How to build a French Drain - How to drain surface water in your yard or property
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- DIY instructional Video on building a French Drain for draining standing water in your yard or property.
200 Ft of French Drain installed in under 15 Minutes!
Work was done Feb-Mar of 2014
![How to Build a French Drain Full Tutorial in Less than 10 Minutes [ Veteran Contractor Explains ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wPkMB7qlUSo/mqdefault.jpg)
Dude that is a LOT of work for one guy. Nice Job.
theory816 haha I guess I should have clarified *for a white boy
@@dblo01 Huwhite boys built the western world that everybody seems to want to go to ;)
I done one two years ago on my mothers property. It is around 500 ft and done it by myself with a shovel. Many many weekends throughout most of the summer.
Theory816 do you build huts with your bare hands ? Have you ever dug a trench few hundred feet with your bare hands ? Im goimg to guess not...
I admire his hard work, but there are easier (and quicker) ways to get the job done. Wow. I don't think I would've tackled all of the digging by hand. On the other hand, it was a good workout.
20 years in construction, I would hire this guy in a heartbeat, Absolutely brilliant, great job buddy👍👍👍👍👍
Hands down the best video I have seen on DIY French drain installation. Nothing was left out. No exotic tools or mysterious steps. The time lapse technique was extremely helpful so please stick with that. Thanks for taking the time to do this.
No exotic tools, just much elbow grease.
Agreed. Though exotic tools makes the job much easier and quicker, seeing how its done with the most basic tools doesn't leave anybody out. It's great for those of us who are willing to take the time to avoid renting or buying expensive equipment with money we don't have.
"Nothing was left out." Unless I missed it, the permitting process... especially obtaining permission from the city to cut the curb?
And he did it in 15 minutes.......
Never put loose soil onto gravel and never use a sock on your pipe; that's the point of the gravel burrito. You place the gravel onto the pipe, wrap the fabric. Preferably, you should place an inch layer of course sand and then apply another layer of fabric and voila; decades of a water permeable medium to allow leeching into the system without creating mud mortar in between all of the gravel.
Edit: FFS, rent a trencher next time (bang out 50ft / hour)
Construction my whole life... love to see people putting in their manual labor time. This guy gets 👍👍. Great job on the work and the tech info on your vid.
This video is almost 6 years old and everytime I get exhausted watching it. This guy is superman
I came for the insight. I stayed for the music . Nice work
THIS IS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE BEST DIY VIDEO ON UA-cam!!!I was going to put a French drain in by myself and found this. I hired someone after watching it! lol
Smartest Move Ever!!!! You are the GOAT
I almost thought I could do this myself too. I’m really considering hiring someone
😀
What he didn't mention is that the labor for this job would probably be $2,000 - $3,000 easy. What's more valuable to you, your time or money?
DisneyHouseDad Screw both time and money. My body would have been shot to hell after this project. LOL He literally worked from sunrise to after the sun had set. My neighbors would’ve found me passed out under the hedges. 😵
Neighbors are always helpful for standing around asking questions and then discuss your goings on with their friends and family.
Humbly giving credit to the gloves, boots, and shovel involved... Very nice.
Nice job. When I did mine, I used 14 tons of gravel in a hundred foot trench, but because of the slope and layout there were areas that were 4 feet wide and 3 feet deep. Watching you made me realize how much work I did! Admittedly, it took me forever, but as you well know, it's a lot of labor. My hands were sore for weeks after I finished.
why tf am I watch this at 2 in the morning, I live in an apartment complex
Andrew Suarez ha! Me too! 3am London England...fml
Ha!
Thank you for that wonderful laugh!!!
It was very informative for that future though, wouldn't you say?
Weed is a powerful substance my friend. Powerful indeed.
I watched the whole video and I have to say....I was tired just watching. You are a machine. Great job man.
That was one of the best DYI videos on UA-cam. Thanks for recording your project, and explaining it as you went. Well done!
In France they say DYI.
Just one more reason to despise the French. :)
BS. ...in France it's 'Bricolage'
I wish I could hire you
cock
100% can't mess with this dude. Trenched back yard to front by hand with a shovel (several) in a day. Had to be at least 200+ feet. Great video brudda. I know it was 6 years ago but good shit! 💪
Man, this was a work of art when finished. The man knows what he’s doing. Many times I’ve seen contractors wrap the pipe before adding gravel, or use a sock on their pipe but no further fabric. That will guarantee a fail in a year or two, but this guy is a Pro!
Dude you got all that work done in 15 min! I am willing to hire you as my landscaping foreman just come out to Texas and you're hired. I'll keep you supplied in 5-hr energy's on the house. Great vid bro well done!
I agree if he can't hire you then call me. 15 min. whoa .lol
I believe he meant the video is under 15 minutes, not the project. I hope, if not he is superman! lol
.
lol u can clearly see the sun/shadows moving in the video this clearly took more than one work day!..but the video is less than 15 mins i think thats what is meant in title :P
@@majest33 🤔 that's one possibility....
A special note- When using the landscape cloth to line the trench, you don't need the sock on the corrugated pipe (that's over kill and added expense), and you should lay the pipe right on the bottom of the trench without a layer of gravel first. Having the pipe at the bottom gives you a few more inches of drainage depth.
100% also there's clearly a lot of frost in his area. The seepage from the pipe INTO the stone and then freeze the bottom of the pipe.
Dude, you are a machine! Very impressive work. At 54, I don't think I could do that stuff anymore. Good job.
That was a crazy amount of work for one guy. Well done
They had to move shortly after this...the house was foreclosed upon because the guy quit his job to do this project and make this video.
I've watched this video in the research phase of my Eagle Scout Project 4 years ago today. I finally came back to leave a like on the video.
Looks easy, but I know its a lot harder than the video shows. You did a great job and now I'm motivated to get mine done.
Arnulfo Montano did you ever do your French drain? How did it go?
I do earthworks for a living and you did a great job but omg that was some old school manual labour. Hand dug, wheel barrow, hand tamp, backfill with shovel. hahahahah. Well done dude! oh ya and string line yessssss.
Hi sir, just wondering what he did where the water is pooling? did he use a catch basin? I am planning to do my yard. thanks.
He put in the drain pipe to carry it downslope as the inside of pipe is pitched toward street.
my back is hurting just watching this lol I used to be able to dig like that but im 65 may take me longer god bless you pal!!
hdbagger4266 me too. I’m at the 72 y.o. mark now and while I punch down with the threnching shovel while standing, I get down on my knees to shovel the dirt up and out; less bending. Still take a couple of ibuprofen if I want to be able to roll out of bed the next day. Man, that was a lot of work! The last french drain I put I. Was all of was 8’ long.
This is really the best French drain video I’ve seen. It looked like a lot of work but still possible for a regular homeowner to do themselves
I thought this guy was one of the hardest workers I have ever seen, then i just saw him digging out under the concrete path with his hands to run the pipe....i can now confirm he is the hardest worker I have ever seen.
Amazing the amount of water draining out.
I still don't understand how it drains all the way to France though
T L S underrated comment. We need answers.
Hahahhahaa
T L S 🤣🤣🤣👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Everybody knows that Pierre le Grand comes around every week and collects the excess water in a tanker and ships it back to France. There it is dehydrated and sold in 1 kilogram packs. Just add water and create your own little puddle.
I live in France, I am a plumber and I have never see shit like this here.
damn, that's a lot of work. thank God it only took you fifteen minutes.
...and not one neighbor showed up to help!
Haha
There's always a satisfaction when you complete jobs involving installations inside the earth. 100 years from now people would have no idea how the water is draining away from their property, all thanks to you.
I don't care what your wife says, you are one hard working man.
Im sore just watching this video but amazing work! The amount of water flow at the end if incredible. Most of all thank you for sharing your process, very detailed and useful for a DIY project. Thank you.
I live in a part of the Uk where it rains a lot, my gardens soaking wet, after looking at your Video and all the work involved I think I will just have it as a water feature, great Video and thanks for sharing
Amazing young man and respect that energy and dedication of you. I can'y even dig a 20X30 inch hole to pour the slab for the outdoor air unit
You are quite a worker. Photo at left is my wife, Poppa Bill is writing. Who ever you work for is lucky to have you as an employee. You are diligent and we love your "bill of materials" at the end. God Bless you. Great job.
My friend, you make me proud to be an American. No machinery, just a good thought, and getting it done. Well well done my friend. You are an inspiration for many of us DYI'ers. Enjoyed the video immensely.
You are a VERY hard worker - thanks for the tips.
Wow, great job! I really admire your planning and discipline on this project, what a strong and successful finish.Well done!
the work done by one man is amazing! i watched from start to end w/o ff.
I've watched several of these DIYs for French Drainage, but this is the most comprehensive. Thank you, and well done!
Dude! I never even saw anyone come over and ask about your project...and you did this by yourself! I just got a quote for 16 feet of French drain connecting the AC drip pipe...$450! So I priced out the material, less than $90; I'm getting ready to start; wish me luck!
It great to see a young man using his youth for good purpose. Alhamdulillah
sharifah nazriah Jesus loves you!
@@sturgill8511 Yes, and so does Allah, the Creator of our beloved Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him)! :)
@@sturgill8511 Muslim love Jesus too! he is our prophet :)
The best DIY project I ever seen. Well done!
I've never seen a guy move this fast! I like the show and tell at the end of the video also, its like I'm watching a documentary on PBS. Great video.
love how you are organized on every detail and how you documented every step. clear and professional. this is how youtube should be. i admire your work.
Thumbs up just for the effort. I like how committed you were to doing the job and finishing it right.
Excellent video. I learned much. Now I need to go lay down.
You sir are a freaking beast. awesome work
Most of us would have a neighbor looking out their blinds while calling local code enforcement
lol. The whole time I'm thinking which one of my neighbors would be snitching. Idk what code calls for in my area, but that probably wouldn't fly.
We did a similar project at a home my wife owns in Oregon. We were not able to break the curb, nor empty the water across the sidewalk, so we opted to build a dry well in the yard and route the footing drains into that, to keep water out of her basement. We rented a mini excavator to do the digging, used a membrane sealer on the exposed basement walls, with a PVC perforated pipe alongside the footings, geofabric lining the dirt side. We opted to fill the trench, against the foundation, with pea gravel to give the water someplace else to go besides the basement.
Since that time there have been some monsoon level rain storms around Eugene and the basement, which had habitually leaked like a sieve, has been bone dry.
In thinking about it in years since, I would have made a bigger dry well, and not routed a downspout into the system, if I had it to do over again. However, even with those "mistakes" we seem to have had a success.
Thanks for sharing your project here. Reading the comments has been both informative and entertaining. :)
Doug Dobbs
That was a point that popped into my mind.
I don't know if it is state wide, or just In my town, but it is against the law to drain anything into the street.
hi, Doug Dobbs, I am thinking about the similar project because of a hill on my backyard--> grading problems. Could you please explain your solution "We opted to fill the trench, against the foundation, with pea gravel to give the water someplace else to go besides the basement." Do you set up a pea gravel as a barrier between the wall of your house the french drain? How did you do it? Please advise. Appreciate it if could help me out. Thanks.
Watch "Apple Drains" channel. He has many foundation sealing, footer pipe, etc. videos that he explains in simple terms using simple tools. The "pea gravel" is to give the water an easy path (drain downward, down-slope, away from the foundation) rather than letting the water pool at the foundation and find or create cracks.
I like you didn't dump your water on the neighbors yard. Good job young man.
that is about the coolest video i've seen, thanks mr.!
Great job, be proud! Work done.
Hell of a job obviously you have OCD with good work ethic, I like that in you. And I guess you have no friends, they must be scared of hard work. My hat is off to you sir. I have a project with about 400 feet but up here in Alaska I'm going to use a mini Excavator. It will be on my page later.
That had to be satisfying watching that water pour out of that tube for the first time. Nice work and well done video
The point of the grate is to catch the above ground run off. I'm about to do this too. Thanks for the video
Watching someone digging on time-lapse is really satisfying
You got staying power bro, awesome job well done!
well done. you did good. im surprised none of your neighbors came over and helped you , that is what neighbors do.....
+Maurice Brown Honestly if the area is as wet as it must be I'd be like "will you let me help you and then help me do the same to my property" haha
If I was his neighbour, I'd stay well clear lol.
They probably stopped by long enough to ask him; " Why don't you hire a backhoe?" Myself I'd have grabbed my own shovel and went to help him. When I was a teenager I dug a sewer line plus a hole for our new septic tank. It was hard but satisfying work.
Are you kidding? Dig you own damn holes, or pay someone else to do it. That is what neighbors do. Don't impose on your neighbors to do the maintenance on your house. I have more respect for my neighbors than that.
Most people would order a pizza, turn on the TV for the entire day, drain a few beer cans, peek out the window on their way back from the bathroom, and not care much how their life Time is spent. When their own property/house falls down around them, they just call a builder, take out a loan or two, and go back to the couch to continue on that way till they die.
as someone that does yard drainage for a living.. don't waste your time with corrugated pipe.. spend the extra money and get the Triple walled perf pipe.. especially if you're gonna break your back digging the whole job by hand.. respect for doing it by hand nonetheless.. it's not easy
Question, if the one end is capped then it wouldn't need to be at a slope. Yes?
@@lucky5th2 if it isnt sloped then the water will just fill the pipe and not go anywhere. To properly drain it still needs to be sloped
Ryley Noyes, could I perforate it and cap the end?
@@kimbej2 need the slope to drain.
Great Great Job sir! As a new home owner with this problem it's nice to see DIY is possible.
I just recently started installing French drains on my property. I work for a water utility company and I own my own small backhoe. That will make life easier. One thing I have learned working in my utility is not necessary but oh so helpful in the future. I run a tracer wire along my French drain. If I ever or if any utility company ever wants to know where it runs they can easily connect onto the wire and locate it. Again not required but down the road you might forget where you installed it. Minus referring to this video. This video is well made and very informative. Thank you.
I wish it went this fast in real life!
At a boy cowboy, Put your nose to the grinding wheel and don't look side ways or back cause if it's to be, It's up to me. great attitude. Thanks
Two things I do differently, and I have done a few professionally. #1) I would cut the sod out by hand with a flat shovel, and reserve it off to the side, then replace the sod on the final finish grade.
#2 I would only use non-woven geotextile fabric because it won't clog vs the gray landscape fabric that is a spun woven fabric. It will clog otherwise. 3# After laying in my non woven geotextile fabric in the trench, I immediately lay in the slotted pipe with the sock on it. That sock is also a non-woven fabris, FYI. The reason I lay the pipe first is because water will flow to the stone underneath the pipe, so why not use the conduit where the water settles? Water will still flow in your method, but I always get the pipe at its lowest point in the trench, then lay all my stone on top.
GOOD JOB I have one still to do in Michigan at a commercial building this December in Michigan. I hope to get it past me soon...getting darn cold out there. THUMBS UP
Totally agree on the non-woven fabric.
You are a hard worker. I want to install a french drain in my yard. I have had flooded yard for 25 years. Going to put an end to it now.
Man, just that timelapse of you digging the trench all day look exhausting. Well done!
Great job. I have a few suggestions. First if you had used a square tip shovel it would have made a cleaner square trench and grading the bottom would have been simpler. I used to work road construction and have built many drainage systems and grading with a square tip let's you cut more out of the bottom and still leave it flat where as a spade shovel leaves the bottom if the trench rounded. And if you have to add dirt you can hold it upright and drag the tip and it helps to spread the dirt more evenly . Secondly, you should have used a diamond masonary blade on your grinder. They only cost about 40 bucks for the same size as the wheel you used and they cut concrete so much better and you could have made several cuts at the same depth in between the two outside cuts and then knocked out with a hammer and that would have given you a cleaner more even notch in the curb. I'm not trying knock you, you done an excellent job. Just a few suggestions for you if you ever have to do this again.
shouldn't there be a waterproof layer under the pipe to prevent water leaking?
wow, alot of hard work here! Only thing i would of did different is rent a small digger from rental place to dig that long trench. i assume you are in your 20's? im 46 now and cant dig like this anymore. nice job! you must of felt real proud after this big successful project.
I'm 61 and just dug a 50' trench with my son today. My dad waterproofed a basement @ 68. If you think you can do it, you can.
rocketrayray55 I'm 83 and dug a trench today :) you are right!
Emanuel 2014 bless you sir!
I'm 148 and I can dig twice the trench you can. And my dad (who is still alive) can dig 3 times your trench. If you think you can do it, you sound like an arrogant moron on UA-cam
I dug a 100ft trench today just with my feet!! oh by the way im 101
Renting a trencher for a job of this size would totally be worth it (about $100) seriously woulda shaved off a month of project time!
Russell Sutton I was wondering the same thing. If this guy could do it all over again, would he rent a trencher? I have friends who would say , no. They would rather do loads of work than pay money to make it easier. I wonder what this guy's response would be. Either way, good video.
He didn't have to go to the gym that month.
i would, why not? only time i wouldn't is when it's an odd spot where it wouldn't work, like really close to the house like a spot above but for that really long one, yeah trencher....
I did a similar job a few years ago, and I used a tiller with good results. I used solid pipe, cost more and is harder to work with but in the end its (more) maintenance free.
Russell Sutton,
A month? He knocked the whole project out in 15 minutes... didn't you read the beginning?
In 170 feet of drain on our property we went down 44 inches at the deep end. We put a 5 foot deep plastic sump on the deep end and a 1/3 horsepower sump pump to lift the water to a 3'' drain to the street. We put in the sock, perf pipe, and gravel in the trench, then added a solid 3'' pipe a foot above the preforated pipe. The house gutter drains were connected to this non perforated pipe which also dumps into the sump.
You did a great job and you will avoid settling and cracking of your walls by draining the excess rainwater off.
This guy knows how to work. You don't see many, if any, breaks, and hours pass while he's digging.
Excellent video. Very informative. But oy! Dat digging!! Kudos on a job - and video tutorial - well done!
1. Don’t put gravel at the bottom of the trench, it’s a waste and water will sit at the bottom of the trench. Water doesn’t defy gravity and go into the pipe. You should have achieved the correct slope when you clean your trench.
2. You don’t need a sock, wrapping your pipe twice will restrict flow.
3. Use double punched geo fabric for best results.
4. Don’t put gravel on top of your trench, it’s a waste and there is no point to do it. Dirt will migrate into the gravel because it’s not wrapped.
5. Core the curb, don’t destroy it like you did in the video.
6. Use pvc not cpvc glue and primer for pvc connections. You used corrugated flexible perforated pipe in your video, the fittings for that pipe are push fit connectors. Unless you have a sump pump you installed that wasn’t in the video, you shouldn’t use cpvc for the sump discharge, only pvc, and abs pipe. Not sure why you bought cpvc primer and glue.
There is no such thing as double punched fabric. that is a made up idea from Bob aka the french drain man. They did go to their supplier who makes the fabric and asked to have it double punched but they were told that is not possible, that is not how the fabric is made. There are many great drainage fabrics and all are needle punched and the standard flow rate for 4oz is 140 gallons per minute per foot. Don't believe everything you see on UA-cam.
Did something similar over 90 ft dropping down to 30" at lowest point. I don't know what I did wrong because it took a lot more time than 15 minutes to complete.
A lot of hard work, you should be proud of yourself. I have to install about 50 x 50 meters in an L shape on the lower sides of 9 sections of ground where I work this summer. Well done.
Dude! You’re a MEAN man digging that trench by hand with a shovel. Excellent video!
Make sure to check you municipal codes, many dont allow drainage to the curb
bofursgun you don’t know what your talking about, it’s against code in some cities to discharge water into the street. Get your facts straight
Well, it's 5 years later...Any updates?...That's a shit ton of work you did there!
He still cant type yet, because of the blisters on his hands.
Terry Thomas that made me laugh lol
Then your wife says she wants move to a better school district.
Then you be the man of the house & tell her no.
(They're all leftist indoctrination centers anyway & come out dumber than when they entered. Try homeschooling.)
@@MeanOldLady were you homeschooled?
Mean Old lady now days, yes. Especially if you live in a larger city that has been run to the ground by liberals.
Happy wife, happy life! :)
@@Supersquigi I was home schooled and later experienced both private and public high schools. I can confirm, even though mom is by no means an intellectual, I still received a better education while I was at home. Most of the time spent in public schools is time wasted on problem kids and drama. Average and above average kids just get dragged down.
This vid blew my mind. Amazing amount of physical labor and exhausting to watch. Killer tutorial. Too many vids show folks just blabbering away at this idea or that method. Turn on the cam for high speed and freakin' get after it. Loved the vid and thanks for sharing all the details start to finish. I will be sure NOT to show this to my wife - she'll want this done and I do not have this in me. Aces.
Proper music to some proper work done by one dude. Great job sir.
..and there I was thinking I work too hard! :)
15 mins if you work in 32x fast forward .
Great Video. You demonstrated every part of your process very well.
Question - Did you have to get permission from the City to cut through the curb?
Joseph Brumbeloe Jr It's easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission.
Brutal hand digging. I did the exact same thing years ago to my sloped front lawn next to the sidewalk. Clay for soil and from the sidewalk to about 3’ in was a swamp. When I connected the drain water flowed into the gutter for 3 days straight just drawing the front lawn. I also attached my rain gutter down spouts into the drain line.
Nice job on your project. Your property will be far more enjoyable!
For an individual that's one hell of a good job, well done....
2020, any update on the drain system and how well its performing?
it's caught a bad case of coronavirus and is staying home
Ok this was a few years ago, how much was the fine for cutting the city's curb?
That depends on the city, where I am at the homeowner pays for the curb
The fine in my city would be a minimum of $500....plus, you'd also pay for the rehab (removal of the new drain and curb repair).
In my city it's a 85.00 dollar fine, but if you bore through the curb it's only the cost of the permit about 25.00 dollars Our company does about thirty of these types of drains a year. some with zoeller ejector pumps some that are gravity fed
If you don't have a boring drill they can be rented it leaves a nice professional look .
the city never fined us
@@pageboy25 Have they found out?
That moment when you realize you just spent 3 1/2 hours cutting a slot only 7 inches from an existing joint in the curb...
i was thinking the exact same thing.. hahaha that was funny to watch.
Shakes McTremens Don’t be fooled. That was his own miscalculation. That "joint" was him slicing into curb he had no business slicing into. That was not a natural joint. Look closer.
Patrick Jayz Sure it is. You can see how it lines up and continues all the way out to the asphalt.
Around here that is a Building code violation. Curb cuts require a permit and Bond. Plus there is no draining into the street. Also illegal to drain your yard into the city storm sewer without approval. The Cities have to send the sewer- vacs to clean out all the mud these home solutions drain into the the Storm water catch basins. My friend ran the city street dept, when street would be repaired they would fill the end of the pipe with concrete and fill the curb cut.
Holy crap thats a lot of digging. Nice work
I had gone through blowing out my basement sump pump 10 feet below ground surface every 3 to 4 months. luckily lifetime warranty covered repair but still 15 $ to ship to company each time. After installing french drain from my backyard to front AND also tying in all the gutter downspouts to french drain, exactly as you did, the sump well is now BONE DUSTY DRY. Electric bill dropped too. Awesome job and video !
Ok going to go build mine be back in 15.
That didn’t take 15 minutes
sweet project! I see the gravel cost quite a lot (roughly 66% of the price of all the pipes/couplings/caps/grates). could crusher run do the trick? it's about 40-50% cheaper than gravel...
oh, and I noticed you bought the wheelbarrow for $34.98 in 2/16/2014, then returned it for a full refund in 4/23/2014 and replaced it with a bigger one the same day. im surprised they gave a full refund after over 2 months of heavy use! :D
just use peastone
I watched this because I built my own French drain several years ago. I was watching to see if I did it right, all those years ago. I did. But mine was only 20 ft. Thank God!
Thank you for sharing this! Four years ago, but just now needed it. Looks very successful. Just got to find out if my town requires permits to improve my own land. Even the cost summary and list of supplies are very helpful! Thanks!
Nice work! I wish I didn't have so much rock to go through for a project like this, your soil is sublime! Just out of curiosity, did you have to get a permit or anything to cut into the curb like that?
Nice job,got tired watching you. Thanks for showing,
David Termini lol ha ha , made my day
Ladies i would like to point out,
This is what a man looks like
It is just what I need to get my husband to do the job! Thank you for sharing.
You are a hard worker. Pride of ownership is great to see.