How do I Install a French Drain? French Drain 101 - Everything You Need to Know! 

Best Pop Up Emitter FDM's V2.0 for Downspout Drainage frenchdrainman.com/drainage-products/pop-up-emitter-and-turf-restrictor-plates/

I live in the U.k. so plenty plenty water I just love watching folk that firstly know what they are doing but mostly I love watching folk that care and want to do it right sadly these days not many folk like that around !! All they seem to want these days is the pay cheq the money for the least amount of work ..So well done Sir I can tell you are passionate about what you do and thats why you will never be out of work Wish you were over the pond I really really do!! Its simple things like boards so the track machine does not make a mess its cutting the sod so it fits Its using the right materials etc etc etc ITS MAKING SURE THE CUSTOMER IS HAPPY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dude is a drain scientist. Thanks for the info tips and hammering the main points. Saved me a ton of money and headache! God bless you and your business man

I purchased the high octane 4” blue. Followed his directions on the burrito wrap with rounded stone. I had over 200’ to run. Took me two days and I am very pleased and water disappears very quickly. Also got the shipment very fast. I’m just saying thanks problem solved.

@17:00 - Man that is GENIUS! Seriously, I've been able to understand why the pipe has holes, but describing it the way you did was really remarkable. The trench is filled with gravel, so there are voids. That's why it can flow (and flow downward because of its constant tilt ... but your description of the pipe was magnificent: The pipe is the BIGGEST VOID. The idea being you need a lot of void to get the water from the surrounding soil and from the surface into the trench, but you need even MORE void LATERALLY, the length of your drain, to keep the drainage moving. So you force a 6" diameter continuous void to "reside" inside the trench. Magnificent! Seriously, I was able to "feel" why it worked, but I could not really explain how it worked until now.

I placed an order yesterday to do a drain around my garage, cant wait to get it,thank u👍

Watched most of your videos, and still learning new stuff!

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Store | French Drain Systems | Curtain Drains | Macomb, Oakland, Lapeer, St. Clair County frenchdrainman.com/store/

Watch "New Pop-Up 2.0: Game Changer in Drainage! Made in the USA, Indestructible Design, Fits ANYTHING!" on RU-vid ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-E85Tjrd5708.html

Thanks so much. This video was exactly what I was looking for.

Thank you for this video! It takes a good person to give everybody this!!

Watch "How to Build a French Drain the Right Way [ Full Install from A to Z ]" on RU-vid ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--8HpnOMGWTU.html

Have a great day!

So glad i found this channel. Im getting ready to DIY a system in my backyard and was close to using the low quality materials offered from lowes or homedepot. After watching these vids and going to there site for only a few hundred dollars more i can have higher quality materials shipped straight to the house. I will be placing an order soon.

Hey I subscribed today after viewing your videos. Another reason is that you have excellent detailed description on your professional install. Your a professional with a plan.

Very good overview. Thank you.

great job on this one plus way to finish off the video with detail on how that pop up will work, Thanks

So much information, I love it! Thanks for making these videos.

These videos make me want a French drain even if I didn’t need it! 😂

Thanks for these videos and helping out us DIY’ers! 👍🏼 can the high octane pipe be ran into a drywell? My backyard is surrounded on three sides by farm field and I don’t have anywhere to go with the water. Thanks!

Thanks for the great content. I plan to follow your model to install a FD between my new home and my neighbor's in order to mitigate basement seepage issues. I have looked around and the blue corrugated pipe you use does not appear to be at any local stores. In your advice, is the only drawback of the ADS pipe it's longevity? Or does it not perform adequately before it breaks down? Second: If you burrito wrap the pipe and use clean stone, doesn't that keep out any debris that would clog the system?

This is excellent video and the whole process is well explained. Thanks French Drain Man.

Excellent, well made video thank you for sharing!!! sheers from California!!!

I used the half corregated half solid on the bottom pipe and it catches the water and then flows wonderful.

Would you consider making a video that shows how you wrap your tees, wyes, and drainage basins?

I wish you were in TEXAS! I had a guy come in and dig down 12 inches in our clay soil and fill with topsoil. Now I have a swimming pool with no outlet. He now wants a fortune to put in a french drain. I'm 70 and my husband is 80 and we are looking to do this ourselves. I'm exhausted just watching the video! I am convinced yours works.

Hey! Great videos. I have a driveway on a slope that has ground water coming up through and has destroyed the concrete. So I want a French drain installed before new concrete goes down. I’m thinking a couple lateral and a trench down the side. Should I use your standard design for yard drains under the concrete,I.e. trench, stone, burrito wrap?

You're the only ones!!!

Increíble. Excelente trabajo. Gracias por compartir.

Nice explanation on the mesh. No overlap.

I've watched most of your videos. Trying to learn as much as I can and when I happen upon someone else's videos I say to myself that's not how the french drain man would do it. lol.

Great video and informative and never got bored. My neighbor has a leak they won’t fix and the city won’t help. My question is I have a 3” pipe that runs under the area I need fixed and it goes to the street though the curb and is used for pool deck and backyard drainage and other than drains in the backyard the pipe is closed . How would I tie into it to take the water away from the side of my house? Do you have a video on that? Again great job!!!

Great videos! I have a question. I live on a down slope of a mountain. I have water that runs from the road down on to my driveway and on each side of my house. Would this style drain be the best for me? I was thinking of running where the street meets the yard. Thanks

Love your videos, how are you charging your customers if I may ask? We have a system we are getting ready to install and I want to use your product. I know standard systems are 20-30 a foot but just curious since yours are so much nicer

Richmond, VA here. Being a commercial driver does not help; being away from home as I am but, I need to get this done on my front and back yards. Will hire a crew to get this done.

I have watched several drain company RU-vid presentations where they have absolutely no idea what they are doing. I have extensive knowledge as a builder and developer. You know your subject all these others are a joke. Good job

What will happen to the downspout via a pop-up window in late fall or winter? I live in Quebec, it rains several times in winter. The next day it can be -15, the pop-up will freeze, break or become blocked by ice.

What should I do if I don't have sod to cut back? In the process of redoing lawn so all I'll have is dirt for the top layer to then seed and straw. Is that okay?

What is your typical grade? I read 1% but what do you do with the end of the pipe? I can pump it into my pond but that would require a decently deep sump basin. I'm in the pacific northwest so we have a ton of rain. Also why is it soooo expensive to ship the high octane. I literally cannot find it anywhere except what you sell! Last, generally what permits are required for a French drain project?

Scott- those blind inlets will handle pot holes 2+inches in depth?...I have a bad spot, not sure I need badged or if a blind inlet will suffice..Thanks

I wish I could have you guys here in Adkins TX! Or somebody with your detail oriented work.

I just purchased a house (not in flood plain) during dry season in FL. Now in the middle of a really wet rainy season and I have a huge standing puddle in my yard. The city culvert isn’t very deep and holds water. Would it be pointless to run my drain over to the culvert? I’m assuming it would back up the syatem

So when you are ready to discharge your water you say to only connect one of the bottom pipes to the pop up emitter and the other pipes you would leave open? Or would you cap them the same way you started the run? Thanks for your videos and help!

You mentioned not using the high octane on a farm. I need to drain from the horse shelter and in a pasture. Only equipment in the area is a lawn mower. does that change anything? no planting . Which pipe should I use?

Back in my day we didn't have any fancy dancy blue yellow or green or black perf pipe, We dug ditching With our bare hands Rapped river rock in burlap sacks Put chip rock over the top of that Then Hay grass good old cowsoils then Is the sweetest blue Kentucky grass on top, And we never called them French Drains they were All-American Irrigation engineered. By hand I tell you By Hand. 💪😉

I have an area that's about 15 ft wide and 50 ft long and would one row of pipe be sufficient? Can you tell me how big a swath would I need for this system to drain? Would one row of pipe handle that 15 ft? I would appreciate and be thankful for any help you can give me.

@FRENCH DRAIN MAN I have a house built from filled dirt certified by the city where I live. It was a pond before. The builder made sort of made like a drench for the water to keep away from the foundation. I want to put the French Drain, but I am not sure if this appropriate. Is this appropriate to keep water away from the foundation of my house?

I was hoping I might get your advice an something . Where I live must have a high water table, everyone has sumo pumps under there house . And just about everyone gets mold on the HVAC duct work under the house. We are trying to figure out the best way to prevent this from happening again , before we change out the duct work. My thinking is, 1 - regrade the yard to lesson the water from flowing towards the house. 2-Dig down to the bottom of the foundation wall and seal the out side( since there are several places under the house you can see water coming in ) 3. Install a French drain (like yours in this video)on the out side of home 4 -install drains on all the gutter extending them further away from home 5- Install a drain underneath the house to force the water down to sump pump . But , that takes time and money . But I’m guessing that would be the best thing ? ??? Am I correct ? I just dug a trench under the house to apply termite killer , and thought , humm while I have this already dug , should I go ahead and install a drain to force water to pump! And then hopefully in spring do some things on the out side. I guess my question is, if I do the drain under the house now, will I just create more of a flow twords the house ? . A gravity pull effect I guess ? Since I have to do the work my self .. I want to make sure I’m doing it right . And I’ve called a few pros and can’t get a straight answer.

Hi, thanks, what is the approximate cost of a project like this?

How long geotextile degrade and need to be replaced?

Why discharge downspout drain via pop-up behind patio steps? Why not run on out to end of line?

How does water travel though? Do you provide a slope?

Where do you find that 14in flat shovel? Can't find that anywhere.

Digging in the winter, always fun. Also I’m stealing the term “sweat equity”! Thanks for all the information!!

Been a drainage watching junkie the last few months.. How do you measure Pitch for your project? Do you use a transit? String line? 1/8” per foot?

Wish you guys were up here in Buffalo, NY!

We’ve got a patio at the end of a field slope that’s flooding the house sits in a dip. If we can get the water around the side then it’s a straight shot to the street. Any suggestions?

What is some advice for installing one while it is already raining?

I just installed a paver patio and the end of the patio the lawn is very soggy and the yard is unfortunately sloped toward the patio/house. I need a french drain and your videos are extremely helpful and awesome! However, I'd like to put the drain pipe around the patio under decorative stone. Do I need to separate the decorative stone from whatever stone I use around the drain tile? Or should I just use the decorative stone as deep and as wide as the french drain trench. Also, do I just wrap the bottom and up the 2 sides? Are there any issues with tying downspouts and sump pump to french drain?

Looking to do this project next weekend. I’m thinking about ordering the high octane as well as your fabric. Do you you guys have any discount codes for first responders

I take it you need to lay the pipe with a gradually fall so the water flows in the right direction?

Does the length of the trench have to be dug with a slight grade/ slope?

great video, can i ask a question please- i have an area about 7 metres long on my grass where water pools up. im thinking of digging a trench for a french drain pipe, would it work if i just dug the trench, installed a length of pipe and covered it as you say and plugged it both ends? my question being- would it have to have a soakaway at one end ? or would the pipe just get rid of the water and send it downwards?

Question will duct tape peel off of the overlapping tarp over time?

Do you recommend a specific size of round rock? I am having a hard time finding in GA for some reason. The only stuff I could find was almost pea sized round rock.

Hi I’m a first timer doin a French drain👍 my back yards gtn flooded can I zig zag over the lawn to one run off? Thanks

I've watched several of your videos and I am now grasping the concepts. Thank you. Question - can you build a French drain directly next to a house? Can you dig the trench next to the foundation? Because what's happening is the water is coming off a hill and hitting the side of the house and the side of the house has become the drain. So I wanted to know if I can dig right beside the house since that's where the water is going naturally

Do I need to do both. French drain and downspouts. Or can I just do downspouts out to the road. My yard can’t drain out the water fast enough due to the amount of rain coming from the downspouts. So I’m thinking that if I run pipe from the house to the street that would fix the problem. I just don’t want to have to go back and put a French drain in if it doesn’t fix the issue I have with the water pudding up in the back and sides of the house. What do you think would be the best approach. I live in Houston Tx. I wish I had someone like you out here doing French drains.

Hi, FDM! I commented a few days ago, asking about the gaps that remain between the spikes when overlapping and pinning the material to create a burrito. Thank you for sending the link to the full video! While your process and materials seem top notch overall, the way you’re pinning the burrito closed with a single spike every 30” or so appears to create gaps big enough for dirt to work its way to the rocks and pipe. The only thing I see to prevent that from happening is that sod gets laid on top of the fabric to hold it in place. But that doesn’t seem like a very effective long term solution. Am I misunderstanding something? Thx!

Try that in my yard in northwest CT. I can barely stick a tent stake in my yard. Damn rocks everywhere.

Could I use a blind inlet off the side of a driveway where it swales?

Quick question..if there ever was such a thing. My back yard does not have enough slope from where I want the drain to begin to where I want the outflow of water to be. I need to increase the slope by having the beginning of the drain higher than then the outflow. And, I only need the drainage area to be about 40 feet of perforated pipe; the burrito. This area will need to be ground level with the 40 feet of fabric exposed to make the drain area a slightly higher elevation. The remaining 100 feet or so of the drain will only be solid pipe that is a little deeper every 10 feet or so to create a slope to force the water to flow to the outflow. I can't dig the outflow area deep enough to actually bury that 40 feet of drain area because the water would simply pool up and not flow. So, does this idea of 40 feet feet of drain area to 100 feet of solid drain with a gradual slope (outflow lower than the drain area of course) sound like it will or should work? Awesome videos!

1 1/2 round rocks. Thanks mate. Do we need vents? I saw some French drains at the start of the pipe it has vents on the surface maybe about 2 inches above the grass. What type of fabric do you use?

I'd like to learn more about the slope setting process. What is the closest to the surface your pipe can be. Is there a minimum depth? I'm trying to figure out how to manage the 1% slope over a 130ft distance that is pretty flat.

Putting several pipes in the hole with plugs on the ends is more efficient than using one drain pipe with just stone? How do the orher.pipes provide more flow than just stone? Interesting idea.. which method is cheaper?

that weather though. brrrrrr!

With these systems, how big of an emphasis is the slope of the trench?

Is this blue pipe really stronger than PVC schedule 40 ? Can vehicles or farm tractors drive over without crushing it? Thats hard to believe but if so, im gonna buy a few pipes this weekend. Plz confirm. Thanks

I have a big puddle on the edge of my driveway. Can I put a French drain next to it? What do I use for a cover or screen to stop crap from getting in? Do I need to put a catch basin there? How far must the pipe run be at a minimum? Do I need to cap the other end off? The discharge end will be underground because I won't have slope otherwise. Thanks for the information.

Thanks for the video. Do you sell this pipe in New Jersey? How can I buy this pipe?

Do have any people near this way? I've seen your work and it's great and just what I need here.

How deep would the trench need to be in the upper peninsula of Michigan? Worried about freezing in the winter and the frost line. Also does this need to be down grade like 1% as I’ve read before? Thanks!

Thanks for all the videos. Can i place 3 pipes in a French drain to save on the 40mm stones

A cool experiment would be to set two pipes together in a trench, feed them each with water colored differently (food coloring) and show how much mixing / cross-communication happens between the two pipes

If the area the french drain is going has sandy soil - do you take out the sand and bring in good dirt? Or dig until the sand is gone? I'm hoping to be able to make my open french drain fairly shallow

can you run a sump line or French drain into a a dug dutch well for a catch basin if you make the dutch well big enough and deep enough?

Can I buy everything I need from you? I have a 130’ run. I don’t know how many blind inlets I need or what else I need. Thank you

I'm managing a community garden and this year the terrain was flooded, algae started growing in between garden plots and I also noticed a few gardens that were extremely muddy after the snow thawed and they stayed wet during the whole season. We did get a lot of rain, but the biggest issue is how the terrain was built. They put a backfill of gravel and rock dust but only put about 1-2 foot of soil over it. So I'm thinking the water just sit over the gravel+rock dust layer and we get puddles of water if it rains too much. Do you think it would be worth building a French drain? We are not sure what to do.

A lot of French drain guidance I found on the web advises not to bother with the corrugated pipe as apparently it cannot be cleaned. They say it's better to use solid PVC pipe with holes. Is this correct?

where can I buy the High Octane blue pipe and the geotechnical style fabric. I live south of Byron Center MI. Thank you for your videos

How close can the trench of the french drain be from the foundation of the house?

Would you still use the non woven geotextile fabric with red clay soil type ? Doing an install on the west coast .

If I need to do some regrading and resod should I do it before or after installing the french drain

I am planning a DIY french drain in my back yard/swamp. I have gained a lot by watching your videos, but I have two questions. 1. What is the size of the trench you are digging? I'm planning a quad pack if that makes a difference. 2. What do I do with the dirt I remove? Are there people that might want it? Not sure where it should go. Thanks for your helpful videos and commitment to quality work.

when should hard drainage pipe with holes be used instead of corrugated?

Is there a minimum amount of stone you would recommend putting on top of a French? I ask because I’m getting ready to trench a long run, and I would like to start the trench shallow as possible in order to maintain the necessary 1% pitch. Last thing I wanna do is start deep and then get so deep at the other end of the trench that I have trouble bringing it to daylight

Why would you put the cable lines inside the french drain vs on top between the drain and the grass tile? I am just imagining someone pulling at that cable for some reason and then messing up the drain.

My home is on a slab and I'm putting an OPEN french drain on the back side of the home. Should the French drain be right up against the back of the house OR should there be some space between the back of the home's foundation and my drain?

how would you build a blind inlet on a steep hill directly above the french drain? to the other side of the drain is about 18 inches of graded soil (to the drain) and then the house's foundation. the house was built directly in front of a big hill! my lawn guys are putting in a small retaining wall just on the soil directly above the french drain. but I am directing them and trying to figure out what to do as they don't know either. I'd hire you if i was in your area! wondering if I should put a blind inlet or catch basin just above the retaining wall? Thank you!