means that once water entered the French Drain Pipe, it could run South to the street or it could run North to the alley. To exit points greatly increases the water capacity for any French Drain.
Along the course of the French Drain, we connected two large gutters directly into the Drain Pipe.
Once in place, the French Drain eliminated all the water that was leaking into the two buildings.
Many times people use the term “French Drain” as general name for a Drain used in or around your home. French Drains are designed to move a lot of water over a large flooded area. They are also designed to take water in on the surface of the ground or below the surface of the ground. This is very important if the water coming into the flooded area is moving through the ground or coming up from underneath. ” Sub Surface Water Movement.” The picture below is not a French Drain!
A French Drain can take in water in a broad area. It can move a much larger volume of water compared to a Surface Drain. Also, it can move sub surface water moving into the area where a Surface Drain won’t move any water at all.
Surface Drains are designed to move surface water only on a smaller scale in confined areas.
Each solves specific drainage problems. A Drainage System may use one or both together or even several using many types of drains.
Do you have standing water in a large area in your yard? Typically this calls for a French Drain. A French Drain is a great way to control standing water in a large grassy area. It can also protect areas from flooding to a certain degree. As long as the French Drains capacity to move water is not exceeded. If the French Drains capacity is exceeded then water will stand in the drainage area until the rain stops and the drain has time to catch up. A good way to prevent this is to install a bigger French Drain with a larger pipe. The difference between a 3 inch French Drain and a 6 inch French Drain is huge.
Another way to beef up a French Drain is to connect gutter down spouts in front of the French Drain. The water coming off the roof causes suction in the French Drain Behind it. This greatly increases the French Drains ability to move water without increasing the size of the French Drain Pipe.
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!
Servicing All Of Central And Western Oklahoma Since 1993.
Decorative French Drain
The need for Drainage Systems is increasing in Oklahoma. During heavy thunder storms, homes and business need a way to drain water away. Storm water can cause many kinds of damage. Here are just a few:
1. Driveways and Sidewalks can crack and deteriorate
2. Foundations can crack move or shift
3. Vents and ducts can fill with water
4. Mold can be allowed to grow
5. Trees and Plants and grass can be damaged or drown
Oklahoma Drainage can quickly diagnose your Drainage Problem and provide a free quote for a Drainage System. With twenty years of experience, we realize that Drainage Problems may be very complex and difficult or very straight forward and simple. Every Drainage Problem is unique to a certain degree. Don’t kid yourself, Experience Counts!
We take many things into account when providing a Drainage Diagnosticfor a Customer. We determine:
1. What is the Primary Water Source to the problem? Where is the water coming from?
2. Is there a Secondary Water Source? Other Places that water may be coming from. All Drainage Problems have more than one source!
3. How many Subsequent Water Sources are present? Some complex Drainage Problemshave many water sources.
4. What exit points are available for gravity to move water away from the problem area? Where are we trying to take the water to, and how is it
going to be released? Is more than one exit point possible to increase capacity?
5 How much water must be moved? What Size Drain Pipeis necessary to lessen the chance of being overwhelmed by flooding? This is a tough
The Drainage System shown in the three above pictures consisted of the following:
Three Gutter Downspouts in the front yard were connected to 4 inch ADS solid Drain Pipe with Large Drainage Gutter Connections. Three lateral 4 inch Pipes were run from each gutter to one outflow pipe moving the water to two exit Pop Up Emitters. One of the Drain Pipes ran under the sidewalk to reach the Exit Drain Pipe.
This Drainage System had two exit points. One Pop-Up Emitter was on the edge of the driveway in the front yard. The other Pop-Up Emitter was installed in the back yard near the property line. Two exit points allows for a much larger Water Drainage Capacity. (During Heavy Rains The Drainage System Can Move More Water Faster)
The back yard Exit Pipe then connected to 55 feet of 4 inch French Drain that was installed along the SW corner of the house. The French Drainprovided a protective barrier for that room of the house where water had previously been leaking into the floor vents. Two Gutter Down Spouts were also connected in the back yard to the Drainage System.
Popup Emitter to release water from a Drainage System in Yukon.
A few days later a heavy rain came in. No water stood on the sidewalk near the front door, and nor water seeped into the floor vents in the back bedroom.
Fescue Sod must be installed in the shade and needs a lot of watering at the time of installation. It also needs water on a regular basis to maintain it.
Bermuda on the other hand needs sun and doesn’t do very well in a heavily shaded area. It also is a little hardier than fescue and is more heat resistant. It also needs lots of water at the time of installation.
Both types of sod need attention and water until they are established. You can’t just unroll the new sod and leave it and expect good results.
If you have a Lawn Sprinkler System, then you are ahead of the game. Dragging hoses around to keep new sod alive is a lot of work and must be taken into consideration before making a purchase.
Oklahoma Drainage and, can deliver up to two Pallets of Sod at a time.
If you live in Norman and would like to have Fescue installed in your back yard, or your Edmond home needs Bermuda installed along the driveway, Give us a call. Oklahoma City Residents are a largest sod customers, but we will deliver to Altus, Lawton, Ardmore,
Fescue Sod installed in Edmond
In the picture above, we also installed the metal “Back Yard Lighting” Poles set in concrete and then the New sod installed around them. It looks nice.
The White Material is the Trench Liner. The black material is the Pipe Filter.
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 example of a complex drainage system would be: A French Drainin 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 Fittingthat lets all the waterdrain out on to 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.
1. Keep water away from foundations— A French Drain is 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 Draincan 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 Wateraway 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 pipe that is connected to the drain.
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 Drain for 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 a sprinkler 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:
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 Fittingis 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.
Wow! A hard rain came through last night. Hard rains in Oklahoma typically cause flooding. Standing wateris never a good thing. It causes damage to grass, trees, sidewalks, foundations, and driveways. Oklahoma Drainage can help if you have Drainage Problems with your home or small business. If you live inCentral Oklahoma we can provide a free estimate for a drainage systemthat will address your specific Drainage Problems. So if your driveway turns into a small lake every time it rains, or if your sidewalk looks like a moat after just a little shower, or worst of all you have water seeping into your home, give Oklahoma Drainage a call.
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 Drain Pipe is perforated with thousands of small holes. In most cases the Drain Pipehas 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. We typically use crushed 1 inch Lime Stone to cover the French Drain Pipe. The dirt that was dug out of the trench is taken away or spread out around the French Drain. The Lime Stone replaces the dirt and fills the French Drain Trench all the way to the surface.
The White Material is the Trench Liner. The black material is the Pipe Filter.
Channel Drains can look great and be very functional and durable.
However, A Channel Drain is not an easy thing to install! It takes a great deal of precision, Experience, and Attention to Detail. This is Definitely Not something to allow your Landscape Company to attempt, or your Brother-In-Law! Just because someone is skilled at pushing a mower around, doesn’t mean you should let them cut across your driveway with a concrete saw. I get a lot of business fixing and replacing Drains of all types that were installed incorrectly by landscape companies and armatures. Typically they stick to messing up French Drains, but I have fixed Channel Drains that were an absolute “Train Wreck!” as well.
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.
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 perforatedDrain Pipeand 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 perforatedDrain 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 aFrench Drainabout 20% of the time. Most of the time a liner in not needed.
AFrench Drainis 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 aDrainage SystemwithSurface Drains or Gutter Down-Spouts connected to it.
French Drains can be installed by themselves, or as part of a Drainage System that uses other French Drains, Surface Drains, or other Drain combinations. Typically a French Drain is used to protect a broad area that has a lot of standing water. AFrench Drain might run along side a homes foundation, or beside a driveway, or on any Drainage Project where Sub-Surface water is the primary problem. If water is running toward your home under ground ( through sandy soil), A French Drain is the only Solution for draining away water flowing under ground.
