How We Do It: Exterior Drain Tile

[@robertreneefaiks9235]

After saying that the french drain pipe holes were to be on the bottom, the video shows them on the upper side, and then they coverit with a sock so you can't see what they did. Strange.

[@Therealsealllc]

Hi Robert! They were just placing the Drain Tile down to line it up, and then switched the holes to the bottom. The sock is put on there, with every system installed, not to "hide" the holes but to help filter out debris and particulates that would clog the system. It is standard on every Drain Tile, except those with an Iron Ochre infection.

[@shihuna]

I was under the impression that landscaping fabric should wrap around some stone under the pipe, the pipe itself, and all of the stone above the pipe, completely preventing soil to enter the drain system. The video makes it look like soil on the side of the stone could enter the system, as the fabric was only laid on top of the stone.

[@Therealsealllc]

There is not much concern of dirt entering the system from underneath the pipe. The reason for this is the pipe is already laid in a bed of stone. The compacted dirt underneath the stone bed has very little chance of ever loosening up and coming up through the pipe. The same goes for the soil on the side. As water flows down, it will bring loose backfilled dirt and debris with it, hence needing landscape fabric on top to stop that soil from coming down with the water. Even with tamping the dirt down with machines, that dirt on top is looser and can be brough down with gravity in the water. Standard practice is to just use landscape fabric on top. The pipe itself has a sock (cloth filter) over it as well to help prevent the dirt from entering the system.

[@High-Flow-Drainage-Solutions]

Hi sir. We install a lot of geotextile encapsulated French drains. That being said, only covering the top of the french drain with geotextile in a scenario like the one in this video is completely fine.

[@shihuna]

@@High-Flow-Drainage-Solutions Yes, why?

[@Therealsealllc]

@@shihuna Hi and great question! As I stated above, beneath the Drain Tile is a layer of stone, which helps to filter the dirt out. You have less worry of dirt coming up from underneath the Drain Tile as you do from it coming down from above with the movement of the water.

[@Therealsealllc]

@@High-Flow-Drainage-Solutions Thank you sir!