Should the perforated pipe be installed with the holes at the top or bottom of the trench?

Tim graciously answered my question of which way the holes in the pipe should be a couple of years ago and the answer is DOWN. Water won't find the holes as its seeping down through the ground, but it will find them as the trench fills up.
Brian

HJE,
I explain this in great detail in other columns you will discover in my Drainage category. Simple answer: down.

Tim

My property has clay soil, the rear of the property is 8 feet higher than the front and I get damp in my garage during wet weather.

My question is how deep do I need to install a trench drain in the rear garden to prevent this damp problem, does it need to be 8 feet or will a more shallow trench be sufficient?

Thanks

Alan,
I have had great success with trenches that are 2-feet deep. You should read each and every column in my Drainage category. Look for the ones that have testimonials in them from other homeowners.

Hi, and thanks for providing help to us novices.

I live in an area where the only soil is clay (other than a few inches of top soil trucked in.) I have water in my crawlspace when it is raining or when the ground starts to thaw. During these times, the area on that side of the house is a "mud-pit". My front yard is the high side and my back yard is low (about 6'). The water seems to originate in the front yard. My question is...Because the perforations in the drain tile face down, is it possible that the water will come from the front yard and spill out of those holes when it nears the side of the house? I'm asking because the footer of my crawlspace is 42" and the French Drain will be only 24". I understand why the perforations should be facing down, but I just dont understand why the water does not fall back out of those holes into the stone below when it passes a drier area.

I'm sure there's an explanation, but I'd like to understand it a little better before I begin.

Thanks again for your help.

I have surface water run-off and would like to use the trench drain you refer to. If the stone is left exposed on top, would this cause silt-clogging from the run-off water? Or, should I use geotextile material laid a few inches under the top layer of stones?

Hi there,just found this site and bot is it helpful.
My question is... I have gutters and down spouts on all corners of my home,only one of the four go under ground into a 4 inch pipe non perforated which then goes to the backyard. I would like to do this with the other spouts because all they have on them are acordian style spouts that just lay in the yard.My neighbor tells me I have to dig down 4 feet below the frost barrier. I have not had any water problem and my home is only 5 years old,but built on a sandbar pretty much. Your idea is the one I would like to go with. My yard goes up and down all over. What do you recommend. Thanks again!! Jonas

I see a lot of options for a trench or french style drain, when you can lead the drain pipe to daylight. Unfortunately, my flat property doesn't really make this an option. What would you recommend for a drain, and drain pipe that has to end underground? Basically, I have what I feel is good draining soil, but have an area on a cement patio where water backs up. I'd like to divert that water into a drain by my lawn, and then through a trench, let the water drain down a perforated pipe into a hole further out in the yard (about 20 feet from the house) that's filled with rocks, and then will be covered.

Is this an acceptable way to divert water? does anyone have experience doing it like this? could the same be done with gutter downspouts?

I appreciate any help with the above. Thanks!

I have a simlliar issue as Ben Wallace as there is no good place to drain the water above ground. My backyard slopes towards a low spot away from my neighbors around me and away from my house, but it becomes a bog whenever it rains. Is it feasible to have the drain pipe end underground and still be effective. Also, how should the pipe slope in order to dry out that area. Thanks.

My problem is a wet basement. I plan to waterproof the cinder block walls with a membrane material and put in footer drains. My question is why must the drains end at daylight? I really don't want water pooling on the surface or flowing to my neighbors yard. My thoughts were that if water is dumped on the surface and drains through the soil then why can't the water drain in a drywell under the surface surrounded by gravel with surface access.

Hi,

Currently using the advice they (askthebuilder) gave me in my French Drain Project - I'm finding it really usefull.

My ground is sloped so don't have the same issue that you do but how does this sound?

Install your FD in a sloped fashion and lead the exit to a dry well (you can build one - easily) the water will evaporate from the well and problem solved. The only other things I can think of is make sure the Dry well is big enough to hold the water or else your pipe may back up and/or tank the water to use during dry spells to water your lawn.

I had a house in Colorado that was on a hill with springs in it. There was a french drain around the outside that ended up in one low spot around the back yard. There was a submerged sump pump in the hole and it took out all the water that the french drain brought in. The water ran through pvc to the curb and drained into the street. I have no idea if it was legal, but that was what was there when we moved in, and it worked well as long as the sump pump was working!

I have a home that seems to be build with out code considerations. The house next door also has a lot of ground water. We call it soggy lawn. I have noticed that the crawl space is also always damp. We have thought about the trecnch drain and will go that route im sure. Is there a poss or negative by using the 6' line or larger. We are looking at doing a mote style trench drain, three sided. I sure would like some input. Jeff