French drain put in backwards, now basement floods, help?

Question

I moved in a new house and the previous owner said the french drain was put in backwards so thats why the basement floods when it rains, I don't know anything at all bout this type of thing, please give some ideas, thank ya

Answer 1

If the previous owner knew it was put in backwards then  they should have made the installers correct their error.Now you could find out who did the work and check with them to see if the problem could be made right do to the fact that it was their mistake at this point it would kind of depend on how long ago it was done?? Or if you have any legal options at this point.

Answer 2

I did a french drain myself last year.  It is hard work, because of the digging, but you can do it yourself.  You just have to make sure the drain is sloped away from your house.  

I dug the trench & made sure it sloped the entire length so there were no places where the water would puddle.  I lined the trench with plastic, filled it up with rocks, and now I just watch it do its job.  No more standing water next to my house every time it rains.  Lowes & Home Depot sell a flexable pipe with holes in it.  I have seen this put into the trench & then rocks covering it.  

This site tells you how:

http://www.essortment.com/home/doityours...

Answer 3

In addition to the comments above the drain may also be undersized compared to the volume of water it has to move.  Do everything you can to stop the water from even getting to the FD.  Start by extending your downspouts away from the house and I don’t mean those splash guards or some type of extension that just moves the water out 4 feet.  You need to install 4” drain piping and move that water out 20 or 30 feet from  your house.  In a moderate rain storm where you may get a half inch of rainfall in an hour your roof runoff could be several hundred gallons.  All that water needs to go somewhere and down next to your foundation isn’t the place.

Also, make sure your landscaping is graded correctly and is pitched at least 2” for every foot of run away from your house.  So, if you are standing 10’ from your house the grade should be 20” higher at the foundation than where you are standing.  

Answer 4

I agree with all of the previous answers.  One additional thought: often the surface water (from roof, gutters etc.) is combined with the sub-surface water (French Drain).  This is a big mistake as surface water now overwhelms the gravel in the French drain and effectively adds water to a problem area.  The same trench can be used for surface & ground water, but the surface water must be contained to its own solid piping whereas the French drain pipe has holes in it (holes positioned down…).

Answer 5

A French drain is a trench in the dirt that is sloped away from where you want the water to be drained. It is then filled with rocks or gravel to prevent erosion of the dirt as the water runs through the trench.

So, if the French drain was "put in backward," I can only assume you mean that it isn't properly sloped away from the basement.

The fix, then, would be to remove the rocks and redig the trench, such that it does slope away from the basement.

Answer 6

What you describe is not possible, the outlet pipe is probably partially blocked or the outlet of the drain is too high relative to inlet.  The French drain system is a wide long water trap that goes to a drain pipe.  Once it is installed, the water should run out. Since it does not, something is blocked. Open the drain cover and remove all of the dirt collected there and put a water hose down the drain to try and verify it is clear.  You may need Roto Rooter type cleaning.

   It is an existing defect that should have been disclosed and proper steps taken to repair the problem before closing.  Full disclosure in Real Estate is now required.