How Far Should A French Drain Be From The Foundation?

A french drain is an underground piping system that helps drain excess water from your property. It involves identifying areas prone to water build-up, digging trenches, and laying perforated pipes to collect and redirect the water away.

The drain works by offering the least resistance to water since the pipes are laid sloping downwards. Furthermore, proper positioning of the pipes helps improve the system's effectiveness. 

To get a better understanding of how this is done, let’s have a look at how french drains are installed:

How to install french drains

Installing a french drain the right way can help do away with serious problems like water pooling, molding, and foundational damages. Thus, you want to identify all the affected areas, not neglecting any. 

The affected areas may be several, and depending on the size of your property, you could either do it alone or hire professional assistance. 

That said, here are the steps you should take when installing a french drain:

• Find a location- Before digging any trenches and laying any pipes down, you should have a place ready to receive all the water that will be drained. Nearby water bodies work perfectly. Just make sure that your pipes are sloping downwards to allow water to flow away from your house.
  
  
• Dig trenches- Once you’ve identified where the water will be drained, it's time to dig the trenches. As a rule of thumb, ensure there are no other underground utility pipes that could get damaged when digging. A standard trench can be anywhere around 18 inches deep and 10 to 12 inches wide.
  
  
• Insert the pipes- Once you’ve dug the trenches, layer your pipes with filter fabric and add some gravel bedding, then insert the pipes and cover them with another layer of gravel or stone. Finally, don’t forget to top up with topsoil.

Distance from foundation

Generally, you should install your french drain 3 feet away from your home's foundation. This helps prevent foundational issues that could be caused by too much water buildup.

However, even with that said, the distance you install your french drain depends on landscaping factors. In such instances, it is best to call for professional help, or else you could mess things up.

Just to be clear, french drains shouldn’t be too close to the house. Otherwise, you expose your house to many structural issues that fixing could end up costing you a whole fortune.

Conclusion

A french drain is used to drain water away from your house. Installing it correctly could save you a lot, especially because structural and foundational repairs can cost you a fortune. 

Most homeowners install french drains on their own. If you need professional assistance, do not worry. We are just a phone call away. All you should do is get in touch with Landscaping Langley, and we will ensure you never have drainage issues again.