Advantages of a French Drain

If you’ve just come across the term ‘French drain,’ you might be wondering how it is different from ‘normal’ drains. Well, we’re here to explain what makes them great with our guide on the advantages of a French drain!

A French drain is very easy and quick to install

The first of the advantages of a French drain is how quick and easy it is to install. The most challenging part of the entire process is digging a trench, and anyone can do that! This means that you can even take on the installation of a French drain as a DIY project. Of course, we do not recommend this if you don’t have some experience with landscaping or plumbing installation. But this does mean that getting a French drain is as simple as finding a good local plumber or handyman. You do not need professional contractors who will charge you an arm and a leg. Best of all, installing a French drain should not take long at all. It’s perfectly possible to finish work on it in a single afternoon. This means that your home will not be a construction site for days, and lawn damage will be minimal.

A French drain can fit very nicely into the aesthetic of your yard

Let’s be honest here for a second: most types of drains don’t really look great. They are almost a necessary evil, which frequently clashes with the aesthetic of your yard. French drains, on the other hand, look very nice. The only thing that really stands out about a French drain is the gravel that fills the aforementioned ditch. And the nice thing about gravel? It comes in all sorts of colors and sizes. There’s a limit to how much you can play with the latter, but you are absolutely free to pick whatever color and texture of gravel you want in your French drain. This means that a French drain is often one of the best home improvements to make before selling and one of the best landscaping ideas that add value to your home, too! And you’ll be able to benefit from them while planning the sale, too.

A French drain can offset the dangers of standing water

Of course, one of the biggest advantages of a French drain is the fact that it protects your home from standing water. French drains are much more efficient than ‘normal’ drains. They rely on the characteristics of your soil itself to funnel the water effectively away from your home. This means you will minimize the amount of standing water to practically nothing. Your yard or lawn will dry out much faster, too. This means you will not have to deal with mud as often as you do now. Besides, the effectiveness and design of French drains mean that they are also an excellent way to offset the effects of leaky pipes in your yard! While this won’t treat the core issue, it’ll make things easier until you have the pipe fixed.

A French drain can protect your home’s foundation

A French drain concentrates most of the water that finds its way into your yard into one channel. And then it deposits that water wherever you please. This means that the amount of water that makes it deep into your yard’s soil is not large. Your home’s foundation is firmer and does not have to suffer the stress that standing water typically inflicts on it. You see, standing water is typically pressed down on your foundation, and then, once it evaporates, the pressure is suddenly lifted. This can easily cause cracks or shifting in your foundation due to the stress the process causes. By eliminating this altogether, you spare yourself from expensive repairs.

A French drain lets you direct the water easily

Yet another of the advantages of a French drain is that it makes it easy to direct the water that gets drained away. The most common choice is naturally leading that water to the nearest drainage ditch. But if you want to get particularly creative, you can do whatever you like! You can even have the water deposited in a container if you want to do something with it, such as watering your garden or any crops you decide to grow. The fact that you can reliably keep water away from certain areas also makes erecting a shed or similar for your gardening tools easier. Since, as the storage experts from Centennial Moving note, you want relatively dry conditions for storing tools.

A French drain protects your yard from erosion

If you love your yard and do your best to make it as pretty as possible, we have good news for you. One of the most important advantages of a French drain is that it protects the yard from erosion. Yard erosion is caused by water that does not have a set way of draining. The water keeps sliding down your yard’s full surface and ruins its topsoil quality. A French drain, however, provides a perfect drainage channel. This spares most of your yard from erosion and keeps the topsoil in perfect condition to nurture grass or flowers.

French drains are very long-lasting

The final advantage of a French drain is that they are very long-lasting. The pipes used in the construction of a French drain are typically plastic, which makes them very resistant to damage. Gravel, of course, suffers pretty much no damage. And these are the two main components of a French drain! Even if you notice any problems with it, as long as you can find a plumber near you, it is easy to fix any damage.

Incorporating the advantage of a French drain

With all the advantages of a French drain we listed, it should be clear that they are a worthwhile addition to any home. All you have to do is figure out the design which best complements your property and then call in a professional! Once you have a French drain, you’ll see exactly what you’ve missed.