Flood Control and Prevention: What Is a French Drain?
During a flood, you must act quickly to preserve as much of your property as you possibly can. Major flooding may cause serious and expensive damage to your home, but your landscape is just as susceptible. In order to prevent flooding or provide damage control, a French drain is your best bet.
What is a French drain?
If you have a soggy and wet yard, a French drain is a great way to rid your property of that unwanted moisture. Simply put, a French drain is just a sloped trench that diverts water away from your property. Henry French, a Massachusetts farmer, wrote about the innovative yet simple idea in a book about farm drainage back in 1859.
French drains with piping
For major flooding jobs, lining your French drain with a sloped pipe is the best option because it expedites the flowing process. Water can travel extremely efficiently through a pipe because there isn’t any material blocking its path. The pipe is then emptied a safe distance away from your home and your land will once again be dry — or at least at manageable moisture levels.
When to use drainage gravel
Using crushed gravel for your French drain is also a very practical and feasible idea for flood control. Don’t be worried about all that gravel negatively affecting your property’s image, either. Using a lawyer of river rock or pea gravel atop your drainage gravel will give it a more upscale look that blends in with the surrounding landscape. A one-inch layer of small rocks can also provide great weed control for your property. Knowing when to use drainage gravel is important for ridding your property of all that moisture, especially when you don’t have the time or resources to install a French pipe drain.
Knowing how to properly use washed gravel for landscaping projects is an excellent skill that will certainly come in handy if you’re ever planning to construct a French drain on your property to prevent a soggy yard. If you want to learn more about when to use drainage gravel or other rockery rocks, or find a high quality topsoil delivery service, contact Builders Sand and Gravel Inc.