Yukon French Drain Contractor
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!
French Drain Installation
Oklahoma Drainage has been diagnosing and solving Drainage Problems since 1993. Water has the ability to get into places around your home where you really don’t want it to be. Some drainage problems are easy to solve. Typically, water enters the problem drainage area one way from one source. The really tricky drainage problems occur when water enters the problem drainage area from multiple directions and from multiple sources. Sometimes a secondary water source can’t be seen or identified until the primary water problem source is eliminated.
An example of this occurs when water is running into a problem area in an obvious way over the ground where you can see it.
Simple enough.
A drainage system
is installed with a surface drain as the “intake” with drainage pipe running to an exit point. Initially the water drains away and everything looks great. The next day water is back and is all around the surface drain, but below the edge and it hasn’t rained at all, so no additional water ran over the surface of the ground to flood the area. The primary water source was solved, ( The surface water run off ) but the secondary water source was not. Which was sub-surface water, (ground water) running into the area. A surface drain can’t drain “ground water.” A French Drain should have initially been installed instead of a Surface Drain. A French Drain can drain both Surface Water and Ground Water.
Oklahoma Drainage Services all of Central Oklahoma including Norman, Moore, Edmond, Yukon, Mustang, Oklahoma City, Midwest City, Del City, Blanchard, Newcastle, Purcell and Chickasha.
Standing water comes from many sources. It causes damage to sidewalks, driveways, and foundations not to mention plants, trees, and grass.
Does the side of your house flood because your neighbor doesn’t have gutters? After a heavy rain does your sidewalk turn into a moat? Worst of all, is water seeping into your foundation and duct work after a thunderstorm?
These are just a few of the Drainage Problems that Oklahoma Drainage and can help with.
We can design a Drainage System to fit your specific needs.
We install many types of Drains to solve many types of problems.
French Drains, Surface Drains, Channel Drains, Basement Drains, Trench Drains, Basin Drains, and Sump Pumps are utilized.
We just finished a 4-inch Drainage System in Yukon. It was a complicated system to install.
We utilized a 4 inch French Drain in the flower beds, a12 inch Surface Drains on the side of the house.
The 6 inch French Drain along the garage foundation with 2 Pop – Up Emitters came next. We installed 3 Curb Fittings in the front.
Next, we installed 4-inch French Drain in the flowerbeds on both sides of the front door. We connected 4-inch solid Drainpipe into the French Drain and ran them under the sidewalk to the curb.
Finally, we cut the curb with a concrete saw and installed 3 curb outlets for 3 separate French Drains.
Oklahoma Drainage –
Hey Oklahoma, we are expanding to service all of Western Oklahoma as well as Central Oklahoma. If you live in Elk City, and need a French Drain, we can help. If water is standing on your driveway in Clinton, Give us a call. Duncan, Lawton, and Altus are all new areas of service for us.
Since 1993 Oklahoma Drainage and Sprinkler Repair has solved all types of standing water and drainage issues. We install Drainage Systems that utilize French Drains, Surface, Drains, Channel Drains, and Sump Pumps depending on the customer’s needs.
If you have water in the wrong place, we can help!
French Drains as part of a Drainage System –
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 looks like this
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.
Surface Drain beside a French Drain with River Rock
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 Drainpipe.
Are We Crazy? It’s what the customer wanted!
Recently we installed a French Drain inside the court yard of a rest home in Norman. We had several interesting challenges to overcome that were not typical for a French Drain Installation.
The courtyard was in the center of the home and was a secure area for the patrons. We had to put down painters’ tarps to run our wheelbarrows over.
We took out 44 loads of dirt and brought in 52 loads of Crushed one inch limestone for the French Drain.
Each trip was over a hundred yards from the trailer in the parking lot, in the front door, down the hall, making two turns along the way. Each time we had to be escorted by security.
Needless to say, the installation of this particular drainage system took a while. In the above picture, the French Drain runs along the low area crossing all the areas where water would stand each time it rained.
a big mistake that is made by many people is to cover up the gravel with dirt. This is a big mistake. Basically, it is ” Putting the cork back in the bottle.”
If the French Drain is in full sun and has a type of grass surrounding it that spreads on its own such a ” Tift” or “Bermuda”, Grass will grow over it, and the French Drain will eventually disappear.
Grass covering a French Drain is a good thing if it grows across the drain without adding dirt.
The Grass thatch acts a water filter preventing clogging and extending the life of the Drainage System.
When a French Drain is in Full Shade, or the surrounding grass will not spread on its own, such as with Fescue, other steps must be taken. One option is to just leave it alone. If you don’t mind how it looks, it will drain a large amount of water for many years. Many times, a French Drain can be a landscaping focal point. They can be dressed up with all kinds of Rocks and Stones and Plants.
- A French Drain can protect your foundation!
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 Basin. Stormwater 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. The Drain Grate may be round or square. Here is a picture of a common Surface Drain.
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 Drainpipe in the bottom of a trench. The Drainpipe should have a neoprene sock around the Perforated Drainpipe. This is to ensure that the Drainpipe 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 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).
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 Downspouts 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 LIFETIME.
A French Drain will move large amounts of water from the Drainage Problem Area to the Exit point.
This is a good spot for a French Drain
A French Drain Will Drain away water that gets to the Drainage Problem Area in 3 ways.
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.
Oklahoma Drainage and Sprinkler Repair rely on 32 years of experience. Many Times, it is cheaper and more effective to install a French Drain over 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.
The drawback to a French Drain, is that it is not a pretty as a Surface Drain.
French Drains do 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.
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