Does French Drain Work with Fabric? Watch This Before You Install - PVC / Corrugated Pipe

Watch How a Drain with Geotextile Fabric Wrapped around the system works. 2 Examples. Corrugated Pipe and PVC Pipe. Also look for more parts to this Fabric Test will failures of 4, 6 and 8oz Double Punched fabric. Stop spending money on systems that FAIL. Do It Right the First Time
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[mavrikmavrik]

A lot of people don’t like the fabric because it can easily get clogged up after a few years of grass/roots growing into the fabric. When it does this (which it will with the type of grass we have here) the water won’t drain down through the sod. With that said, you clarify that the drain is mostly intended to drain the water that is in the ground, not the water on top. For this I think it’s more important to keep the pipe free of dirt and roots and the fabric should help with that.

[TimeSurfer]

As an Electrician, I have been involved with many trenching operations, not just limited to Electrical.
One of the funnier things I heard was that, here in King County WA, we were required, for a while, to fill any sewer trenches with River Rock. As a result, the sewer lines going to the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) were acting as French Drains, channelling groundwater from the surrounding countryside directly to the Plant.
So, we switched over to filling the trenches with crushed rock, and compacted it, because these trenches needed to be stable, generally following roads (down the middle!), and/or crossing underneath them.
This acted like a dam and prevented the natural flow of water through the soil, resulting in a soupy swamp arising uphill from the trench.
The solution, as I understood it, was to have River Rock for 20', and then a 3' band of compacted crushed rock, with mandatory compacted crushed rock for road crossings. This allowed for the natural flow of groundwater around the sewer line, while preventing the funnelling of it to the STP.

[watchthe]

Hard pipe wrapped with gravel that is wrapped with fabric. The hard smooth perforated pipe can clear itself out with a good flow, corrugated does not do as well. The amount of dirt filled corrugated I have seen, and replaced, has convinced me I will never willingly install corrugated in a drain.

[Whiteboytripping]

I read that French drains get more weeks of vacation per year. I’m so jealous.

[toroah]

i can't explain how much you inspire me to install a drain. i'm nervous as heck that i will get it wrong but with your videos i feel i'm prepared to try. THANK You

[davidpetker]

Thanks for the video. It's about 18 years too late, lol I remember arguing with someone having me install pipe for them they wanted holes up to catch the water and carry it away. I had to start packing up to leave. I said I would absolutely not install it wrong. That was a crummy morning. This video is proof to show people who don't understand ground water is what makes surface water. Thx

[SeanBaker]

My PVC French drain has a thin sock around the pipe and the size gravel you mentioned. It's worked well since it got installed about a year ago.

[darrenpodger]

Thanks for advice I will use this for my drain, have a field at the back of us about 2mtrs above our ground and when it rains with the slope water had been collecting behind causing waterlogged ground, I’ll need approx 50 ‘ to go full length and down side to bottom of drive which slopes away . Thanks for your time and sharing .

[ghostindamachine]

What an excellent video. I can tell that a lot of effort went into making and editing it. Thank you so much!

[ravenousvisages]

I put perf PVC hole side up where pipe is next to house, then hole side down where I want the water to percolate into the soil. The whole point is to move the water away from the house, and since my gutters drain into the system, I don't need to percolate right next to my basement. I actually have a catchment basin at the end to keep my koi pond full. Obviously the stone and fabric will allow water to carry around for any blockages. No floods in my basement since I installed.

[dg-vgdi]

Based on personal experience after going thru three hurricanes and water runoff from three neighboring properties. I would say ‘hell yes’ the French drains with that peanut and fabric cover is worth its weight in gold. It’s works very very well. I would say I would put gravel over the top of the pipe. It’s allows better water follow thru and run off and drainage.

[eduarditogonzales]

About 13 years ago I installed around my house 1 inch perforated PVC pipe, only in gravel, no fabric. Keep working flawless till now, . The flow is as good as in first day, the water gets drained very fast after a strong rain.

[lh]

I wrongly never put fabric around the 1 1/2” stone I used in my drain system. After a couple years I had places where dirt fines filled the side and top layer of stone and it prevents the water from getting into the French drain especially in winter when those places freeze. I brought my stone to the surface because if I put the sod back on it would prevent the surface water from going in when it freezes. Wish I knew to use the fabric when I did the work. Never thought enough soil and fines would work their way in between that 1 1/2” stone to a point it’s blocking water flow. Stone is so big I can’t shovel and clean it out. Backhoe would probably destroy the pipe if I used that. Lesson learned I guess.

[nashvilleb]

Best in the business. Been watching you for years and installed my crawlspace “footer tile” based off of your videos 👍

[dangillen]

My father put a french drain in the unfinished basement. He did not use fabric (id don't know if they wrapped it the 70's. Anyway it worked well for 30 years. Water started to perk up in the center of the basement and I ran a snake into it. It was clogged with mud.

[elisal]

Now you tell us!!! You preached corrugated drain pipe before now you change it up after I installed 300ft of it. 2 years ago. No worries it still works.

[joejoe-lbbw]

Maybe I missed something. Was one of the approaches better?

[notgilty]

WOW, what a difference between the corrugated pipe and the PVC pipe! There's no comparison. The PVC is the clear winner.

[gordonmichaels]

A French drain does not have pipe in it, they are made entirely out of rock or stone. A drain uses solid pipe and a weeper uses pipe with holes or slit, a weeper can also be wrapped in a “sock” or not.
Schools out!

[jacksimper]

Personally I find using any geotex fabric a waste of money . In time it forms a barrier to water ingress, if for example you have clay or heavy soil, ,the same goes for corrugated pipe, the ribs collect debris which builds up in time causing blockages . Smooth bore pipe eliminates all of that accelerating the water flow the longer the stretch, Its the sizeof stone that is the factor .