Before you lay the pipe in the trench, shovel in a bottom layer of 1-1/2-in. Water always wants to travel the path of least resistance. Dig a trench around the entire interior foundation, using the foundation as a guide. How to Install French Drains. 694K views 7 years ago #trench #digging #HWDsouthDIY There are many videos on how to dig a trench for a drainage line. data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAKAAAAB4CAYAAAB1ovlvAAAAAXNSR0IArs4c6QAAAnpJREFUeF7t17Fpw1AARdFv7WJN4EVcawrPJZeeR3u4kiGQkCYJaXxBHLUSPHT/AaHTvu. 694K views 7 years ago #trench #digging #HWDsouthDIY There are many videos on how to dig a trench for a drainage line. The linear french drain should be about 2 feet deep and 6 inches wide. This size trench takes an excessive amount of time and energy to dig by hand. Dig a trench around the perimeter of the foundation. If youre installing a French drain, use perforated drain tubing. You will have to dig a trench all the way around the wall line and surround the pipe with gravel, just like an exterior pipe. Cover the drain with gravel and then cover it with dirt. First, a drainage trench is dug, sloping in the direction you want the. So you’re basically paying for someone to dig a massive trench by hand. Dig a trench from the place in your yard that needs drainage to your chosen outlet. Digging your drainage ditch trench is the most critical part! However, it’s also easy to get wrong. Step 4 - Dig Break ground with either a shovel or a trench digger. Often, trench width is dictated by the equipment you are using and how much you want to dig. Because there is a direct relationship between the diameter of a drain pipe and its relative effectiveness, your trench should be at least 12 inches wide. First, a drainage trench is dug, sloping in the direction you want. [13] [14] Begin the digging 4-6 feet (1. Digging Your Trench Step 5. In our case, the trench is about 200mm wide (65mm space + 65mm pipe + 65mm space) and 180mm deep. com>Got a chronically wet yard? Dig a drainage trench. Assemble and install the dry well 9. When digging the swale, the sides should be three to four times wider than tall. The pipe should slope toward the basin at least 1/4 in. 0:00 / 10:45 How I Fixed the Drainage Problem on My Property: Digging a Drainage Trench With the Backhoe Mike Kincaid 381K subscribers 34K views 5 years ago Finally got the drainage. Cover and bury the dry well 10. In other words, a 12-inch-wide-trench leaves. Thats why were passionate about the following five-step trench -digging game plan. washed river rock (a layer of smaller rock can become clogged with minerals and sediments). A linear French drain is simply a moat, or gutter-in-the-ground, that protects your yard or house from sub-surface or surface water. Calculate Ditch Depth and Ditch Slope. The trench should be about 18 inches deep and 9 to 12 inches wide. Take the soil dug from the trench and place it on the downhill side. Step 1 1/5 Decide where to put your drain, and then dig your trench. First, dig a “French trench. To provide great drainage around your home, you should always have the ground slope away from your home. I’ve seen them as small as 6 inches or as wide as 24 inches. ” Whether installed in the yard or the basement, a French drain works on the same principle. Dig a trench along the outside of your footing. Install a French drainage system around the base of the home – Dig a trench around the foundation, line it with gravel, and install a perforated drain to drain the water. Deep Should a French Drain be Installed. Putting one in your yard involves digging a trench about 2 feet deep then lining it with water-permeable landscape fabric. Digging Your Trench Step 5. Connect pipes to the drain to carry the water safely away from your yard and home. In the area where water is to be collected, the sides and bottom of the trench are lined with filter fabric to keep dirt from washing in and clogging the drain. The drainage system works because water finds it infinitely easier to flow down through the gravel than push its way through the soil. Digging your Drainage Trench: Trench widths can vary. Dig the trench deep enough to drain downhill from the side of the dry well. How to Build a French Drain: Easy DIY Guide. Lay the pipe on the virgin soil. An area drain can carry water away from the structure, particularly when your property slopes toward your house. A French drain is ideal for carrying away surface water which builds up around walls, on driveways or in waterlogged areas of a lawn or garden. But do as little side digging as possible until you have located the sewer line. The trench should be at least 2 feet wide, and can be as deep as 6 feet for a basement or as shallow as two feet for a slab-on-grade home. How to Install a French Drain. Bobcat E50~Digging Close to a House. Once the fabric is laid, add a few inches of gravel and lay down a drainpipe that is punctured with several holes. If your intent is to protect your house from water, you construct the trench approximately 4-6 feet away from the foundation. To provide great drainage around your home, you should always have the ground slope away from your home. Dig a shallow trench to redirect surface water. How to Install a Catch Basin Drainage System for Your Yard. Digging your Drainage Trench: Trench widths can vary. Make the trench about 6 inches (15 cm) wide and about 24 inches (61 cm) deep. The bottom of the trench should be parallel with the top of the artificial channel until it gets around your home. Pound in two stakes 4 feet from the house and directly in front of each downspout. To Divert Water Away From Your Home. Create a Trench and Add Gravel Referring to spray paint marks, use shovel to dig a 6 wide trench with a depth no greater than that of the nearest foundation (Image 1). Use a sledgehammer to drive stakes/markers into the soil in the trench every four feet or so. Next, run that string to the next stake and wrap it around. Drainage trenches are usually about 12 inches wide and 18 to 24 inches deep. Tie a string from one of the stakes to the other. Basement Waterproofing: How to Install a Basement Drainage …. Use your outdoor sprinkler system design to guide you as you mark and then dig trenches for your in-ground sprinkler system. Enlist the help of a family member, friend, or neighbor if possible. 5 Tips to Improve Drainage Around Your Foundation. A French drain collects water below the surface and transports it away from the home. Installing an exterior drainage system is another way to keep water away from the foundation. The trench extends past your home towards the lowest point of your lot. When your house sits at the bottom of a sloping yard, you can install a trench drain between the foundation and the yard. You’ll need it for a variety of projects, which include: Foundation footings. Excavate desired area of garden bed to a depth. How To Install A Foundation Drainage System (DIY). The narrow round point is great for penetrating sod, hard soil, and dirt with rocks. How Much Does a French Drain Cost?. That’s why we’re passionate about the following five-step trench-digging game plan. How to Dig a Sewer Line Trench. Next, observe the swale during a heavy rain event. Start at the problem area and direct the water away from your home. Youll also need at least 3 in. Dig Drainage Trench Around HouseTrench digging costs $400 to $1,200. The price of a French drain varies, but it usually costs between $2,000 and $3,000 for a full installation. Deep footing or weeping tile drains run around the perimeter of a house and stop groundwater from entering the basement. Step 1: Dig the trench Prior to doing any digging, you’ll have to prepare your property. The average cost to install a trench drain is $30 to $150 per linear foot, depending on the grate and channel material (plastic, metal, or concrete). Before you dig the trench, you should measure the elevation of the ground and study if there is a natural slope leading outward and downward from the property. Dig the trench 4. Fill the bottom of the trench with large crushed rock. Cover it with gravel and then soil, and make sure that the trench slopes downward so that the water is flowing away from. Dig one or more drainage ditches that direct water toward a low spot in your yard. 10 Steps On How to Install A Trench Drain 1. Exterior French drain installation costs $10 to $35 per linear foot or $1,000 to $4,000 for around the house, yard, and curtain drain systems. Trenching Cost & Conduit Installation Per Foot. If French drains actually worked 100% of the time and solved the drainage issues they’re meant to fix, they’d be worth the money. The trench should be 2 feet (0. 694K views 7 years ago #trench #digging #HWDsouthDIY There are many videos on how to dig a trench for a drainage line. Yard trench drains cost $30 to $90 per. The trench should be at least 2 feet wide, and can be as deep as 6 feet for a basement or as shallow as two feet for a slab-on-grade home. A backhoe is appropriate if you are digging a trench for a house foundation that is three or four feet wide and five or six feet deep. Install the Pipe in a Trench: Connect the lengths of tubing and place them over a bed of gravel. How I Fixed the Drainage Problem on My Property: Digging a. A typical trench will be 18 inches deep and 9-12 inches wide, with a slope of one inch every 10 feet. 0:00 / 10:45 How I Fixed the Drainage Problem on My Property: Digging a Drainage Trench With the Backhoe Mike Kincaid 381K subscribers 34K views 5 years ago Finally got the drainage. Fill the bottom of the trench with large crushed rock, setting field stones or larger flat stones into the sides to help shape and support it. Step 1: Lay out the Trench Use a string and 1×2 stakes to lay out the trench. Gather Your Trench Digging Equipment Step 4. Dig the Sewer Trench Dig straight down, minimizing side digging as much as possible for the time being. A French drain is ideal for carrying away surface water which builds up around walls, on driveways or in waterlogged areas of a lawn or garden. How to Build a Swale to Improve Yard Drainage. Tip: Proper trenches run parallel to buildings and horizontally across slopes. Rent a backhoe to dig large trenches. Digging a Trench for Drainage In Five Easy Steps Step 1. Im showing you how I did it and saved myself some time. First, dig a French trench. Step 4 - Dig Break ground with either a shovel or a trench digger. It makes the work easy and quick. Use a spade to dig a trench wide enough to accommodate the drain pipe, plus a bit of room on either side for gravel. Install A Foundation Drainage System. Backyard Drainage Solutions / Ask This Old House This Old House 1. Dig out the trench with a sturdy shovel. Dig a drainage ditch about twice as wide as it is deep. com>Building a Drainage Ditch. Start digging the trench. The drainage system works because water finds it infinitely easier to flow down through the gravel than push its way through the soil. When your house sits at the bottom of a sloping yard, you can install a trench drain between the foundation and the yard. In many cases, the trench system is U. Store Dirt Under Plastic Sheeting. Trying to break up hard soil with a shovel will quickly wear you out. The cost to regrade your driveway is approximately $2 to $15 per square foot. One of the most common fixes for poor drainage is to add dirt and slope it away from the foundation of your house at a 1-inch slope per one foot of horizontal run. Dig out the trench with a sturdy shovel. Dig a Drainage Trench to Avoid Basement Flooding. Measure your slope to ensure the ground falls at least 1 inch every 10 feet. Once excavated, new drain tile can be installed for about $100 per foot. Take the stakes, and mark one-inch intervals along each stake. This ditch should solve your problems with standing water near your home. Such drains may showcase a flat bottom which is sometimes a bit difficult to dig with hand trench digging tools. Building a Drainage Ditch. Start by digging a trench around the house, lay a drainpipe with holes in the trench, then. The pipe will direct water away from the foundation. Tips for Installing a French Drain. Take the soil dug from the trench and place it on the downhill side. Assuming your lot isn’t shaped like a large salad bowl with the house at the bottom center, look for a spot that’s lower than the house to drain the excess water. 3 Ways to Drain Water Away from Your Home. Only use the shovel to remove loose soil once you have broken it up with the pick axe. Drainage Problem on My Property: Digging a >How I Fixed the Drainage Problem on My Property: Digging a. The drain itself is typically a trench running a couple of feet typically from the house and going down below the frost line. An Easy Way to Dig a Trench. Then add gravel on the sides and. 8 m) away from the foundation of your home. Lay the pipe leading to and from the dry well 8. A drainage ditch is a great way to drain excess water from a lawn. Step 2. Before implementing any other DIY. First, call your utility companies and have them mark where your utility lines are buried to make sure you don’t hit them while digging. A drainage ditch is a great way to drain excess water from a lawn. How to Dig a Drainage Ditch. Often, trench width is dictated by the equipment you are using and how much you. Tips for Installing a French Drain. Pour 3 inches of gravel into the trench 6. Step 1 Loosen hard soil using a pick axe. Exterior drainage Installing an exterior drainage system is another way to keep water away from the foundation. Start by digging a trench around the house, lay a drainpipe with holes in the trench, then cover it with gravel. The rule of thumb is that your pipe should have a space equal to its own width on either side, and at least 100mm from its top to the finished level before the turf is replaced. Create a trench with a slope away from the soaked area of the yard. Ive seen them as small as 6 inches or as wide as 24 inches. Dig a trench on a slope away from your home, then line it with drainage fabric, fill it with stone, and lay a perforated pipe. In our case, the trench is about 200mm wide (65mm space + 65mm pipe + 65mm space) and 180mm deep. Plan before you dig 2. I’ve seen them as small as 6 inches or as wide as 24 inches. The average cost to dig 100 linear feet of trench is $800. Interior perimeter French drains cost $40 to $85 per linear foot or $4,000 to $15,000 for crawl space and basement drain systems. Dig out the floor of your basement along the path of the drain. 10 Easy Ways to Handle Roof Runoff Without Gutters. Backyard Drainage Solutions. The trench will need to be dug down to the footers of the foundation and be about 4 wide. If you need to use a digging machine, you may. Gather Your Trench Digging Equipment. Video of the Day Step 2 Define the sides of the trench using the point of your shovel. How to install garden drainage. Dig a drainage ditch about twice as wide as it is deep. Dig a shallow trench to redirect surface water. How to Make a Basement French Drain: 7 Steps (with Pictures). Tips for Installing a French Drain. Fill the bottom of the trench with large crushed rock. Digging a Trench for Drainage In Five Easy Steps Step 1. Water Drainage System Around Your House. When you want to flush out the system, you just turn on the water to the inside pipe, Mr. Whether installed in the yard or the basement, a French drain works on the same principle. Place one stake, and bury it up to the one-inch mark where you want to start your drainage ditch. The cost per linear foot ranges between $4 and $12. Watch our sprinkler system design video and our irrigation installation video to learn more about designing and installing your in-ground lawn sprinkler. What’s the Average Cost to Level a Yard?. Step 1: Lay out the Trench Use a string and 1×2 stakes to lay out the trench. The sides should be gentle and sloping, not steep. Use a spade to dig a trench wide enough to accommodate the drain pipe, plus a bit of room on either side for gravel. When your house sits at the bottom of a sloping yard, you can install a trench drain between the foundation and the yard. French drains need to have a slope of at least 1 percent, so the force of gravity will work for you. Building a Retaining Wall: 8 Dos and Donts. The top 8 inches of soil should be well-draining, so be sure to. Remove the soil beneath with a shovel. Lay landscape fabric and gravel along the bottom. DIY Yard Drainage Methods. Install the Pipe in a Trench: Connect the lengths of tubing and place them over a bed of gravel. The greatest strategy to keep water away from your home’s foundation is to have proper drainage. The building code used to require that the ground should have 6 inches of fall in the first 10 feet of horizontal run away from your home. To test whether your swale trench is level, work the A-frame level along the bottom of the trench,. This size trench takes an excessive. Pound in two stakes 4 feet from the house and directly in front of each downspout. Fill the trench with gravel or other crushed rock, which will permit ground-level water to enter your drain. If not, you might need to reevaluate the source or modify your trench. Follow your marked route, taking care to avoid any flagged municipal pipes or cables. To test whether your swale trench is level, work the A-frame level along the bottom of the trench, as shown in the video above in Step Three. Drainage System The trenching costs for a drainage system sit around $1,900 to $5,000, depending on if you do the trenching yourself. If it doesnt, plan to deepen your trench as you dig, to create an artificial slope to draw water away from the flooded area. Astana $ 245,000 per month / Negotiable 1 Bedroom apartment + Hall in the center of Astana Flat for rent, 1 bedroom, 50m2 last month. For digging shallow trenches, the drainage spade is your go-to tool. A French drain is essentially a gravel-filled trench that includes a perforated pipe which acts as a drain around your home. Steps for Installing a French Drain The steps include digging a trench whose bottom slopes, and that is long enough to lead to a discharge point. Dig out the trench with a sturdy shovel. Trenching Hoe Also known as the Grub hoe, it is effective for digging trenches up to 24×5 inches. Drainage Ditch Finishing Let’s also examine these five trench-digging steps in closer detail. If you are unfamiliar with these machines and you can afford it, hire someone to do it. Water will run into the trench and run to a collection pond or to. Dig the trench deep enough to drain downhill from the side of the dry well. Backyard Drainage Solutions / Ask This Old House This Old House 1. Use striping spray paint to mark the drainage route. Rent a backhoe to dig large trenches. Often, trench width is dictated by the equipment you are using and how much you want to dig. Take a string and tie it where the pipe should start. Installing an exterior drainage system is another way to keep water away from the foundation. You want a gentle slope from the edges of the trench to the center. Install a drain system at the high point of the trench. One of the most common fixes for poor drainage is to add dirt and slope it away from the foundation of your house at a 1-inch slope per one foot of horizontal run. Pros and Cons to Installing a French Drain for Your Home. If this is the case then the French drain can be six inches wide and you can aim for a depth of a foot or a foot and a half. So you’re basically paying for someone to dig a massive trench by hand. Taking Care of Your French Drain in the Winter Many homeowners— rightfully so— wonder if their French drain will continue to work properly in the winter. Dig a trench about 10–12 in (25–30 cm) wide and 1. How to Install a Drainage System Around the Foundation of a …. This will ensure the drain can catch any water on the surface of your property near your home and channel it away to a safe draining spot. You’ll also need at least 3 in. Put a rock border in place around the garden. You will also need to dig a trench away from the foundation to either a percolation trench, dry well or to daylight if the slope of the land allows. The greatest strategy to keep water away from your home’s foundation is to have proper drainage. First, dig a “French trench. Step 6: Test and adjust the swale. Cover the drain with gravel and then cover it with dirt. Fill in the trench around the tubing with additional gravel. drainage issues?>Who is the right professional to call for drainage issues?. 1M views 7 years ago Roger Cook shows Kevin O’Connor a few ways to handle storm water, including. Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan, covers more than 722 square kilometers and its population in 2017 was about 1. How To Dig A Trench For Drainage: The Ultimate Guide for DIYERS. Exterior drainage. According to the March 2000 edition of The Family Handyman and the Chicago. 5K subscribers Digging a trench for a french drain beside a house. A yard trench drain is another type of surface drain that catches water and melting snow before it has a chance to saturate the surface of a yard. Plan and Design Your Drainage Ditch Step 2. Exterior drainage Installing an exterior drainage system is another way to keep water away from the foundation. Dig a trench about 10–12 in (25–30 cm) wide and 1. ” Whether installed in the yard or the basement, a French drain works on the same principle. Next, make sure that the trench will use elevation properly to direct water away from the structure. The linear french drain should be about 2 feet deep and 6 inches wide. Bobcat E50~Digging Close to a House 25,202 views Jun 3, 2016 155 Dislike Share Save JimHowDigsDirt 28. Dig the trench 4. Dig the Trench Stake out the area to be trenched with the string and stakes. Extend the trench to the lowest part of your yard. Cross-section of a Linear French Drain including the all-important perforated french drain pipe. (vii) conduct stock-taking of Astana water infrastructures and assessment of their performance; (viii) development a GIS-based data and information system for Astanas water management, with initial data set inputted;. Plan and Design Your Drainage Ditch Step 2. In the area where water is to be collected, the sides and bottom of the. Drainage trenches are usually about 12 inches wide and 18 to 24 inches deep. Plant water loving species, such as lilies, irises, sedges, and coneflowers. A French drain is ideal for carrying away surface water which builds up around walls, on driveways or in waterlogged areas of a lawn or garden. Before you dig the trench, you should measure the elevation of the ground and study if there is a natural slope leading outward and downward from the property. Regrading your driveway will allow it to drain water more efficiently, reducing the chance of water seeping in and causing cracks. PDF Terms of Reference for Consultants. 10 Steps On How to Install A Trench Drain 1. flood control, including efficient street drainage; and e. For digging shallow trenches, the drainage spade is your go-to tool. How to Install a Drainage System Around the Foundation of a House. Lay landscaping fabric in the trench 5. First, a drainage trench is dug, sloping in the direction you want. French Drains: How They Work, and How to Install …. Dig a Trench for Drainage In 5 Easy Steps!. Dig the Trench. Dig one or more drainage ditches that direct water toward a low spot in your yard. Cost To Install Trench or Channel Drain. A backhoe makes it easy to dig a wide trench while shoveling is a lot of work. Let’s take things slow and look at trench depth and slope – before we dig! How Deep to Dig Your Drainage Trench. The linear french drain should be about 2 feet deep and 6 inches wide. Create a trench with a slope away from the soaked area of the yard. Yard trench drains cost $30 to $90 per. A backhoe makes it easy to dig a wide trench while shoveling is a lot of work. Keep these tips in mind when looking for services: Laying sprinkler systems: most landscapers do this themselves. [3] The trench in which you place the drain should be about 8 inches (or 20 cm) wide and 18 inches (or 45 cm) deep. However deep you dig, remember the width of the trench should be greater than the depth. A French drain collects water below the surface and transports it away from the home. Use a line level to make sure your string is level. In many cases, the trench system is U shaped as it passes around your house. Steps for Installing a French Drain The steps include digging a trench whose bottom slopes, and that is long enough to lead to a discharge point. Step 1 Loosen hard soil using a pick axe. Next, make sure that the trench will use elevation properly to direct water away from the structure. Extend the trench to the lowest part of your yard. Water Away From the House. Got a chronically wet yard? Dig a drainage trench. The trench is typically between 8 inches and 24 inches from the foundation. Tie the string to the downspout, then stretch it out and around all the stakes. 17 Great Tips for Landscaping Your Backyard Step 6 Create a Dry Well Family Handyman. The drainage system works because water finds it infinitely easier to flow down through the gravel than push its way through the soil. Rake the rock around to achieve this pitch. How to Build a Swale in the Home Landscape. It is very important that the pipe always be sloped from a higher starting point to an. Drainage Ditch Finishing How Long Will it Take to Dig a Drainage Trench? Blind Drains Conclusion. An area drain can carry water away from the structure, particularly when your property slopes toward your house. French Drains: How They Work, and How to Install Them. The trench will need to be dug down to the footers of the foundation and be about 4 wide. You will have to dig a trench all the way around the wall line and surround the pipe with gravel, just like an exterior pipe. If this is the case then the French drain can be six inches wide and you can aim for a depth of a foot or a foot and a half. Before you dig the trench, you should measure the elevation of the ground and study if there is a natural slope leading outward and downward from the property. Check for underground utility lines and pipes before digging. Step 2: Create a proper slope. YOUR HOME; How to Deal With Water In Basement. Astana $ 200,000 per month 1 Bedroom apartment for rent Flat for rent, 1 bedroom, 55m2 last month. Install a French drainage system around the base of the home – Dig a trench around the foundation, line it with gravel, and install a perforated drain to drain the water. A French drain collects water below the surface and transports it away from the home. French drain cost per foot - chart French drain cost. Trench drains are set into. Exterior French drain installation costs $10 to $35 per linear foot or $1,000 to $4,000 for around the house, yard, and curtain drain systems. Professionals use trenches to place utilities underground, install lawn sprinklers, or devise a drainage system on your property. You may want to use the topsoil around the ditch, or for other projects in your garden. Drainage trenches are usually about 12 inches wide and 18 to 24 inches deep. Most drains use a 4-inch meter pipe. Calculate Ditch Depth and Ditch Slope Step 3. Build a Dry Well Diverting water away from the house with rain gutters and. A drainage ditch is a great way to drain excess water from a lawn. It is a relatively simple and cost effective way of draining land, and it does not require specialist tools or complicated equipment. Dig a trench along the outside of your footing. Dig a shallow trench to redirect surface water. Before implementing any other DIY drainage method, this should always be the first one that you consider because its easy, inexpensive, and effective. Steps for Installing a French Drain The steps include digging a trench whose bottom slopes, and that is long enough to lead to a discharge point. The top 8 inches of soil should be well-draining, so be sure to check it. When digging the swale, the sides should be three to four times wider than tall. Step 1: Lay out the Trench Use a string and 1×2 stakes to lay out the trench. Water will run into the trench and run to a collection pond or to. How to Install a French Drain (with Pictures). Digging your drainage ditch trench is the most critical part! However, it’s also easy to get wrong. Putting one in your yard involves digging a trench about 2 feet deep then lining it with water-permeable landscape fabric. Astana 350,000 per month / Negotiable 2-bedroom apt next to EXPO Astana Flat for rent, 2 bedrooms, 55m2 last month. 12 DIY Yard Drainage Methods. Use a pickaxe or a jackhammer to break through the floor of the basement. Drain Water From the Side of a House. Step 1 1/5 Decide where to put your drain, and then dig your trench. For a stacked-block retaining wall that’s no higher than four feet, a trench filled with three inches of crushed rock will help keep the wall from shifting and settling. Let’s take things slow and look at trench depth and slope – before we dig! How Deep to Dig Your Drainage Trench. Aim for a depth between 18 and 24 inches. Dig a trench around the perimeter of the foundation. of crushed rock to add to the bottom of the trench to promote water absorption. Those with yard drainage issues like excess flooding and soggy yards can opt to install a drainage system to help save their yard. How To Divert Water Away From Your Home. Step 1: Dig the trench Prior to doing any digging, you’ll have to prepare your property. Dig the trench deep enough to drain downhill from the side of the dry well. Then, use the trenching shovel to remove the turf and to dig the trench from the catch basin to the intended exit point. Digging your drainage ditch trench is the most critical part! However, it’s also easy to get wrong. Excavate desired area of garden bed to a depth of 4–8 inches to hold water. First, call your utility companies and have them mark where your utility lines are buried to make sure you don’t hit them while digging. Most drains use a 4-inch meter pipe. Fill the trench with gravel or other crushed rock, which will permit ground-level water to enter your drain. The trench should be 2 feet (0. The drainage spade is made for digging shallow rough trenches up to about 12 inches deep and 5 inches wide. Wide trenches do afford several important advantages. Plan your drainage trench. Installing a French Drain for Your Home>Pros and Cons to Installing a French Drain for Your Home. The pipe slope can be reduced when the pipe passes the house. Assuming your lot isnt shaped like a large salad bowl with the house at the bottom center, look for a spot thats lower than the house to drain the excess water. You want the drain pipe to be deep enough that it will be below the frost line so that water flowing inside the pipe will not freeze and crack it. The bottom of the trench should be parallel with the top of the artificial channel until it gets around your home. Take the soil dug from the trench and place it on the downhill side.