French drains are actually an american innovation invented in the 19th century by a new england farmer named henry flagg french.
French drain vs trench drain.
There s a lot of confusion between french drains and trench drains because they sound so similar and because the french drain does incorporate a trench.
Trench drains provide safety and are great for high traffic areas.
Trench drains are usually lined with concrete and sloped appropriately to take advantage of gravity.
To operate properly the drain must have adequate slope and a place to open onto the ground into a drain pipe or somewhere else where water can exit.
French drains are named after henry french a judge and farmer in concord massachusetts who promoted the idea in an 1859 book about farm drainage.
If a trench drain will be a permanent fixture home or business owners can tailor the grating color to better suit its surroundings.
While french drains deal with water that s underground trench drains divert excess water away from the surface.
Even you do not know what trench drains are you must have seen them at least once.
A french drain is a trench covered with gravel rock containing a perforated pipe that redirects surface water and ground water away from an area.
If trench drains channel water that has pooled on the surface of your yard away from your house french drains manage ground water or water that doesn t necessarily pool on the surface but rather seeps through the ground immediately.
A clogged french drain pipe can lead to flooded basements and other problems.
In other words these drain systems for yards are ideal for properties that have to deal with.
What is a trench drain.
While designs over the years have varied modern french drain systems usually feature a trench into which a perforated pipe is laid and then covered with gravel.
A french drain can have perforated hollow pipes along the bottom see images to quickly vent water that seeps down through the upper gravel or rock.
This barrier trench leads the water to a perforated pipe located at the bottom of the trench which transports it to a connected outlet such as a storm sewer sump irrigation cistern or a swale.
However unlike the french drain the trench drain is a surface drainage structure.
Most descriptions of a french drain involve a slotted or perforated pipe a trench geotextile fabric and gravel backfill.
They are usually put on streets near restaurants and big buildings to ensure non slippery and dry walking areas.
The two types of drains most commonly used to tackle excess water problems are surface drains and french drains.
Unlike the french drain the trench drain is a surface structure.
Unfortunately this fact oftentimes is overlooked.
Surface drains vs french drains.
