How to Put in a French Drain around a Basement

Basement flooding can become a serious problem if you receive heavy rain or snow falls throughout the year. Over time, the soil around the home may erode, allowing water to seep down the basement walls and into the basement. Installing a drain to guide water away from the home is one of the most cost-effective ways to solve basement flooding. A simple French drain uses a trench dug on a slight slope and filled with gravel to guide water away from your basement walls.

Shovel
Fine washed gravel
4-by-4 lumber
4-inch diameter perforated pipe
1-inch gravel
Dirt

Instructions

- 1
  Build up dirt around the outside of the basement walls to create a gradient leading away from the home.
- 2
  Dig a trench 6 inches wide and 24 inches deep all the way around the house, 6 feet out from the basement wall. Your roof drains should bring the water out to at least that area.
- 3
  Dig another trench that connects to the first that slopes down through the yard, preferably toward a stream. This draws the water in the first trench away from the home.
- 4
  Compact the soil at the bottom of the trench, using a 4-by-4.
- 5
  Spread two inches of washed gravel in the bottom of the trench.
- 6
  Set 4-inch diameter perforated pipe, cut to the size of the trench, on top of the gravel. Hook the corners together, using connectors.
- 7
  Cover the pipe with one-inch large, washed gravel, then fill the rest of the trench with the fine washed gravel used before. Cover the gravel with dirt and grass to cover it.

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