DIY French Drain for our Garden

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Hey everybody, I posted an update. Everything is functioning well but I just want to point out that you should probably skip the extra work we did by adding catch basins and instead just slope the area toward the main trench instead. It was a fun project but you should skip the cost and extra time of the catch basins if you've got a similar project. 👍🌹

[@SteveE293]

Nice shout out to Gate City for Shawn and his team. Good job there and glad you took gravel to surface it will function so much better than being covered with sod

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

I love Shawn's videos. I'm really glad we took gravel to the surface too. Thanks for your comment!

[@gabrielbyrne6676]

Among 100's of videos I saw, yours brings sense of peace of mind and cup of tea. I love your voice, your precision, your planning....one word : bravo !!!

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

You are too kind. Thank You!

[@captainkittles]

This was possibly the most helpful video on French drains I’ve seen, thank you!

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Wow, thanks!

[@Smith.S.E.]

Got this recommended off of binging the Gate City channel. Nice work on this project

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Awesome, thanks!

[@maxespinosa756]

i like your patience and I love the sound of your voice as how you explain it

[@Fatschwab]

I watched this video from beginning to end. I’m not sure I learned anything but I’m concerned that I may have lost something. I bought a trenching shovel for my project but ended up hurting my foot. My doctor changed my meds and reminded me I don’t own a home, have a yard or a drainage problem. He is a wise man and I found his advice helpful. Thank you for sharing your project with the KZbin community.

[@daibonehead]

You may find yourself living in a shotgun shack You may find yourself in another part of the world You may find yourself buying a pristine trenching shovel You may find yourself in a beautiful house with a drainage problem You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here? Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down Letting the days go by, water flowing underground Into the blue again after the money's gone Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground You may ask yourself, how do I work this? You may ask yourself, where is that trenching shovel? You may tell yourself, this is not my beautiful house You may tell yourself, I can fix this drainage problem Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down Letting the days go by, water flowing underground Into the blue again, after the money's gone Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground Same as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was Same as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was

[@Fatschwab]

@@daibonehead Same as it ever was

[@yogininamaste]

🤣😂😄😁

[@clayramsey019]

Is this a joke

[@mikekritzman8190]

@@daibonehead I laughed out loud. thanks!

[@99ryanlee]

Great video, well done on the project. Watching Shawn and his team at Gate City is how I learnt as well!!

[@Bigrhythm4]

This is my favorite french drain video of all time, thank you.

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Wow, thank you! I wish I could DIY our window well drainage situations too but my back is just about broke from all this and will need a pro for that in the future.

[@kezonline]

What a great result for a very big problem. Learned a lot. Excellent video editing too. Well done!

[@SavageChip810]

That was an excellent video! 😁 Great editing too. Nice work! I too love watching Gate City and it shows that you learned from the best. Hi from Australia.

[@basilbadra7979]

Thank you for all the details you posted in your video. You did a wonderful job and I learned a lot of stuff regarding type of material, name of items etc etc. Great job…👍

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Thanks for letting me know. I'm so glad. 🙏

[@roseycoloredglasses]

You did an excellent job explaining everything for this dyi! I have watched many videos and this was really good. Thank you.

[@jimtalor7971]

That's a good job for a diy especially when teamwork is involved. My wife is not a get dirty yard person and the only time she will pick up a shovel if I get home past "curfew"!

[@zanepaxton7452]

The classic debate is whether or not to install filter fabric on the sides and bottom between the dirt and the drain rock to keep the gravel from filling up with silt. I’ve read that with 1-1/2” drain rock (and no smaller gravel to fill the voids) and a minimum 1/4” slope on the pipe then filter fabric is not needed. The idea being that any silt gets flushed down the pipe if the 1/4” per foot minimum slope is maintained. It’s good practice to install catch basins or clean outs at ends to be able to fix any clogs. Running the drain rock to the surface is best practice in heavy clay soil that doesn’t drain well (impermeable).

[@luiscardenas4150]

Great work. You should’ve use fabric to protect the gravel and pipe from the dirt and mud when it rains.

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Fortunately it's been fine for our clay soil which doesn't erode easily. I've read that those fabrics can clog too.

[@johnford1405]

Wow!! clear video of challenges(even with the $$$) to making a open-French drain. Actually best i have seen, & I have seen too many.

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

I'm so glad you found it interesting. Thanks for the comment!

[@grandmab4049]

Great job. Such a lot of hard work but the end result was worth it.

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Thanks!

[@SeanBaker]

Excellent job! I recently had a french drain installed. I initially dug the first 10 feet then didn't want to do it anymore. 🤣 Believe it or not, I fit four of those pipes in my Ford Focus. Trunk slightly open, back seats layed down and all four pipes fit between the front two seats. I was driving moderately fast going home and kept wondering why it was so loud in my car. Duh! The trunk wasn't fully closed. 😁

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Thank you. Digging with shovels is not easy fast work. Cool you fit all those pipes!

[@sku32956]

Good job you stuck with it ,I call that "sewer pipe" sch 30 , what you built is called a open French drain is used in really heavy drainage issues . If you have more time or money maybe build a dry creek bed at the end of your French drain .

[@elizabethtyler1746]

Thank you. I'm alone and desperate. I needed this.

[@jamesbh101]

Thats one great hand dug trench, great job. If you find point water elsewhere on your site feel free to take one of those grated drains from the French drain, they are a little close to make a big difference, save some dollars. 👍👍

[@starkeymorgan4142]

Great video. I suspected pretty early on that you had been influenced by Gate City Foundation. I think he would be proud of your work.

[@joshmichael2514]

Nice Job! I did want to give a couple recommendations though for next time you get large items from Home Depot. 1. The tool rental department rents pickup trucks for $20 for the first 75 minutes. You can shop for your items and after checking out, go to the tool counter and rent a truck. If you live relatively close to HD, 75 minutes will give you time to load, drive home, unload, drive back (stop by a gas station and add a gallon or two of gas), and drop off the truck. that will essentially give you a $20 delivery and if you go over the 75 minutes its still reasonable, but much less than $80. 2. If you don't want to rent a truck, you can ask them to cut the pipe down for transport. I do this all the time for 10' lumber, now I don't know if they can do it for large pipes but it doesn't hurt to ask. They wont do a lot of cuts for you (their job is not to cut your project for you) but you can always ask them to cut it in half. Cutting it in half and getting some of those pipe connectors if you need it longer than 5' will work. And if you know some measurements in advance they shouldn't have an issue cutting it 6'/4' if needed or something similar. I have fit 6' pipe and wood in my Camry plenty of times.

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Good tips!

[@mustlovedogs272]

Great work! That is a valuable improvement in your property and completing projects like that and watching them work is a very satisfying thing.

[@georgemaragos2378]

Hi, very nice video I was suprised you did not cover the gravel with geofabric but if not soil or grass is on top then it is not needed. At the end of the pipe where you have the green outlet, you can do a few things 1. use a gutter adapter to go from round to oblong by using round to oblong gutter pipe adapter, as it is about 1/3 the high you can use if for a few yards as it will remain low 2. use some plastic sheet, ow as you used about 6 cubic yards of gravel in the trench, then the top surface should be closer to 2 cubic yards of say river pebble or white / red pebble as a decorative top. 2 years ago i used what i thought was sandstone blocks, but they are really aerated concrete blocks with a sandstone texture and colour , between the blocks and the house is about 2 foot and i filled that with 20mm or 3/4 inch size washed river pebbles The front of the house is white, the sides of the house ( non driveway side ) is a cheaper brown/grey 10mm ( less than 1/2 inch egg shaped pebbles, some are chipped - it does not matter as they are about 1/3 the price of the nice larger which pebbles 3. where the green end of the pipe is, consider a adapter for stormwater to schedule 40 pipe and just use the last 2 foot as schedule 40, this will be much stronger in case you walk over it - and it is just a small piece and being closer to the surface it may be better with a stronger pipe 4. where the pipe end at the green bit, to stop the mud being created (until the grass grows ) , you can use some pebbles or grab some pavers and lay them in front of the pipe, then run them to the road, the flat surface of the paver will make the water run better and not make any more water trenches it wont take to many paver, i think about 4 or 6 wide is plenty then go forward - i had a quick look at home depot, some nice cream pavers for 60 cents ( i cant believe i was geo-blocked and had to use vpn to view home depot as i am in australia ) you have a nice yard btw regards george

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Hi George, hello to you in Australia! Thank you for your kind comment and many useful tips! We didn't do the extra fabric step because we read about it slowing down water flow and the risk of clogging from our fine, clay soil. Often our rain accumulations are from quick, intense downpours where we need to guide the water ASAP. Despite the imperfections, fortunately for us, we've had no clogs of any kind and everything is functioning well even years later at least in our situation. Maybe one day we'll remove the catch basins when we have time as I feel like they are an eyesore and not that functional in this particular instance. Anyway, I will definitely keep your tips in mind for future projects, thank you sir!

[@humblerawat]

What is the size of the gravel used in inches ?

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Hi there. I mention it in the video. It is "3/4 clean" 😊

[@bigleeneth]

It's crazy. I watch a random video for a project I wanna do and it just confirms what I knew for the last 10 years. Lowe's is a far superior store.

[@jasonkyleadams7577]

While both delivery drivers should be mindful of their surroundings, in their defense A gray pile of rock (that is not typically there) on a gray rock driveway is almost invisible. Inspiration from Gate City Foundation had me attempt a DIY on my property and I noticed that the JM Eagle brand of schedule 40 was sometimes double the price compared to Charlotte schedule 40.

[@davidc977]

great job..thats alot of work. I found the end caps should be loose not screwed on bc when rain is very heavy the end cap blocks the water flow and the basins gets over flowed. The caps really just to block animals from living inside it i think. happened to me few times during hurricane seasons. I have 3 basins like yours across the backyard. it helps so much! 👍

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

You're right. Thanks!

[@alltogetherplaytubefingerf6045]

Nice video but where was the filter fabric?

[@joeshmoe7789]

Great choice of pipe. Schedule 40 is overkill for most jobs and corrugated is garbage. I'm not convinced that expensive Easy Flow is any good, definitely not worth the money. I believe Shawn used a decorative river rock to top one of his jobs which looked great. I've watched many videos and run a few drainage systems and have to rate this job as perfect, excelling in price efficiency and design.

[@MooseTurder]

Great job! I like that outlet grate but wow that was pricey. My outlet was against a sidewalk that is right against a curb so no tunneling/coreing. Instead I used a 6inch catch basin with a flat grate as my outlet with weep holes in the basin and so far it's been 2 years and it's doing well.

[@KyokushinNidan]

Thanks for documenting your experience. Lucky to have all that slope. What did you do with all the soil you dug up?

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Thanks. Still figuring that out. There's so much soil. The plan is to distribute it around the property when we can.

[@mcovelloful]

What a great video! thanks

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Thank you!

[@whip205inthebam3]

Planting anything that has a lot of roots next to a french drain is a no no because eventually the roots will cause problems. You really didn't need a french drain a drainage ditch would have probably worked better but of course you could have lined the inside of the ditch or channel with a material to help prevent erosion and some rip rap to help slow the water flow down. This would've probably saved you some work and money on the overall cost. Shawn is a very nice young man and he knows how to get it right when it comes to drainage.

[@markfarmingtonpuzzles3016]

Nicely done!

[@sphinxceo]

I love your attitude--our yard is full of weeds anyway 😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣. To that (gravel filled to the top) I'd say you could sprinkle some white stones on top for contrast. Or volcano rocks. I'm a homeowner who also did my own French drain what was 100 feet (when u buy ten at HD u get 10% bulk discount!!) 😄. We used what's called #57 gravel just a tad bigger than yours and we used 12 tons. Because our channel was wider and deeper (14" wide x18" deep). Our first order was 5 tons and it was such a small pile we thought they made a mistake. 😆🤣😆. Though one thing I'm concerned is that you don't have a geotextile fabric that wraps the whole thing or least some kind of "sock" over the pipes. Cuz over time dirt and debris may get in and clog it up.

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Congrats to doing an even bigger job. 👍It's not easy especially without a trench digger. A pro named Shawn of Gate City Foundation drainage has KZbin videos where I learned that fabric itself can impede water and eventually become clogged too.

[@sphinxceo]

@@FumblingwithFlowers yeah, my friend and I dug the trench ourselves. It was December and one time the ground froze. 😆 And then we hauled all the gravel from the street to the backyard going slightly uphill. 🤣. Can't thank my friend enough.

[@darksun4523]

She said "Bell end" 🤣🙊😅, Great video thanks.

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

You must be in the UK. :)

[@alexandroid8654]

You had me on the floor rolling with the dumb post office and Amazon guys🤣 Great info!

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Ha, yeah, it's best to find humor in things!

[@GMan-yv8cb]

Enjoyed your vid! (only one minor complaint - more like pet peeve - " It's only a garden project." "If it's important enough to do, then it's important enough to DO IT RIGHT !!!) " Ok, besides that, VERY IMPRESSIVE! That was quite the river in that 'test ditch' ! Nice job! I too enjoy (and subscribe) Gate City's Vids. Cool shout out! And, if I may, - ( said with complete respect! ) Your husband is a Lucky Guy ! You sound INCREDIBLY Cute !! AND, a DIY'er, to boot! Awesome ! See ya next vid!!

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Thanks!

[@celioleitao7303]

awesome job

[@georgeali7189]

Nice video did you have any issues with weeds growing inside the drain pipes. Just thinking long term.

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Not at all. It takes many years for any of our growth here to invade this. Our pipe is straight and very easy to clean. We've never had a build up but if we did it would be easy to blast clean with a pressure washer or even a regular garden hose.

[@horsge01]

One year later - how is it holding up? Hows that area where the discharge goes?

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

I uploaded an update video on my channel. The water still flows just as great.

[@pasqualecaprile]

Fantastic. Thanks a lot. Pasquale

[@l.acosta4739]

I've read that you can do it using river stones (the ones that are soft and multicolor) instead of gravel, do you happen to know if that's true?

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

I've seen it done. The only advantage I know of angular rock is that it locks into place while smooth stones like river rock will shift around sort of like walking on sand, they might come out of place if walked or driven on.

[@bargainhunter2404]

Why would you need a catch basin in open drain ?

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

To extend the reach. In retrospect, I don't think the catch basins were worth the extra work. :)

[@SlackerU]

10/10, I added your video to my stormwater drainage playlist b/c you're doing it right. IDK if those are the newer(post-2020 versions) NDS-inlets but if they are they have a punch out for 4-inch pipes, 8:00 the older/pre-2020 versions didn't. 8:33 The rubber tape for drain pipe would last way longer than duck tape though it doesn't matter if they block roots b/c your setup has weeping holes.

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

I really appreciate your praise and comment. That's a good tip about rubber tape. Regarding the catch basins, our sewer pipe would still be loose with the included cut out on these. Maybe schedule 40 would get a tight fit.

[@SteveE293]

Hi Bob, I have watched numerous drainage videos from various channels and seen few of your comments and been impressed your knowledge. I’ve seen FDM saying pvc pipe is the wrong type for a French drain. He appears to up load content from the same video every other week of a green sch35 system that failed blaming the pipe rather than the installation. I’m curious of your thoughts on this?

[@SlackerU]

@@SteveE293 My main problem with FDM is that the corrugated pipe manufactures want 2.8% slope for a 4-inch-corrugated to be self cleaning where here in my area all the land has 2% or less slope. Also my county only requires a drainage plan for land if more than 20% of the land will have impervious-cover where they absolutely do not permit corrugated (b/c installing 4-inch corrugated at less than 2.8% slope being off label use so engineers can't approve it). 4-inch smooth-wall pipe only requires .78% slope to achieve a 3 feet per second velocity to self-clean the pipe. I'm not against FDM as I like how he's willing to adjust his views but some of what he suggests is completely incompatible with my 4.5-inch flash-flood risk.

[@SteveE293]

@@SlackerU thank you for your detailed and impartial reply,. So it basically comes down to correct installation, then both pvc and corrugated has its place.

[@SlackerU]

@@SteveE293 Yep corrugated needs a full-bubble like GCFD always suggests & smooth-wall only requires the 1/8 bubble, something like that. I'd mention the University Research on Blind-Inlets, which are basically 30 or 40ft of French drain that are more than 80ft from any trees(roots), but the results of that research are even more embarrassing for some of FDM & AD's claims.

[@aprev039]

Nice job!

[@natfunk5992]

Please call a veterinarian for the that frog. 😂🐸

[@HB-yq8gy]

Natures trencher great job! Sch 40 is overkill thin wall PVC is preferred & cheaper.

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Thanks. Schedule 40 would be overkill for our garden project but I'd definitely use it for anyplace where cars drive over.

[@HB-yq8gy]

@@FumblingwithFlowers I did ours 200 ft rented 6” wide 3 ft depth trencher the beast! 3 down spouts & 12” inch catch basin all tied together 14“ deep out to day light. I screwed up using 💯 silicone chalk. Medium gray pvc glue the better choice. All thin wall.

[@januzi2]

That one was pretty great diy project. As for the end part of the pipe, I'm pretty sure you could move it a little bit further into the front of the property, but it would require a lot more digging. How the whole thing is working after the several months that has passed? Is it still effective?

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Thank you for your comment! To maintain enough fall, the pipe would need to be under the gravel driveway. But it's working great, like an open fire hydrant on full blast when it rains.

[@johna2147]

Good job

[@usingtubes]

are the pipes still $13 in your area or are they $24?

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

It was years ago and I haven't looked at pipes in a while.

[@JaredKroh]

Great job!

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Thanks!

[@bnielsen44]

You can tell you watched City Gate Foundation. Problem solved. He had a video about decorating the french drain. Someone used larger round stones add on top of the gravel to add some appeal. It helped. You might like that. I am concerned if the vegetation grows over the gravel it might be a problem.

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Thanks. I saw that video he did. It is inspiration for possible future projects.

[@edwardgarrison2377]

And that's the problem

[@edwardgarrison2377]

When watching misinformation

[@xincarceratedx]

Where is the Y that you used that is for sewer pipe instead of schedule 40? I can't seem to find it at home depot

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Lowes

[@joeshmoe7789]

I got a lot of fittings from garden and feed store that sells dirt, gravel, sod, grass seed, fertilizer, etc.

[@objuan6]

well done

[@johna2147]

High water table try a drench along the tree line

[@johna2147]

Your half way to a 90% right angle sq .maybe y ou u did idk didn't finish your video

[@homercalg]

Very nice.

[@rachel.xo15]

Great job hoping I can do this !😫

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

You can do it!

[@penixEnvy]

nice work, throw a butterfly garden and swale around the bottom

[@crisislord00]

Yeah gate city Foundation is awesome!! You have such a cute voice. Maybe you should try doing some vtuber stuff on a new channel

[@joeshmoe7789]

She can narrate for Shawn.

[@robertgeiger2268]

Should have checked out French Drain Man.

[@orca708]

Nice work! Those holes on the pipe should be facing down.

[@rimzalia1362]

KZbin up French Drainman, from Michigan...His idea can make the french drain last longer

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

I will take a look, thank you.

[@DMAX-tp4pc]

That pipe will not work very well you need 6” perforated corrugated pipe.

[@heimannstudios1]

Hate to say it, but I don't think this is going to last. The pipe will likely crack, especially as the temperatures drop. Good luck!

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Hasn't cracked at all and we had plenty of freezes. Thanks.

[@davidfinn3771]

Nice job but extend the pipe under the drive and eliminate the standing water

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

There's a gas line there and would be too big of a project for us but I agree, that would be ideal. 👍

[@juanez8]

What if you don’t have a slope 😭

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

That's harder but maybe you could create your own slope for the pipe and then at the end put pop up drain emitter?

[@cousin_JACK]

hey I don’t have a truck either to transport long items but I have been successful in bringing home 10ft 6x6s as well as trees, yes trees by simply removing the passenger head rest, folding down the back seat and making sure the trunk is clear. The passenger window will have to be down since the long item is likely to stick out a foot and it can be supported by the passenger seat. I made a video showing it kzbin.infoai4D209w0dc/shorts just wanted to let you know because I have a 20 year old Honda accord and I know that 79$ delivery fee is steep indeed.

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

You video made me smile. Thanks!

[@edwardgarrison2377]

If PVC is double the price than why buy it?

[@joeshmoe7789]

More options for fittings, longer life expectancy, stronger near driveway, stronger cemented joints. Not needed in this application.

[@ss_whole]

79 bucks for delivery, are you kidding, I put my 10 foot pipe in my Mustang, fold down the rear seat and a couple feet hanging out the trunk which I bungee down.

[@douglaspierce8480]

To dig 90 feet of clay soil, I would have rented a trencher.

[@amberkelsiebriggs904]

U know that *'Grey rock'*, its kinda a *"Grey area'* ..! Lol 😆 🤣

[@edwardgarrison2377]

And where's is your filter fabric? French drains require filter fabric

[@joeshmoe7789]

She left it open, no fabric needed. Fabric clogs in closed systems.

[@kennethamend8557]

4" in Black corrugated pipe would have been perfect and a lot cheaper. Nice job!!

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Probably because there is so little walking on that area. Thank you for your comment!

[@edwardgarrison2377]

Real french drains don't have catch basin that is a yard drain, there's big difference. Watch the french drain man channel

[@whip205inthebam3]

The French drain man? LOFL

[@joeshmoe7789]

It's not near a basement or crawl space. French Drain Man is a gigantic commercial and his jobs are overkill and insanely expensive.

[@edwardgarrison2377]

Why not have over kill it is better to have more than not have enough don't you think?

[@joeshmoe7789]

@@edwardgarrison2377 Why not? The price. Also, his overkill is 10X overkill. I've also seen his videos where he skips basic preliminary repairs to install his "Over-the-Top" systems.

[@jamesklein7997]

If you don't wrap your stone this will eventually happen sooner than later! kzbin.info/www/bejne/o17KXoqJa7pssJY

[@FumblingwithFlowers]

Cool video. I appreciate all professionals who show their skills. I like the drone footage too. Fortunately our pvc pipe is so smooth and the slope is so dramatic, they are as clear as a newborn's healthy arteries. :)

[@wadewilson5296]

A for effort.

[@sportsbros1232]

Great job!!