Spent $350 on a French drain in my backyard and it actually made things WORSE

3 comments

3 Comments

Yeah but here's something nobody's brought up yet - if your pipes are too deep or you dig them right into that clay layer a lot of us have, you're basically just hitting a hardpan that won't drain anywhere. @casey_wood2 I bet that's what happened to your neighbor too. I dug mine shallow, like 10 inches down, and aimed it at a spot in my yard that actually slopes away naturally. Way less chance of it turning into a swamp underground if you keep everything near the surface where water can at least wick sideways.

casey_wood212d ago

I used to think any drainage was better than none, but after seeing how a bad install can backfire like this, my whole view shifted. My neighbor did the same thing last spring and his yard turned into a swamp.

ray13612d ago

People don't realize that bad drainage can actually pull water TOWARD your foundation instead of away from it. That neighbor probably had his pipes sloping wrong or used cheap corrugated tubing that got crushed flat. Once that happens, you've basically created an underground swimming pool next to your house. The fix is always way more Expensive than doing it right the first time. Worth paying for a professional just to check your slope and outlet position before you dig.