Best video on RUclips for How to Install Underground Buried Downspout System and everything and anything you can run into when buildingyour UndergroundBuriedDownspoutSystem https:://ruclips.net/video/wawHvSs0UV4/видео.html
I came across your channel this evening and I am thankful you are here providing such excellent education. Earlier today, I wrestled 100 feet of tightly coiled 4 inch pipe to apply a quick, temporary fix to my drainage problem. A light rain this afternoon proved this fix to be much more temporary than expected. Let's just say some desperation kicked in at this point. I thought I was going to need to search for hours to find the right videos to cobble together a path forward for me to solve my issue. The first video I came across was yours and I knew pretty early on that your material would make this a one stop shop. Well done!
Great breakdown and explanations! Simple, clear, and useful. Excellent demonstration of why the original design was flawed and how your design addressed multiple issues. I especially appreciate your mentioning that it is more work to set up, but that the results outweigh the labor
Thank you for commenting. This is an updated video that covers anything and everything to underground Buried Downspout Systems ruclips.net/video/wawHvSs0UV4/видео.html
Thank you for everything you have done Robert by educating the home owner about down spouts, drains, french drains and the correct way to install and run the correct drainage systems. One again A+ video. Thank you so much. 👍🏻
about to put in a french drain and have a gutter dump into it. I was planning on putting in a T or Y for cleanout, but didnt consider a catch basin. Glad I watched this before filling anything in!
This makes so much sense. I see so many landscape contrtactors that charge a lot of money do that exact same thing of jus stubbing up the drain pipe. I have seen their jobs where they dont even put an end cap of some mind on the end. Next time I fid one of these when I am doing lighting I am just going to fix it while we are there
Years ago I did Foundation water proofing. A lot of water problems came from downspout over flowing right at the base of down spouts. Get the water far away from the foundation. Wish more contractors and DIY would see this👍
We had foundation waterproofing (interior side drain) and are on a good slope. I am thinking connecting one of the gutter downspouts directly to this drain is a bad idea as more water and debris will go into this inner channel. Thinking about piping it further down to where the pipe leaves the house right before the French drain portion
Please don't put down spout drain in any drain to a basement, if the outlet gets clogged it could back up in to basement. I would run down spouts in there own drain far away from the house.
Look for popup emitters , most improvement stores have them. It's basically a elbow with a plastic cap that the water pops up and then closes after the water stops running into it.
@@jeffharper7579 thanks for the advice. The contractor we used last summer did exactly this and I thought it was a terrible idea. I hate the fact my wife thinks a contractor will always do a better job than myself and she said they know what they are doing as they gave us 20 years of assurance against flooding. I wanted to wait to use a different contractor we had to wait for or do it myself.
Amazing. Where I live in Australia, it is law to run the "storm-water" to the street gutter with solid wall pipes . Most of the perforated pipes are used to collect ground seepage. They are wrapped in a one-way cloth to prevent soil ingression.
Great video! This information is very helpful to me, now I understand why and how rain water is backing up and flowing over the gutters on the side of the house that has a french drain. When it stops raining I'm going to fix that problem. Thanks, Joyce from Huntsville Alabama. God bless! 😊
All the more reason to have a metal roof on the house. I renewed my roof with a metal one and after 9 years i hardly have much crap in my drains except from small pine needles and small tree stuff , which most is caught by the RWL guards, works great.
I’m 100% positive now that this is the issue that is causing my downspouts to overflow at the point that it enters the ground. You just saved me a lot of ‘figuring out’ when it comes to how to install it correctly. My side-comment joke about your video is when you emptied all of the concrete shingle debris out of the pipe and onto their nice grass “Hey, fella, couldn’t you have done that on the dirt just a few feet away instead of my grass?”😂 Awesome explanation and demonstration video. Thank you!
I never realized putting in a French drain was so technical. We don’t have gutters but was contemplating on putting a French drain around my shop to prevent undermining the foundation. Now, I’ll be checking out more of your videos
The 2 most popular water control systems are a roof run-off system and a French Drain system. Watch "How to Build a French Drain Full Tutorial in Less than 10 Minutes [ Veteran Contractor Explains ]" on RUclips ruclips.net/video/wPkMB7qlUSo/видео.html Watch "How To Install Downspout Drain Kit - French Drain Man" on RUclips ruclips.net/video/9QQvCLQd5Jg/видео.html
The reason the original contractor installed a short U shape instead of following the grade is because it was cheap, took very little time and materials, no one was watching, there were no inspectors, and he would be long gone when the problems started. That is the definition of a “spec” build - build the home before selling it.
This is great, I'm pretty sure I have this exact problem, black corrugated pipe, slopes down then back up, clogged... thought it was mud but I bet it's shingle gravel... thanks for this video!
Good points. I installed underground gutter drain piping several yrs ago and I'm abandoning them now to go back to the kickout above ground type gutter arms. I would've kept underground system but our neighbor has a huge maple tree that heavily sheds those helicopter seeds a couple of times a year and plugs the underground pipes up completely. Both pipes have good fall on them but those seeds are perfect for plugging things up and I'm getting tired of wrestling with a plumbers auger to clean the pipes.
Daylight it to the curb using a Neenah R-3262-3 curb opening. You can also have a pop-up somewhere along the line as a back up. Have to probably get a permit from the city to perform work in the right-of-way, and have a city inspector come by and check it when you're done, but that's what I'd do to have total peace of mind and minimal maintenance.
Isn't solid PVC superior to that corrugated stuff? I mean it will self flush clean while the corrugated stuff can hold debris, water for mosquitos to breed in and all. True?
In a situation like this I would use solid pipe with holes. Walking over that much hose every time you cut the grass. I would feel more comfortable with solid. But yes that house went in the wrong direction. Clearly by the shingle droppings. That’s was incredible!
I have leaf filter brand covers on my gutters. No shingle gravel. Mine horseshoes under the sidewalk and is high in the yard. I did it on purpose because I wanted the water to be used in the yard. Solid pipe all glued together with a pop-up drain. Every few years I rinse it really well and shove the shop vac hose in to make sure it's clean. Downspout into the pipe is all glued and sealed, making a 12 foot column of water pushing down, forcing the water up the other side which is only 18inches. Lesson to learn here is have a plan, a reason and a system that all works together.
We can't have a horse shoe in Michigan outdoor drains because in the winter they freeze and will not work during a thaw for 3 days. Thank you for your comment 👍
Perfect explanation and demonstration of the problem. I have two crushed pipes (3" schedule 40) that connect to 4" corrugated that is also crushed at my townhome. Neighbors tell me that at one time, there was a backhoe in that area and I believe that is why pipes are crushed. I cannot find a third pipe that comes from the crawlspace and suspect it dumps into the crushed - how can I find where to dig it out? I measured the back of the house where it goes out the crawlspace but cant find it. How deep could the pipe be buried?
I can"t believe people are not smart enough to anticipate this issue if they did the actual installation by themselves. HOWEVER, I definitely can see many contractors doing a half-ass installation like this because by the time the homeowner realizes the lousey job the contractor did, years have passed and he has no recorse. When I bought my house 35 years ago, I installed 4" PVC from both sides of my house all the way to my ditch, some 100 feet for each run. Never had any issues.
How do you deal with the snow and ice on top of the popup? When melting in winter it NEVER drains what I can tell. It will always melt closer to the house/roof first leaving snow on top of the popup. Also the drain will freeze with ice often too.
I think I might have some old buried down spout 4 inch corrugated drains on my property from the old adjacent house. I'd like to remove them and can only guess as to their location, having already found one I feel somewhat confident. Anyway, my property line is all downhill from the adjacent house and about 100 feet from their home. The new neighbors are clueless and don't know or care but I don't want them sitting under my yard indefinitely. I plan to daylight them for them on their own side at no cost to them like I did the first one. Question is, just how deep do I need to dig an exploratory trench to find them? We have hard clay here. The first one I found happened to be just under the surface where I found it but seemed more like 6 inches deep in other spots. My back thanks you.
@@FRENCHDRAINMAN Right I know about these hacks from the downspout but when the neighbor won't help you find them by giving you access to his downspouts then how deep should you dig?
Would there be any problem with drilling a hole or two in the bottom of an elbow where a pop up is connected? My thinking is that any residual water that can’t escape out the pop up can leach down into the soil before it freezes in the winter.
I have a question on installing the pop up. We’ve dug the trench sloping down away from the house, but how do I connect the pop up at the end without creating a rise in the pipe where it connects to the pop up? Particularly when the pop up has to be flush with the ground? Is the rise in the pipe at the end not a problem? It’s an NDS pop up. Thanks for your help!
I just want to know if in the north the pipe will become frozen and cause a blockage back to the downspout because the water can’t escape the pop up emitter. Some feel it should exit down into a rock bed versus up into the lawn for this reason. Thoughts? Thanks
I mean, gravity has to be a well known principle right?... Im doing a combined french drain and grate and channel now and Ive made sure that at no point, does the french drain angle up. Roughly 1cm every metre and at no point does it join any other water sources which may backfill the ag pipe. Both exit right next to each other into a spill box...mine is catching sub soil water though and not roof gutters. Thankyou for teaching people about this stuff, RUclips is a perfect platform for learning as long as the information is correct.
Very interesting. I'm a general contractor who does a lot of french drains and weeping holes in various places. It's disappointing to see this video because It happens so much. The cheap contractors will do this kind of work because it doesn't involve the true amount of work in order to get it done correctly.
I installed my own system several years ago. It drops underground maybe two feet and runs level before exiting through a retaining wall. My problem (living in Minnesota) is the frost. There’s always a mid winter thaw. The snow melts from the roof, runs underground and freezes when it hits the buried tube. It quickly backs up and floods the yard. It doesn’t thaw out in time for the spring rains and the flooding continues into late May. I installed an over the ground tube in the fall and the tube being black, remains open. This year I’m going to install an electrical cord that I’ll only have plug in when water is flowing in the winter. It remains to be seen if this will be the fix.
Keep us posted! I also live in a climate that gets really cold (in a part of Canada North of Minnesota), so I'm curious to see what my options might be when I get/build my own home!
The problem has more to do with where the drain tile runs level, as you say, and less to do with the depth of the drain tile. Granted, parts of Minnesota are in Climate Zone 7, whereas French Drain Man operates in Climate Zone 5, so it probably IS colder where you are. The other factor is the cleanout. The reason this channel obsesses over the slope and cleanouts is BECAUSE THE DEBRIS inside the drain tile SLOWS DOWN THE WATER. Give it a decent pitch and keep it clean and the problem diminishes. The deeper problem is the heat loss from your enclosure to the roof deck. That is causing the build up of enough ice from repeated melting and thawing (then damming up), so that when the thaw occurs, your roof is precharged with multiple inches of bulk water. Interestingly, you might think that more water will tend to clean out the drain tile than less water. But if that water is obstructed, then it will freeze and contribute to the buildup of the dam. Every system interacts with other systems.
I like using sewer pipe even better with a clean out near the downspout. Super easy to flush any material all the way down and no corrugations to trap material.
What’s the pop up used for? How does water escape? Why not just daylight the pipe? Also, doesnt the corrugation on the inside of the pipe catch debris, would a smooth walled interior of the pipe be better?
You make a good point about the roof shingles, it's better to put on steel roofing or tile roofing, they both are expensive, but they'll last the life of the house. As far as downspouts, the ones on my apartment go straight down to the ground, with the L going out away from the building, no wonder the eve troughs overflow every time it rains and maybe because there's not enough downspouts for the length of the roof, but whomever put that pipe under the sidewalk and up again created the same problem, it gets clogged up.
No worries Brother I got you covered Watch "How To Extend Existing Underground Buried Downspout Drain - Easy DIY Home Drainage System" on RUclips ruclips.net/video/iTqQ-d5romI/видео.html
I'm facing a similar situation for a basement french drain. The house is set on a hillside so drainage should be simple straight inclined drainage. We have a dirt floor cellar with field stone & mortar walls. As mountain runoff occurs it carries silt and will eventually fill any pipe not set at the proper incline. Original french drain install was at ~4ft level for crawl space. Cellar was dug deeper for central furnace and sump was installed to pump up to original drain instead of installing new french drain at lower level. Sump constantly fills with silt. My job is to install new french drain at lower level and maintain a grade sufficient to carry the water and silt to the roadside gutter.
Just bought a house didn't know there were a mountain behind all my trees 😢. I know this old but asking did u fix you problem and who did u call to do it thanks
@@yahusha4life If you have the resources 💰 any local excavation company with a good reputation will be able to do the work you need. You''l need a trench dug across the mountain slope with retaining wall drainage and a drainage pipe with a slope to a runoff area down low installed. Corrugated pipe is cheaper for drain pipe but a perforated smooth PVC will work better if you have issues with silt. Personally I don't have the resources. So my personal solution is going in slow motion. I first secured the system we have and made it reliable. I made a sump system that pumps a small amount of silt away with the water it is carrying each run so the silt doesn't build up and clog the intake. Now I am slowly doing the big dig work by hand. This year was gain access to the area and start the ground water run off going in the right direction.
That doesn't seem right and if so maybe it's unique to your state. The legislation in Perth, Western Australia states that all storm water, which lands on a property, is to be retained on the same property. This essentially means that water from a property may not flow onto public, neighbouring or other properties.
@@felixyoghurt3291 I wouldn't go watching septic videos to see how to do drainage in Oz. West or East. Peter's comment applies equally to Qld. Just as a matter of interest, if your on a slope, are you expected to build a dam to keep that water on your property?
Wait - water flows downhill? My homebuilder seemed to be unaware of that fact. It is good exercise digging trenxhes and I was in pretty good shape at the end. I used the non perforated pipe for the downslope run. Nice thing about gravity is that it is always on, no problem with a sump pump not working.
I have a slightly slanted flat roof where all the rain water drains thru the parapit wall and down into the basement through a cast iron pipe. I want to replace the cast iron pipe with PVC. Is this possible?
Also there should be a gap inbetween the gutter and the French drain. It’s called the waterfall into the toilet bowl. This way if it freezes it doesn’t back up all the way to your roof.
I have a flat area where two side house downspouts empty. To find any slope I would need to go down the property line to all side the driveway but the town has laws where they want you to drain not to the sewers but onto your property. What is the best way to handle this? Right now I am draining onto a walkway that ends up onto the driveway. There must be a better solution
I find these laws to be a gray area. In most cities, towns, and villages, unless you know they are vigilant about fines, there's no reason why you can't run it to the storm drain anyway. When I represent a homeowner, I do what's in the best interest of my client and protect them from water damage. There are a couple of things that we do. I'll have to make some videos on it. Stay tuned. Once I had a city official tell me I wasn't supposed to do that, and I said okay, but I did so, now what? I don't often challenge authority, but as a licensed builder, I know that this is a gray area. My line stayed connected to the storm drain because there were no repercussions. It's not a code, state law, or in the residential code book for the United States. Sometimes they do enforce it, but I find that to be the exception, not the rule.
We have a catch basin pop-up emitter V2.0 that does what you want. Best Pop Up Emitter FDM's V2.0 for Downspout Drainage frenchdrainman.com/drainage-products/pop-up-emitter-and-turf-restrictor-plates/
3 Must Haves: Build your system with 3 access points, the catch basin, clean out at the house and a pop-up emitter you can get a camera, jetter, garden hose and your hand inside.
I'm going to be putting in a gutter drain system soon. My backyard slopes (approx 100') with a gradual 3.5' drop into a drainage ditch, should the down spout be hooked directly into the drain pipe or can it spill into a catch basin? Thanks for the upload and any information you can provide
I have a 50 ft by 15 ft patio paver area in my backyard. It used to flood so at the bottom corner of the patio I put in a 12 inch square catch basin. Then I ran 4 inch solid corrugated pipe out about 40 ft into the side of the canal bank about 2 ft from the top.The problem was that the water was running down the 10 ft high canal bank causing erosion.. I added another 10 ft of solid corrugated pipe to it and ran it down almost vertically so that it would come out about a foot above the water line of the canal and put a 4 inch round grate at the end of it in order to keep iguanas from climbing into it. Is there a problem with it going out 40 ft horizontally on a grade and then dropping about 8 ft vettically? Or will the force of the water dropping 8 ft straight down cause any solids to get stuck? The catch basin has a filter on it so it's mainly just tiny ficus leaves that might pass through. I can always take off the grate at the end to clear it out, but sometimes alligators are in the canal so I don't really want to climb down along the bank if I don't have to.
Curious how much about a French drain system should run. I know it depends on how much trenching but I just got an estimate for 22K for a French drain along the back of my house (about 25 feet long) and along the side (about 75 feet) plus rain gutters plus Stucco repair with silicone. I know it's alot of work especially since the area in the back (worst part because it's downsloping right into my house) has a concrete patio so that has to be busted up before trenching but still 22K & 2 weeks to complete the job seems like ALOT and a long time to get the job done
It's hard to say what you should be paying because every state and city has its own labor costs. Here in Michigan, that seems really expensive, even if it were all hand-dug and there were no machine access. I think you should get some more quotes. You can't hire based on price, but if you can find a guy that you really feel confident in and he's in the middle, that's what I would shoot for. Never hire the cheapest guy.
How often should we open the clean out and run a hose through it. I should’ve added stops through so I could use a shop vac. I may need to dig up and add some spots for that.
I have two downspouts discharge onto a slope that is parallel with the side of my house. Can I install a pop-up at an angle? Or do I need to pipe it down the hill and into the flat section? Thanks for anyone’s help.
Just dug out an put in some corrugated pipe. I have good slope an got the end of the drain far away from the house. I ran a test for the septic and i see that after about 10 pumps its gonna back up the pipe. What do i do to keep the water from just setting inside the pipe? I was thinking digging a large hole maybe 3 foot an filling it with gravel but that still only will hold so much water. My yard has a lot of clay and floods a lot. So it seems instead of it flooding near the house its gonna flood out in the yard which doesnt seem like a real solution. To get to the road id have to go 90 degrees and another 100 foot to get the water to drain off. Im not sure i can do all that work. All i have is a shovel an my back lol. Any suggestions? I might do a short video and post it here on YT. I will reply with a link. I have no choice but to bury the pipe but i might just leave the end open for now til i come up with some plan to deal with the water.
@@FRENCHDRAINMAN Awesome! Im watching this video now. I dont think im able to do this job with a shovel lol. Thank you man. For perspective this is what im dealing with. ruclips.net/video/k6FSTdxY_zE/видео.html
Guys get away with that a little more in my area because we frequently get 3-4” rainfalls in an hour or two so the tile gets a full stream flush. But when I lived in Michigan I saw that quite often with the roof gravel and maple seed buildup.
I think you will find value in this video. Hope this helps. Thank you for commenting! Watch "How To Extend Existing Underground Buried Downspout Drain - Easy DIY Home Drainage System" on RUclips ruclips.net/video/iTqQ-d5romI/видео.html
Ok but what if you don’t have the ideal terrain for this? I have the same situation as the “wrong” example here but on the side of my corner lot. No room to slope out and I can’t discharge on to the sidewalk anyways.
Best video on RUclips for How to Install Underground Buried Downspout System and everything and anything you can run into when buildingyour UndergroundBuriedDownspoutSystem
https:://ruclips.net/video/wawHvSs0UV4/видео.html
I came across your channel this evening and I am thankful you are here providing such excellent education. Earlier today, I wrestled 100 feet of tightly coiled 4 inch pipe to apply a quick, temporary fix to my drainage problem. A light rain this afternoon proved this fix to be much more temporary than expected. Let's just say some desperation kicked in at this point. I thought I was going to need to search for hours to find the right videos to cobble together a path forward for me to solve my issue. The first video I came across was yours and I knew pretty early on that your material would make this a one stop shop. Well done!
Great breakdown and explanations! Simple, clear, and useful. Excellent demonstration of why the original design was flawed and how your design addressed multiple issues. I especially appreciate your mentioning that it is more work to set up, but that the results outweigh the labor
Thank you for commenting. This is an updated video that covers anything and everything to underground Buried Downspout Systems
ruclips.net/video/wawHvSs0UV4/видео.html
Thank you for everything you have done Robert by educating the home owner about down spouts, drains, french drains and the correct way to install and run the correct drainage systems. One again A+ video. Thank you so much. 👍🏻
about to put in a french drain and have a gutter dump into it. I was planning on putting in a T or Y for cleanout, but didnt consider a catch basin. Glad I watched this before filling anything in!
This makes so much sense. I see so many landscape contrtactors that charge a lot of money do that exact same thing of jus stubbing up the drain pipe. I have seen their jobs where they dont even put an end cap of some mind on the end. Next time I fid one of these when I am doing lighting I am just going to fix it while we are there
It is such a simple concept, amazing how many people get it wrong
True
Your channel has helped our business a ton.
Totally enjoyed your video on correct down spout installation. Excellent just Excellent!!!
Thank you 😊
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BUqichor2QH1X_p9bBPor8D&si=lEe2iw70Bhelvr_K
Absolutely incredible video!
Great information!
Good job on the drain, thanks for sharing!
Blessings to you and your family
Years ago I did Foundation water proofing. A lot of water problems came from downspout over flowing right at the base of down spouts. Get the water far away from the foundation. Wish more contractors and DIY would see this👍
We had foundation waterproofing (interior side drain) and are on a good slope. I am thinking connecting one of the gutter downspouts directly to this drain is a bad idea as more water and debris will go into this inner channel. Thinking about piping it further down to where the pipe leaves the house right before the French drain portion
Please don't put down spout drain in any drain to a basement, if the outlet gets clogged it could back up in to basement. I would run down spouts in there own drain far away from the house.
Look for popup emitters , most improvement stores have them. It's basically a elbow with a plastic cap that the water pops up and then closes after the water stops running into it.
@@jeffharper7579 thanks for the advice. The contractor we used last summer did exactly this and I thought it was a terrible idea. I hate the fact my wife thinks a contractor will always do a better job than myself and she said they know what they are doing as they gave us 20 years of assurance against flooding. I wanted to wait to use a different contractor we had to wait for or do it myself.
This an excellent video for us DYI folks! Thanks
Amazing. Where I live in Australia, it is law to run the "storm-water" to the street gutter with solid wall pipes . Most of the perforated pipes are used to collect ground seepage. They are wrapped in a one-way cloth to prevent soil ingression.
its supposed to be law here to but people suck and break rules and laws
Great video! This information is very helpful to me, now I understand why and how rain water is backing up and flowing over the gutters on the side of the house that has a french drain. When it stops raining I'm going to fix that problem. Thanks, Joyce from Huntsville Alabama. God bless! 😊
All the more reason to have a metal roof on the house. I renewed my roof with a metal one and after 9 years i hardly have much crap in my drains except from small pine needles and small tree stuff , which most is caught by the RWL guards, works great.
What a great informational video I learned so much this. Thank you.
I’m 100% positive now that this is the issue that is causing my downspouts to overflow at the point that it enters the ground. You just saved me a lot of ‘figuring out’ when it comes to how to install it correctly. My side-comment joke about your video is when you emptied all of the concrete shingle debris out of the pipe and onto their nice grass “Hey, fella, couldn’t you have done that on the dirt just a few feet away instead of my grass?”😂 Awesome explanation and demonstration video. Thank you!
ruclips.net/video/wawHvSs0UV4/видео.html
great explanation of drain trap and why important
very nice video, thank you for posting and getting into the details
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BUqichor2QH1X_p9bBPor8D&si=e8i72Km3iFBaZ7h5
Thank you. I was thinking of doing this in my yard and glad that I didn't just rush into it and do it the wrong way.
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BUqichor2QH1X_p9bBPor8D&si=gbmPRrArtYXHd_NO
I never realized putting in a French drain was so technical. We don’t have gutters but was contemplating on putting a French drain around my shop to prevent undermining the foundation. Now, I’ll be checking out more of your videos
The 2 most popular water control systems are a roof run-off system and a French Drain system.
Watch "How to Build a French Drain Full Tutorial in Less than 10 Minutes [ Veteran Contractor Explains ]" on RUclips
ruclips.net/video/wPkMB7qlUSo/видео.html
Watch "How To Install Downspout Drain Kit - French Drain Man" on RUclips
ruclips.net/video/9QQvCLQd5Jg/видео.html
You gave a great response.
Thank you.
The reason the original contractor installed a short U shape instead of following the grade is because it was cheap, took very little time and materials, no one was watching, there were no inspectors, and he would be long gone when the problems started. That is the definition of a “spec” build - build the home before selling it.
Damn thats an eye opener. Thanks!
This is great, I'm pretty sure I have this exact problem, black corrugated pipe, slopes down then back up, clogged... thought it was mud but I bet it's shingle gravel... thanks for this video!
Thanks for the informational videos! I’ve been watching a bunch as I’m in the process of redoing my drainage in central Ohio.
best video so far !! thanks
I wish you were here in West Virginia......good info
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BUqichor2QH1X_p9bBPor8D&si=vEdrM5LpDrMKqg9I
Good points. I installed underground gutter drain piping several yrs ago and I'm abandoning them now to go back to the kickout above ground type gutter arms. I would've kept underground system but our neighbor has a huge maple tree that heavily sheds those helicopter seeds a couple of times a year and plugs the underground pipes up completely. Both pipes have good fall on them but those seeds are perfect for plugging things up and I'm getting tired of wrestling with a plumbers auger to clean the pipes.
ruclips.net/video/y-cmpIW6q98/видео.html
I refer to The French Drain Man all the time when people want to do things right!
Off course it was helpful, I was about to do the same error. Thank you
Daylight it to the curb using a Neenah R-3262-3 curb opening. You can also have a pop-up somewhere along the line as a back up. Have to probably get a permit from the city to perform work in the right-of-way, and have a city inspector come by and check it when you're done, but that's what I'd do to have total peace of mind and minimal maintenance.
ruclips.net/video/qoy_yh8NY2M/видео.htmlsi=W5cSknzazNi_cKPc
In Europe we typically use a bottle gully connecting to smooth bore pipe laid to falls, emptying into underground soak away pits.
Thank you for commenting and contributing. I looked up your bottle gully and found it interesting.
Great stuff! Thank you.
Very detailed information. Thank you.
Isn't solid PVC superior to that corrugated stuff? I mean it will self flush clean while the corrugated stuff can hold debris, water for mosquitos to breed in and all. True?
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BX_ZMbxsYVB6CNFoeAmuPxX&si=Fy42yEvmLML_r5kb
@@FRENCHDRAINMAN I was talking about using for rain gutter down spouts to drain to the street not a French drainage system, two different things.
Great video man!
In a situation like this I would use solid pipe with holes. Walking over that much hose every time you cut the grass. I would feel more comfortable with solid. But yes that house went in the wrong direction. Clearly by the shingle droppings. That’s was incredible!
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BUqichor2QH1X_p9bBPor8D&si=59W2XtO9bKwRcYSc
Done right 👍🏾
Nice job hard work but I think can this myself but great video
Blows my mind how many “professional” builders don’t understand that water flows downhill!!
Great video, 👍👍👍
thanks,
Excellent video. How do I deal with going far into the yard where the lawn company uses the tractor to cut the lawn? Thank you!
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BXt8vDpjMmvJXxMn8Tgw0wA&si=LlvPTWwuXgAXt6RN
I have leaf filter brand covers on my gutters. No shingle gravel. Mine horseshoes under the sidewalk and is high in the yard. I did it on purpose because I wanted the water to be used in the yard. Solid pipe all glued together with a pop-up drain. Every few years I rinse it really well and shove the shop vac hose in to make sure it's clean. Downspout into the pipe is all glued and sealed, making a 12 foot column of water pushing down, forcing the water up the other side which is only 18inches.
Lesson to learn here is have a plan, a reason and a system that all works together.
We can't have a horse shoe in Michigan outdoor drains because in the winter they freeze and will not work during a thaw for 3 days.
Thank you for your comment 👍
looks like the guy that installed my french drain installed this too. lol
Perfect explanation and demonstration of the problem. I have two crushed pipes (3" schedule 40) that connect to 4" corrugated that is also crushed at my townhome. Neighbors tell me that at one time, there was a backhoe in that area and I believe that is why pipes are crushed. I cannot find a third pipe that comes from the crawlspace and suspect it dumps into the crushed - how can I find where to dig it out? I measured the back of the house where it goes out the crawlspace but cant find it. How deep could the pipe be buried?
Run water through the crawl space pipe and see where it puddles up in the lawn.
4:50 why do you use fabric sometimes and not other times?
ruclips.net/video/N6lK6N7tcDk/видео.htmlsi=7triZL7RLqbillgZ
I can"t believe people are not smart enough to anticipate this issue if they did the actual installation by themselves. HOWEVER, I definitely can see many contractors doing a half-ass installation like this because by the time the homeowner realizes the lousey job the contractor did, years have passed and he has no recorse. When I bought my house 35 years ago, I installed 4" PVC from both sides of my house all the way to my ditch, some 100 feet for each run. Never had any issues.
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BUqichor2QH1X_p9bBPor8D&si=gbmPRrArtYXHd_NO
How did you guys get the pipe under the sidewalk? Any concrete cutting involved, or did you burrow under the side walk?
ruclips.net/video/bYGHZxHbwUM/видео.htmlsi=g2bGMOlXD9UOD2bC
For the downspout pipe. Could you use the corrugated pipe with the smooth inside and double wall
Yes
@@FRENCHDRAINMAN do you sell that as well?
I live in south Florida with a metal roof and palm trees. Do I need an inline basin?
This is a metal roof in Florida
ruclips.net/video/TV7-gtzLy_c/видео.htmlsi=B3Y4jM4gIidmsE_Q
Thanks!
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BUqichor2QH1X_p9bBPor8D&si=gG-LdcF3BE0EcCLD
How do you deal with the snow and ice on top of the popup? When melting in winter it NEVER drains what I can tell. It will always melt closer to the house/roof first leaving snow on top of the popup. Also the drain will freeze with ice often too.
ruclips.net/video/hvTskHOpMGs/видео.htmlsi=xxlpcdQh7gDXWfmF
It should be a solid pipe(no weep holes, solid) for 20' from the foundation to do the job right.
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BUqichor2QH1X_p9bBPor8D&si=5UjlDrqcRgFsYOyd
I think I might have some old buried down spout 4 inch corrugated drains on my property from the old adjacent house. I'd like to remove them and can only guess as to their location, having already found one I feel somewhat confident. Anyway, my property line is all downhill from the adjacent house and about 100 feet from their home. The new neighbors are clueless and don't know or care but I don't want them sitting under my yard indefinitely. I plan to daylight them for them on their own side at no cost to them like I did the first one. Question is, just how deep do I need to dig an exploratory trench to find them? We have hard clay here. The first one I found happened to be just under the surface where I found it but seemed more like 6 inches deep in other spots. My back thanks you.
ruclips.net/user/shortsnyxCkRWL4w8?si=O8GJJoiVYVkEh4pP
@@FRENCHDRAINMAN Right I know about these hacks from the downspout but when the neighbor won't help you find them by giving you access to his downspouts then how deep should you dig?
Would there be any problem with drilling a hole or two in the bottom of an elbow where a pop up is connected? My thinking is that any residual water that can’t escape out the pop up can leach down into the soil before it freezes in the winter.
ruclips.net/video/N6lK6N7tcDk/видео.htmlsi=NBjsO1cL6y1IzZ3n
👍👍👍
Great point!!
I have a question on installing the pop up. We’ve dug the trench sloping down away from the house, but how do I connect the pop up at the end without creating a rise in the pipe where it connects to the pop up? Particularly when the pop up has to be flush with the ground? Is the rise in the pipe at the end not a problem? It’s an NDS pop up. Thanks for your help!
ruclips.net/video/oiNUVMfYDQU/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/yFxGFxfSD0A/видео.html
Whats the solution if there is little to no slope in the yard?
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BXXbPw3Vf7e86DbKj7qOnLn&si=icXyNv-5NXiPWK4i
I just want to know if in the north the pipe will become frozen and cause a blockage back to the downspout because the water can’t escape the pop up emitter. Some feel it should exit down into a rock bed versus up into the lawn for this reason. Thoughts? Thanks
ruclips.net/video/yFxGFxfSD0A/видео.htmlsi=B1xMWXIVFOpuXeVH
I mean, gravity has to be a well known principle right?...
Im doing a combined french drain and grate and channel now and Ive made sure that at no point, does the french drain angle up. Roughly 1cm every metre and at no point does it join any other water sources which may backfill the ag pipe. Both exit right next to each other into a spill box...mine is catching sub soil water though and not roof gutters.
Thankyou for teaching people about this stuff, RUclips is a perfect platform for learning as long as the information is correct.
It turns out common sense is not so common 🤷🏻♂️
Very interesting. I'm a general contractor who does a lot of french drains and weeping holes in various places. It's disappointing to see this video because It happens so much. The cheap contractors will do this kind of work because it doesn't involve the true amount of work in order to get it done correctly.
Never go with the cheap guy. They're cheap for a reason.
I installed my own system several years ago. It drops underground maybe two feet and runs level before exiting through a retaining wall. My problem (living in Minnesota) is the frost. There’s always a mid winter thaw. The snow melts from the roof, runs underground and freezes when it hits the buried tube. It quickly backs up and floods the yard. It doesn’t thaw out in time for the spring rains and the flooding continues into late May. I installed an over the ground tube in the fall and the tube being black, remains open. This year I’m going to install an electrical cord that I’ll only have plug in when water is flowing in the winter. It remains to be seen if this will be the fix.
Keep us posted! I also live in a climate that gets really cold (in a part of Canada North of Minnesota), so I'm curious to see what my options might be when I get/build my own home!
@Chill Will Not necessarily. Where I live, the frost line can get well below 8 feet in a really cold winter.
Chill will: frost line in parts of Minnesota is 80 inches! Trust me, water at 2 feet will freeze if sluggish.
The problem has more to do with where the drain tile runs level, as you say, and less to do with the depth of the drain tile. Granted, parts of Minnesota are in Climate Zone 7, whereas French Drain Man operates in Climate Zone 5, so it probably IS colder where you are. The other factor is the cleanout. The reason this channel obsesses over the slope and cleanouts is BECAUSE THE DEBRIS inside the drain tile SLOWS DOWN THE WATER. Give it a decent pitch and keep it clean and the problem diminishes.
The deeper problem is the heat loss from your enclosure to the roof deck. That is causing the build up of enough ice from repeated melting and thawing (then damming up), so that when the thaw occurs, your roof is precharged with multiple inches of bulk water. Interestingly, you might think that more water will tend to clean out the drain tile than less water. But if that water is obstructed, then it will freeze and contribute to the buildup of the dam.
Every system interacts with other systems.
My first question is, "why is it level?" Standing water will eventually freeze.
I like using sewer pipe even better with a clean out near the downspout. Super easy to flush any material all the way down and no corrugations to trap material.
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BX_ZMbxsYVB6CNFoeAmuPxX&si=gVEF1uM_u5q-43_O
thank you but who to call to change this out
Google "yard drainage contractor near me"
Should the underground drain material be perforated with gravel below and above the tubing?
ruclips.net/video/wawHvSs0UV4/видео.htmlsi=1OpponcEb0-x22N4
What’s the pop up used for? How does water escape? Why not just daylight the pipe?
Also, doesnt the corrugation on the inside of the pipe catch debris, would a smooth walled interior of the pipe be better?
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BX_ZMbxsYVB6CNFoeAmuPxX
ruclips.net/video/JUA3ww7k27g/видео.html
ruclips.net/user/shortsErMP7Nki_xs?feature=share
You make a good point about the roof shingles, it's better to put on steel roofing or tile roofing, they both are expensive, but they'll last the life of the house. As far as downspouts, the ones on my apartment go straight down to the ground, with the L going out away from the building, no wonder the eve troughs overflow every time it rains and maybe because there's not enough downspouts for the length of the roof, but whomever put that pipe under the sidewalk and up again created the same problem, it gets clogged up.
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BUqichor2QH1X_p9bBPor8D&si=gbmPRrArtYXHd_NO
I have this exact bad design at my house. Wish I had this video when I DIY some yrs ago
No worries Brother I got you covered
Watch "How To Extend Existing Underground Buried Downspout Drain - Easy DIY Home Drainage System" on RUclips
ruclips.net/video/iTqQ-d5romI/видео.html
@@FRENCHDRAINMAN thanks for that. It looks like you are near my area, will give you a call in the future for work
I'm facing a similar situation for a basement french drain. The house is set on a hillside so drainage should be simple straight inclined drainage. We have a dirt floor cellar with field stone & mortar walls. As mountain runoff occurs it carries silt and will eventually fill any pipe not set at the proper incline.
Original french drain install was at ~4ft level for crawl space. Cellar was dug deeper for central furnace and sump was installed to pump up to original drain instead of installing new french drain at lower level. Sump constantly fills with silt.
My job is to install new french drain at lower level and maintain a grade sufficient to carry the water and silt to the roadside gutter.
Just bought a house didn't know there were a mountain behind all my trees 😢. I know this old but asking did u fix you problem and who did u call to do it thanks
@@yahusha4life If you have the resources 💰 any local excavation company with a good reputation will be able to do the work you need. You''l need a trench dug across the mountain slope with retaining wall drainage and a drainage pipe with a slope to a runoff area down low installed. Corrugated pipe is cheaper for drain pipe but a perforated smooth PVC will work better if you have issues with silt.
Personally I don't have the resources. So my personal solution is going in slow motion. I first secured the system we have and made it reliable. I made a sump system that pumps a small amount of silt away with the water it is carrying each run so the silt doesn't build up and clog the intake. Now I am slowly doing the big dig work by hand. This year was gain access to the area and start the ground water run off going in the right direction.
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BXWZPUFUNw6SMI64dtHlhzl&si=Fcq-rJvUYKo-u5fB
Our downpipes in Australia have to exit into the street gutter
That doesn't seem right and if so maybe it's unique to your state. The legislation in Perth, Western Australia states that all storm water, which lands on a property, is to be retained on the same property. This essentially means that water from a property may not flow onto public, neighbouring or other properties.
@@felixyoghurt3291 in NSW all storm water must enter a pit via either road side drain or storm water pit
@@felixyoghurt3291 I wouldn't go watching septic videos to see how to do drainage in Oz.
West or East.
Peter's comment applies equally to Qld.
Just as a matter of interest, if your on a slope, are you expected to build a dam to keep that water on your property?
Nope- a 1m x 1m x 1m pit covered with geofabric & filled with 30mm- 40mm gravel is legal enough
@@maxrockatanksyOG Yep, stormwater pit.
Wait - water flows downhill? My homebuilder seemed to be unaware of that fact. It is good exercise digging trenxhes and I was in pretty good shape at the end. I used the non perforated pipe for the downslope run. Nice thing about gravity is that it is always on, no problem with a sump pump not working.
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BUqichor2QH1X_p9bBPor8D&si=gbmPRrArtYXHd_NO
I have a slightly slanted flat roof where all the rain water drains thru the parapit wall and down into the basement through a cast iron pipe. I want to replace the cast iron pipe with PVC. Is this possible?
I never recommend directing rain water into a basement. Not even as a pass through. If this was allowed years ago it's probably no longer code.
Also there should be a gap inbetween the gutter and the French drain. It’s called the waterfall into the toilet bowl.
This way if it freezes it doesn’t back up all the way to your roof.
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BUqichor2QH1X_p9bBPor8D&si=gbmPRrArtYXHd_NO
I have a flat area where two side house downspouts empty. To find any slope I would need to go down the property line to all side the driveway but the town has laws where they want you to drain not to the sewers but onto your property. What is the best way to handle this? Right now I am draining onto a walkway that ends up onto the driveway. There must be a better solution
I find these laws to be a gray area. In most cities, towns, and villages, unless you know they are vigilant about fines, there's no reason why you can't run it to the storm drain anyway. When I represent a homeowner, I do what's in the best interest of my client and protect them from water damage. There are a couple of things that we do. I'll have to make some videos on it. Stay tuned. Once I had a city official tell me I wasn't supposed to do that, and I said okay, but I did so, now what? I don't often challenge authority, but as a licensed builder, I know that this is a gray area. My line stayed connected to the storm drain because there were no repercussions. It's not a code, state law, or in the residential code book for the United States. Sometimes they do enforce it, but I find that to be the exception, not the rule.
Is there a drainage company in Atlanta, GA you can recommend?
Best French Drain and Yard Drainage Contractor
frenchdrainman.com/
Is the in line catch basin a must? Or does the popup and clean out and popup do the job, I have enough slope to to use just 10-15 ft of pipe.
We have a catch basin pop-up emitter V2.0 that does what you want.
Best Pop Up Emitter FDM's V2.0 for Downspout Drainage
frenchdrainman.com/drainage-products/pop-up-emitter-and-turf-restrictor-plates/
What some good questions to ask when trying to hire someone to work on drainage?
3 Must Haves: Build your system with 3 access points, the catch basin, clean out at the house and a pop-up emitter you can get a camera, jetter, garden hose and your hand inside.
Great question!
I'm going to be putting in a gutter drain system soon. My backyard slopes (approx 100') with a gradual 3.5' drop into a drainage ditch, should the down spout be hooked directly into the drain pipe or can it spill into a catch basin? Thanks for the upload and any information you can provide
Yes
ruclips.net/video/9QQvCLQd5Jg/видео.html
I have a 50 ft by 15 ft patio paver area in my backyard. It used to flood so at the bottom corner of the patio I put in a 12 inch square catch basin. Then I ran 4 inch solid corrugated pipe out about 40 ft into the side of the canal bank about 2 ft from the top.The problem was that the water was running down the 10 ft high canal bank causing erosion.. I added another 10 ft of solid corrugated pipe to it and ran it down almost vertically so that it would come out about a foot above the water line of the canal and put a 4 inch round grate at the end of it in order to keep iguanas from climbing into it. Is there a problem with it going out 40 ft horizontally on a grade and then dropping about 8 ft vettically? Or will the force of the water dropping 8 ft straight down cause any solids to get stuck?
The catch basin has a filter on it so it's mainly just tiny ficus leaves that might pass through. I can always take off the grate at the end to clear it out, but sometimes alligators are in the canal so I don't really want to climb down along the bank if I don't have to.
That should work great. There shouldn’t be any problems; you shouldn’t need to clean it, and it’s not going to cause any harm.
@@FRENCHDRAINMAN Thank you for your advice. I love your channel since it offers great advice about how to do things.
2:55 YOU HAD ME IN THE FIRST HALF... NOT GONNA LIE....
Not at all what i thought you were about to say.... bwahahahahha
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BUqichor2QH1X_p9bBPor8D&si=gbmPRrArtYXHd_NO
Curious how much about a French drain system should run. I know it depends on how much trenching but I just got an estimate for 22K for a French drain along the back of my house (about 25 feet long) and along the side (about 75 feet) plus rain gutters plus Stucco repair with silicone. I know it's alot of work especially since the area in the back (worst part because it's downsloping right into my house) has a concrete patio so that has to be busted up before trenching but still 22K & 2 weeks to complete the job seems like ALOT and a long time to get the job done
It's hard to say what you should be paying because every state and city has its own labor costs. Here in Michigan, that seems really expensive, even if it were all hand-dug and there were no machine access. I think you should get some more quotes. You can't hire based on price, but if you can find a guy that you really feel confident in and he's in the middle, that's what I would shoot for. Never hire the cheapest guy.
Hi, how to catch and prevent shingle gravel and leaf getting down the pipe and end up with creating debris and blocking overall making system to fail?
Gotta covered brother
ruclips.net/video/wawHvSs0UV4/видео.html
How deep can a pop up be? My trench will be approx. 30 inches, is that too deep to install a pop-up at the end?
Yes its to deep. Keep digging farther away for more drop in the grade.
How often should we open the clean out and run a hose through it. I should’ve added stops through so I could use a shop vac. I may need to dig up and add some spots for that.
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BUqichor2QH1X_p9bBPor8D&si=gbmPRrArtYXHd_NO
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BUqichor2QH1X_p9bBPor8D&si=gbmPRrArtYXHd_NO
Can you not run the pipe to the road and have the outlet embedded into the kerb face?
And let the local council/municipal drains deal with your problem ?
In that particular city no. They would have a field day with homeowner.
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BUqichor2QH1X_p9bBPor8D&si=gbmPRrArtYXHd_NO
I simply used a Pop Up Emitter. No problems after 6 years.
ruclips.net/video/y-cmpIW6q98/видео.htmlsi=F0c6PMVV9clhk7H0
I have two downspouts discharge onto a slope that is parallel with the side of my house. Can I install a pop-up at an angle? Or do I need to pipe it down the hill and into the flat section? Thanks for anyone’s help.
ruclips.net/video/AZQoIpYtBrw/видео.html
If you put T to hook the hose to flush out and like the catch basin
👍
Just dug out an put in some corrugated pipe. I have good slope an got the end of the drain far away from the house. I ran a test for the septic and i see that after about 10 pumps its gonna back up the pipe. What do i do to keep the water from just setting inside the pipe?
I was thinking digging a large hole maybe 3 foot an filling it with gravel but that still only will hold so much water. My yard has a lot of clay and floods a lot. So it seems instead of it flooding near the house its gonna flood out in the yard which doesnt seem like a real solution. To get to the road id have to go 90 degrees and another 100 foot to get the water to drain off. Im not sure i can do all that work. All i have is a shovel an my back lol.
Any suggestions? I might do a short video and post it here on YT. I will reply with a link. I have no choice but to bury the pipe but i might just leave the end open for now til i come up with some plan to deal with the water.
ruclips.net/video/SrqcHSzAdBA/видео.html
@@FRENCHDRAINMAN Awesome! Im watching this video now. I dont think im able to do this job with a shovel lol. Thank you man.
For perspective this is what im dealing with.
ruclips.net/video/k6FSTdxY_zE/видео.html
Guys get away with that a little more in my area because we frequently get 3-4” rainfalls in an hour or two so the tile gets a full stream flush. But when I lived in Michigan I saw that quite often with the roof gravel and maple seed buildup.
Same here. I do have slope in my and use a pop-up to clear out bigger debri should something get trapped. Big rains flush them well enough.
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BUqichor2QH1X_p9bBPor8D&si=gbmPRrArtYXHd_NO
Do you recommend anyone in Seattle?
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BUqichor2QH1X_p9bBPor8D&si=gbmPRrArtYXHd_NO
Hello. How much should a project like this cost?
Store | French Drain Systems | Curtain Drains | Macomb, Oakland, Lapeer, St. Clair County
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What was that first grate connected to?
Why not show that fitting?
Why not show the extraction?
I think you will find value in this video. Hope this helps. Thank you for commenting!
Watch "How To Extend Existing Underground Buried Downspout Drain - Easy DIY Home Drainage System" on RUclips
ruclips.net/video/iTqQ-d5romI/видео.html
So does that drain into the ground ?? Didn’t see holes in it ?
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BUqichor2QH1X_p9bBPor8D&si=nzUtFDLnSc5zux9-
Hell yea!
ruclips.net/video/bYGHZxHbwUM/видео.html
Ok but what if you don’t have the ideal terrain for this? I have the same situation as the “wrong” example here but on the side of my corner lot. No room to slope out and I can’t discharge on to the sidewalk anyways.
Run 3 inch it will increase the pressure
How much would a project like this cost? Seem fancy? 😊
5k
How can I reach you for some help on a project?
248-505-3065
Where do u buy this stuff at to do this job. I'm on limited budget and can't afford much but i have a drain problem.
Store | French Drain Systems | Curtain Drains | Macomb, Oakland, Lapeer, St. Clair County
frenchdrainman.com/store/
@@FRENCHDRAINMAN I can't access this site from the UK. Do you ship here?
Terrific video. My house was built poorly. Flooded my basement twice 😢
ruclips.net/p/PLjFCqaZ4v1BUqichor2QH1X_p9bBPor8D&si=gbmPRrArtYXHd_NO