Large french drain solves standing water and MUD
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- Опубликовано: 25 янв 2021
- This homeowner had flooding in the basement and standing water/mud against the garage. We solved both by installing a large french drain across the garage and repositioning the dirt that came out against the foundation.
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You are the only drainage solution channel that shows their results. I subscribed and turned on notifications because of this. Thank you!!
Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the channel. Thanks for your support - Shawn
I agree this i subscribe too
Love the videos proud of you nd your team.
@@GCFD Your nowhere near my area in Wisconsin, but I have a buddy who has a small kabota like that, I think we could do this, looks like a lot of good old fashioned hard work. Where, the gravel meets back up with the yard, could you put some small paving blocks down there to try and seperate the grass from the gravel, to keep a nice straight edge? Or does that little bit of topsoil being blocked make a big difference on the water getting thru to the drain?
@@ItsSerialBoX you can do anything with block or pavers or more decorative gravel with no problem.
I love how in your videos you do a follow up and we actually see the result of it all working in the rain
I wish you all could take care of my drainage issues. Unfortunately, I am in KY, probably too far away. I have had a few companies come out, call with quotes, but only 1 actually did anything, and they were terrible. I got ripped off terribly. I'm glad to see a contractor who actually takes pride in their work and does the job right.
I live in the UK...don’t even have a house, yet I can’t stop watching your drainage action. Thanks Shaun, love you bye
Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the channel!
I LOVE the fact you go back to show us the results!
Yeah it really completes the footage & what makes the channel overall, Instead of just showing the work like some of the TV shows do, This way you can actually see the end results.
love how you do a follow up showing how well it works, well done
Thank you!
"I'm back out here to check on the system we installed, we gotta lot of rain overnight" YES here we go!
Haha! I was driving around like mad after it rained. I'm hoping to make a French Drains video soon.
@@GCFD Basements are such a strange concept to Australians. We don't get the extreme weather you guys do. So it's interesting to see the process! Plus all the fun tools. Thanks for the reply too! I've no doubt you're going to have too many people to respond to by the middle of this year. 10k not too far away! Remember the early subs! haha.
He is the only one on RUclips doing it. Much respect for that.
thx to youtube for recommending this channel, now im bingewatching !!
I hope you're enjoying the channel so far! - Shawn
I feel like I need a French drain now....time to buy a house lol
Make sure to keep an eye out for drainage concerns before you buy!
One on the house I'm working on they added one but they put the end to it right near the side of the house which I don't understand why they did it but I figure is they where not going to live here so they did not care.
Shawn, it is my belief that had the person who built the small building down the hill from the house thought about it while the site was being prepared they could have avoided the run off water by creating a swell above it so the water would've been directed away from the building. However I do understand how easy it would have been to have missed or dismissed that idea when one really isn't trained to think about it. Great Job Guys and Gals 👍
I think so too. Hindsight is always 50/50
Love when you go back to see how the system is performing, testament to good workmanship.
Thank you Tony!
Checked back not once but twice with results. Subscribed!
Thank you for your sub!
Always got to go back in the rain. It is great that you go back and check on the job and the customer. Great job. I enjoy your videos. I am subscribing.
Thank you! I'm excited that you're enjoying the videos! - Shawn
I have been needing a good French drain solution. I live on the N. California coast and with a sloped yard. Your knowledge and skills has caught my attention. This is the best video I’ve seen, and the only one I’ve found to imitate. Thanks for your in depth exclamations. I’m going to get going on my drain starting tomorrow 11/30/2022. I have confidence in doing the job after watching this video. Thanks again. Joe
How did your project come out?
I am IMPRESSED that the condensation flowed that far to the curb. Nice job once again.
❤ come to Australia 🇦🇺
Thanks for the video and details. Appreciate the effort to document whilst working.
Use the slew function on your excavator boom and dump the dirt into the track loader bucket to save yourself time when you can't rotate the house of the machine due to being too close to an obstruction.
Good point! I thought about that but didn't do it.
Great idea. Good to have an operator here.
I appreciate the animal guests 😂
Good. Very informative. From India Tamilnadu.
Thank you Jane!
Another great job Shawn, it is a shame people cannot afford to let you go ahead and do all the gutters and drains and be done with it. Have a great day.
Yes I agree. He said there was a tree cut and the guys hit the gutter with a branch. So I don't think it was that bad when we installed. He is so impressed there is much less mud that he's talking about more gravel.
You are an excellent teacher!
Great job again. You would have thought that the builders would have realised that putting the garage at the bottom of the hill was where the water was going to go and so put some kind of drainage system in.
Funny how they almost never think of such things!
LOVE THE VIDEOS and the follow ups with outflow action.
Thank you!
I like how you describe the slope using the bubble position its much easier to understand how much slope a drain should have
I like easy
Great company and a good video. This should advise people looking to buy a house to check it out on rainy days as well as sunny days. It appears that Gate City Guy is sincere and really providing good work with satisfying results to his customers. Owning & running your own business is a 24/7 job and takes guts !
Thanks for the great tip James! - Shawn
So great to see a man so proud of his (their) work !
Thank you Cam! - Shawn
looking good! that power rake looks super handy. Nice work guys
Haha I was wondering if anyone would notice the new power rake! I could have guessed you would Chris. It worked pretty well and I can't wait to get it out on more jobs. I like it.
Great job.
Great job Shawn, looks like the pig and chickens are going to be happy!
They were loving it when we were grading and digging.
Damn I love your work, just started my own business this year and I do landscaping, I feel so much passion in installing drains tho and I’m learning so much with your videos, I just wish I knew how to prize better.
Keep doing the work and you'll get better at pricing.
I really like your videos. I like watching people who are good at their craft
Thank you!
I have a pre-existing french drain that takes gutter water. also was made in the 80s so no gravel on the french drain. I need to snake my perforated pipe for roots. I'm thnking I need to dig it up and do what you did at start of your video.
Sounds like you could improve on your existing system. Good luck!
Nice Job
Thank you Michael! Thanks for watching!
I just subscribed! Thank you for the videos. This really helps me understand the process and will be better equipped to handle those contractors that try and cut corners. I seem to get all the worst contracts in Nashville. I have a huge problem with the way my house was built with the garage and front sidewalk to the door sloping toward the house (huge slope), so my driveway and front walkway are ALWAYS flooded when it rains. ::sigh:: Your videos help me understand what questions to ask of contractors. Thank you
Thanks for the sub Kerry! Good luck with your search! Shawn
Came for the drain education, stayed for the music 😁
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You are one with the earth and water.
Haha 👍
Hey Shawn great job as always, but you need to get that track mini dumper. Shout ups to Ronald and the rest of the crew.
I know! I'm looking at an Allen 14S. Hoping to get it soon!
You can buy a lazer level to check to see if the ditch you digging has slope so the water than drain out of the French drain so you don’t have to get on your knees jus to see if there is fall
I have a transit laser but I still want to check every pipe with a level. I'll get it falling correctly. 👍
Entertaining, informative. No B.S. Keep it up. 👌
Yes I'm very critical of every second to make sure it adds to the video and isn't fluff.
Glad RUclips showed you all, houses I am looking at have water spots in yards, do you all help with that
Yes but I'm located in NC.
Excellent
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Great channel! Fantastic solutions!! You have a new subscriber. 😀
Thank you Adam! -Shawn
Not sure I like how the joint between the channel drain and the existing slab looks, but other than that, love the french drain down there.
I love pigs! 😊 Especially that one "Some Pig"! Charlotte! 😭 Oh, the trauma!
Haha that was a funny Pig!
14:26 there is a *PIG* on the job site!
A friggin *PIG* !
That was one happy pig!
I enjoy your videos, recently just found your channel. I’d say anyone who has or wants to buy a house should watch your channel. This is the full dealio right here, start to finish.
What do you do when winter comes?
Thank you Caleb!
We're in NC so we work all winter here.
@@GCFD The machine never stops, awesome! Excited to see some more vidjahs
How do you decide when to use landscape fabric around the French drain?
*THE OUT BUILDING CAN GET CHEAPER POWER WITH UNDERGROUND LINE IN PVC or LARGE CONDUIT FROM THE MAIN HOUSE*
A 2nd meter is *ALWAYS* more expensive
May have to upgrade the circuit breaker panel inside the house
👍 That's what they did is ran a conduit from the main house to the out building.
@@GCFD Always found that it is wise to locate / pothole to find services first, especially when you know power or gas is in vicinity . Avoid expensive repairs or worse. We a long time dead
Doesn’t necessarily have to be in conduit, but okay
Shawn, you seem to do great work. Always good to see you come back post installation when it’s raining to see the fruits of your labor. Question. What would be the argument to use geo fabric inside the trench or not? Also, do you do video consultations? The reason I ask is that I’m in a different state
If I have a lot of organic matter or subsurface water I use fabric. If it's all dry clay I typically don't use fabric. You can email me some pictures and I can try to help you out.
@@GCFD Hi Shawn, I just sent you an email. Thanks for getting back to me! Dave
That pig was just checking out your work. Making sure he's not gonna have any problems later.
Hahah I hope he was satisfied!
If I need too pipes in the ground like this
What would be best on a direct run instead of 90 can I combine or just go solid after a section of corrugated?
I can go straight to discharge
Just like the idea of combining at end until aggressive fall
How deep was trench dug? Thank you! Great work.
Good job, actually.
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Where should be build the garage? Bottom of that dam looks like a good place!
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Just want to make sure I'm tracking here, but at 10:59 I thought you said you wanted to make sure that french drain holes face "downward"? Is that correct? I know nothing about french drains aside from watching your channel but that just really seems odd to me.
I thought separating the two pipes meant that the drainage system would not get overwhelmed in a downpour. I would have made sure that the perforated pipe was touching clay soil first then any height adjustment would be filled in with clay soil underneath to then stabilized with gravel. Wondering why perforated pipe was elevated with gravel.
So you do gravel up to the top but how do you prevent grass and dirt from not growing in the rocks? Do you just try to be careful and use grass killer when you start seeing it pop up? I want to know so because I want to do this and just want to make sure it will work for me
The gravel is 8-10" Deep so no grass can grow from the bottom up. It does move in from the sides but that is fine with me. The grass on the edges still lets water in and doesn't cause any problems.
@@GCFD And the ditch is usually 24 wide right?
10/10, I need to expose my rocks like that. My FD had about 2in of soil over the rocks & driving over it with a 1400lb mower has it almost not functioning at all, & it has a six-hole pattern on Sch-40.
With my mower I'd probably had preferred the clean-out to be closer to the house 13:43
Why is your FD failing? How wide is it? I quoted a FD today and the lady said there's a river coming from the neighbor. I told her I wanted to go 30" wide with two independent perf pipes to handle that much flow.
@@GCFD I can max out duals but mine is near a full-size tree. I definitely didn't have the anti-compaction-rocks wide enough & my subcompact-mower compacted 2in of soil enough to notice a reduction in intake.
I've got 20ft of 4in-sch40 with six 1/2in holes every three inches connected on both ends to a 6in-discharge-pipe & expect the FD to intake 270GPM with my two CBs maxing me at 494GPM before water get's high enough to possibly get under my home.
@@SlackerU hopefully your catch basin water isn’t going into the French drain right?
@@GCFD My FD is dumping into my CBs to then enter into the 6in. It's not back-flowing into the FD b/c it's setup at the top 20ft of the pipe-run which starts at the lowest point of the backyard. I only expect the CBs to function about two days out of the year where my 20ft of FD should handle all other rain-filled days.
@@SlackerU your saying the top you mean the beginning, if your c/b was at the highest point is 100% feeding into your French drain. After reading your comment a couple times I take it your c/b is at the lowest point, French drain coming into your basin then to your 6" discharge. Sounds like a winner except that basin, depending on the size might collect water attracting mosquitoes and other things you don't want hanging around depending where you live.
Should've wrap the stone in gyro wrap . Especially designed for drainage..
Hey! Can you clarify - when installing perforated pvc for a French drain - the holes face down? I’ve seen conflicting information on this (the holes face up). Appreciate your help!
He faces the holes down - I’m assuming to stop things other than water from getting into the pipe. He then puts the pipe at the bottom of a gravel bed and since the dirt is impermeable, the water will build up and seep into the pipe.
The pipe is sloping downwards and that’s how it carries the water away.
Also the pipe needs to be vented
What’s a crick? Oh, creek! 😂😂😂 Just kidding. Love the channel
👍👍 haha
I need to do this on my new construction home that’s almost complete. I already have 1 4 inch perforated drain agains the foundation that seems to work ok but I have a lot of standing water from the hill we built into.l so I want to install another. Can I use tan washed river rock instead of the grey that you use? Just for looks mainly.
No, you do not want river rock. The reason is the rounded rock shifts around and lets the dirt flow into it. Use the grey angular rock for the FD and top with your decorative rock and you have the best of both!
Thank you for the quick response. That makes perfect sense.
2:40 The dog inspects the work
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Would it be better for the home to put tar on the wall before you pack up dirt along the perimeter of the homes wall?
Your French drains I have seen have gravel to the surface. Do you ever top with sod?
No we have clay here so I’m would never bury a drain
A layman's question - I see on the side of the house you are building up the sides as essentially a physical diverter and then compacting it for what I assume is reduction of the water volume that can be soaked
Is there a reason, beyond cost to not add drain on the bottom of that divert - you mention that getting the water in the pipe to begin with is the main issue
It seems at a glance that such a drain would gather a good volume of the water straight into a pipe and prevent eventual soil erosion on the hill
Yes, Ben you're right. They hired me to do the french drain but they also had flooding issued in their unfinished basement. I told the we needed to do grading, gutters, and pipe the gutter water to the creek, but they could only do the grading. Since we had dirt coming out of the FD we reused it along the foundation. The customer reported back that they have had some improvements but still have some flooding under heavy rains. They will hopefully do the gutters and piping soon to get the best results.
What's the longest french drain run you've done? I have a building that is 105 ft long. Wondering if I should drain everything out one-end or try to make the center of the drain the high point and drain out both ends? I'd hire you but I'm in Minnesota! Thanks and I really enjoy your videos.
Hey Ted the ideal FD is open on both sides like you mentioned. That means water has two paths to leave so if the situation allows, we always do that.
@@GCFD thanks Shawn!
That is a great video ! Is French drain close to the house going to cause any potential issue ? Can water travel through the dirt and enter the house foundation ?
I'm curious about this also.
The water will take the path of least resistance, so it will go through the gravel and through the pipe more easily than it will go through the dirt. Recall we hit dry dirt with wet dirt on the surface so that's a great sign that there is no sub-surface water traveling. Everything pointed to a FD being a great solution here.
You never know exactly what you will find when you dig!
It can be scary for sure!
im more concerned with ol boy driving up and down through the wet muddy yard to his garage! LOL
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Sean,
Why don't you paint seal the brick when you grade up to the house? Isn't that required by code? Love your channel.
Not required, probably is for new construction. Plus there wasn't any sealant on the rest of the foundation.
When is the last time you’ve opened a code book?
Those chickens sure are brave
Haha Yep!
What if you don’t have enough of a fall line? Can you dig the trench deeper to make it fall?
Yes you can use your trench to achieve fall.
I enjoy your videos Shawn. I like the way you have your mini set up. Which quick coupler are you using on your kx018? Also, what brand is that 24" grading bucket? Thank you for your help, Tom
Thanks for watching Tom! The coupler on the kx is from Rhinox group in the UK. I also bought that 24" plus a 36" grading bucket, ripper tooth, and 6" trenching bucket from them.
@@GCFD Good to see the UK helping out in America! LOL
@@GCFD Thanks again Shawn, I looked them up and their prices are great. Have you used the 6" bucket? I am wondering how well it worked? Did it empty nice or was it too small that it clogged with clay? I would appreciate your opinion.
@@tomthelandscaper their 6” trenching bucket doesn’t work very well. It gets jammed in its own trench and has no power at all to dig more than a foot deep. It clogs up quickly too. I use it if I need a trench a few inches deep and don’t have my trencher. I was using it mainly as a root hook until I bought their root hook. That works very well. Also their 24 & 36” buckets work all right but they don’t curl enough to get a good scoop.
@@GCFD Thank you!
Your compacting will be much more effective if your bucket is full of dirt or rocks!...the more weight in the bucket the better.
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hello like your channel ,but was wondering what your thoughts are on you allows using hard pipe compared to using the flex pipe any reasons why wouldnt flex be cheaper
Flex is wayyyyy cheaper. But solid pipe holds up much better and flows much better. The expensive part of drainage work is the labor in trenching. It would be counterproductive to throw a cheap pipe in after doing the expensive part.
Spotters get busier the closer you get to the utility services. Been there, done that.
Aloha. I am new to your channel and have just subscribed :) This video is very helpful as I prepare to remedy a similar issue. Three layperson questions:
(1) Why don’t you use the black water-permeable fabric wrap like I see in a lot of other how-to videos?
(2) It makes sense to me that you put some gravel in the trench BEFORE putting in the PVC pipes to keep dirt from clogging the holes, right? (Some other how-to videos specifically say there should never be gravel under the pipe?!) Help! Confused!
(3) Will this exposed gravel system work if there is a lot of leaf fall in the area? Will the system stop working is there’s a lot of leaves left in place on top of the gravel? (I basically live in the middle of a mango tree orchard ... there’s A LOT of leaves all the time)
Thank you :)
Check out my video - Ultimate guide to FDs for all the info! Thanks! - Shawn
Hi! We have a hill aimed at the entire back of our house. I saw you answer somebody about FDs being too close to a structure. If we have a moldy crawl space because of yard water, how close can the FD be to our house? Or maybe that isn't the solution. Thank you!!!
I'm really trying to avoid crawl space encapsulation and FD under the house. It seems like it would be way more expensive than a FD in the backyard.
You want the FD as far away as you can get. Create a lot point away from the house by digging and throwing the dirt against the foundation to built up the grade. Also make sure the gutter water is being delivered away from the house with PVC pipe.
@@GCFD thank you so much for the response. Really nice of you.
I'm sure that there's no problem using a sanitary tee horizontally for drainage, but for waste and sewer, you have to use a Wye and a 45 to be up to code in most places. just saying.
You should have brought the baby Bobcat down and just dumped the excavator buckets into it (since the arm swings independently of the body), that way you didn't have to worry so much about tracking back and forth so close to the building.
There wasn't enough room to swing the excavator bucket with the tracks pulled in, unfortunately!
@@GCFD If I remember that make of your unit, can't the bucket arm pivot from side to side without spinning the machines turret?
So cool!
How much did you charge for that job?
It looks spectacular
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What size hole did you drill in the pcv pipe in the french drsin snd how far apart are the holes? Thanks
1/2"-5/8" at 5 and 7 oclock positions
Hi Steve, I have a French drain on the side of my house, we have heavy clay soil and the gravel has become clogged up with clay and is no longer taking water, the drain was put in 14 years ago. Would our best option be to dig everything out and put in fresh gravel?
That would be the most effective solution I think.
@@GCFD thanks Steve, my guess is 14 years is a more than expected life span for any French drain.
No it's not watched the french drain man channel and you will see
You should never assume that the power is off from your utilities as a contractor
Im no expert but when i worked construction we used sock tile pipes. Basically a nylon over the holes to prevent it filling with sand or dirt.
Why are the cleanouts at 90 degrees instead of 45 degrees. Wouldnt it be easier to push a fish or other another tool into the pipe if the cleanout is at 45 degrees??? Tony
Why did you guys use geotextile fabric for the French drain
Awesome job 👍
If ok, how much is the cost of the project?
I see you had a pig inspecting the work haha
Can you put grass on top of the French drain? Or will that ruin the effectiveness?
that would ruin the drain by blocking the water from entering the gravel. Gravel works because the spaces between the rock are preserved and water can flow into those spaces.
How deep is the gravel under and over the pipes?
Do you have any French drains you built that are a couple years old?
Yes! See my Ultimate guide to FDs. I go back and revisit several of my FDs. They are still gushing. I'm not shy about showing my outfalls.
who's idea was it to put a building in the bottom of a hole or at least at the end of a water course ?
No geo fabric for the french drain???
without me going to Lowes or HD, what is a full bubble on the torpedo level. In Condo's I'm on 1/4" ft is optimum and 1/8" per ft is minimum.
On some of these jobs the run is so long 3-4 20' lengths of pipe, I don't see how you can get much if any drop, let alone 10-12",
why don't you use a laser?
The level is set to a quarter bubble is your 1/4" / foot so a full bubble is much more than that. If the grade is sloping downhill we may be dropping several feed. I don't use a laser because It doesn't need to be exact and I would be placing my level on every pipe anyway... Great comment!
@@GCFD OK, I don't want to belabor the point but in a previous life I was a Cabinetmaker or Joiner. I got away from using spirit levels on big kitchen installations to using a laser. I figured you'd set up the laser and use a tape or graduated stick to show the ongoing drop over a greater distance. Or know how much total drop you had so you could graduate the drop over the distance instead of running out of drop...so to speak.
But that's me and whatever clearly works for you.
On another note, we hashed this out before but I think you were responding to a different job. I was referring to the project That put 2 pipes into a catch basin and 1 out to the curb. During a big rain, the catch basin had water coming out the lid. You then picked up the other side with a single same size pipe. I figured go to a single bigger diameter to the curb then split it again to the smaller size to conform to HOA regs.
What kinda rates did you charge? I have seen a few of your videos just curious what your ballpark is.
It really depends on the job and current material prices. PVC has gone up almost 400% in the last two years.
@@GCFD wow that’s crazy man.
@@GCFD gotta love it. #bareshelvesbiden
Surely the impervious soil is just be clay, certainly looks like it.
Why didn’t you use the track barrow? You could have faced the other way & scooped in to barrow & it track back & forth with more than 1 scoop at a time?? 👍👍🇬🇧🇬🇧
Ray this was the job that made me decide to buy one. I wish we had it on this job!
You’d think that the builders would consider this stuff. 😬. Those chickens have a nice house.
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Crap, your right up the road from me. I live in Davidson just above charlotte. Whats your service area?
Hey I worked at Davidson University for a summer in their bio department! What have you got going on?
@@GCFD oh I run my own lawn care landscape tree business. I do occasionally gutter drains for my mowing customers or people in a close area. I try to keep my overall buisness tight. I dislike driving far for work. Ever up to show me how to do one of your systems if i came up?