How Do French Drains Work?
French drains are built in the ground, due to a drainage problem in an area where there is either a lot of water, lack of sunlight for evaporation or where the ground does not drain well. With a french drain, the water is disbursed along various points, and by doing so, pulls the water away from a problem area. The main way this is accomplished is through digging a trench in the area that is normally being covered in water. The trench will be angled to slope away from the wet spot to another location. The trench is filled with sand and gravel instead of dirt so that water will drain down quickly. It will also flow away due to the slope of the trench. If it is a particularly problem area, a pipe is placed in the trench with gravel below and above the pipe. This way the pipe acts as a storage area for excess water. Holes at the top of the pipe are the means by which water gets into the pipe. It also is a way to remove water more quickly from the surface area. Once in the pipe, the water
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