Do I Need a French Drain?

A French drain is a slightly sloped trench, filled with round gravel and a pipe, which diverts water away from your building’s foundation, or other another area, such as a parking lot, by using the principle of gravity. It is not named after the country but after Henry French, a judge and Farmer from Concord, MA, in 1859 who promoted the idea. A French drain provides an easy channel for the water to flow through and then to empty into a safe distance away from your protected structure or area.

But do you need a French drain? Is it the right choice for you? If you are considering installing one of these easy marvels, the Pittsburgh French drain installation professionals at J Bird’s Landscaping are here to help you make an informed decision. A French drain can be installed behind a retaining wall to relieve ground water pressure and divert the water away from your building. Water will build up behind the wall and undermine the strength of the wall, without the use of the French drain.

If surface water is your problem, our experts can install a shallow French drain and prevent your soggy lawn and the washed-out driveway. This is a horizontal drain, directly uphill from your problem area. With all the hills in Pittsburgh, only an expert is going to be able to install the French drains thoroughly. Trust J Bird’s for this installation.

A wet basement is another reason to install a French drain. A deep drain can be installed easily during the construction of a house but not as easily once your house has been built. Deep trenches are dug around the perimeter of the house at the foundations catch the water before it gets into the home. Landscaping, walks, and other structures around the house may have to be ripped out to add this type of drain. An Interior French Drain can be added inside the house, the surest way of keeping your basement dry. This type of drain will catch the water before it seeps into the basement. The interior walls of the basement must be removed to add this type of drain and a sump pump pumps the water collected in the tank sunk in the floor back outside, into a drainage ditch or storm pipe.

French drain installation in Pittsburgh should be done by the experts at J Bird’s Landscaping. Give us a call and we will work to figure out what your drainage needs are at your home.