I need help with a french drain....??

Question

We are decided if a french drain might be exactly what we need for our mobile home. We live on a sloping hill and water always puddles in front of and under our home. Is a french drain the best solution....if so do we use pvc pipe with holes or something else?? Any suggestion on how to install it ourselves???

Answer 1

There are probably many different solutions to your problem.

A French Drain is a good one if it is done correctly.

Make sure after you dig your trench you cover the bottom with some type of gravel before you put any pipe in.

When I put one in it was more like a small sump well,with PVC pipe leading from the area. I did not use PVC with the holes in it.

Answer 2

We have one at our DayCare. I'm not sure if you can get the materials to install it yourself. Ours is a "very" long rectangular box. About 6"x6". The drain runs out into the parking lot. We have trouble keeping the grating over the drain area clean. I guess you could used large PVC with holes drilled in the top. Keeping the holes open is the problem. You can get flexible hose that you can use for the actual drain pipe and bury it.

Answer 3

We used to have that problem when we had a yard with irrigation.  Dig a three-foot trench in the area where the water pools.  Make sure you use some of the dirt to provide a slope away from your mobile home to the trench.  Backfill with large stones, then medium, then small, in successivly decreasing sizes, until you can throw the remaining dirt back to hide the drain.

Answer 4

Made one once to remove excess water from patio area. I hand dug an 18 inch deep trench, 12" wide, from that area to the front of the house, which sloped away, lined it with tar paper, then gravel and 4" PVC pipe with top holes, more gravel and a top cover or tar paper to prevent soil from getting into pipe. Covered it over with soil and sod. Trench needs to slope away of course as you go. Worked well, no grate or anything, opening at end with some wire mesh.