Oklahoma City French Drain

OKLAHOMA CITY FRENCH DRAIN

 

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Oklahoma City is one of the communities in  Oklahoma that CMG services.  We have installed almost a thousand French Drains in the Oklahoma City community in the past 21 years.  Oklahoma City  has many hills and valleys.  Many Neighborhoods are built on hillsides.  This causes many Drainage Problems.  CMG has installed French Drains by themselves and as a part of Drainage Systems to protect Driveways, Sidewalks, Foundations all over Edmond.  French Drains may be installed in Flower Beds or grassy areas too.  French Drains when installed correctly can provide many years of property protection and Piece of Mind.

French Drain in Oklahoma City

 

CMG has 21 years of experience installing French Drains, and Drainage Systems.  This ensures that a Drainage System that we install won't have Drain Pipes that are too small, or Surface Drains installed where French Drains Should be placed, or Exit Points that allow water to Stand and become stagnant.  CMG relies on 21 years of experience to Diagnose a Drainage Problem.   Many Drainage Problems are not as simple as they seem.  Understanding why a French Drain should be installed over a Surface Drain in particular situations is just one of many variables that must be considered when Diagnosing a Drainage Problem.

Many times CMG is asked to look at Drainage Systems that aren't working correctly.  Here are a few common problems that we find:

French Drain Pipe is too small for the Drainage Area.

French Drain is not connected to an Exit Point.

French Drain is installed where a Surface Drain is needed.

Surface Drain is installed where a French Drain is needed.

Too many gutters connected to French Drain.

French Drain covered with dirt.

Exit Point Covered with Dirt.

Water flow is bad for French Drain,  (trying to drain water up hill)

These are just a few of the Problems we are asked to solve when fixing a Drainage System that wasn't designed correctly.

Drainage Systems can be made up of one drain or a combination of many drains.  Drainage  problems can be very complex.   Complex Drainage Problems may require a combination of several different types of drains all inter-connected and working together.  Other times the drainage problem may be simple and straight-forward requiring only one drain or several of the same type of drain connected together.

Cutting The Curb and Installing Curb Fitting With Acrylic Cement

An example of a complex drainage system would be:  A French Drain in the back yard connected to a Surface Drain near a flower bed connected to several gutter downspouts, which are connected to a Channel Drain going across a driveway, which is connected to additional Surface Drain in the front yard, which runs to a Curb Fitting that lets all the water drain out on to the street.

A simple Drainage System might consist of a Surface Drain that is connected to a second Surface Drain which runs to a Pop-up Emitter which lets water drain over the curb and into the street.

An "Exit Point" is the term used for where all the water leaves the Drainage System.  Determining the Exit Point is very critical.  It is one of the first things we do when diagnosing a Drainage Problem.

French Drain in Oklahoma City

Drainage Systems can:

1.  Keep water away from foundations -- A French Drain is best because it can move Surface Water and Sub-Surface Water (water moving under ground) away from the foundation.  Many times less experienced companies install Surface Drains to keep water away from foundations.  This can be a big mistake.  A Surface Drain can't move or drain Sub-Surface Water.   Also A Surface Drain often can't move enough water fast enough and easily becomes overwhelmed during a heavy rain.  A Surface Drain also can't cover or protect a broad enough area. Surface Drains should be designed in a Drainage System to be located in smaller Drainage Areas moving moderate amounts of water.  Surface Drains look better than French Drains.  If ,"appearance" is more important than Drainage Capacity, Go with the Surface Drain.  Just know what you are getting into and what your expectations should be. One side of a foundation alone,  can be over 100 feet.  A 4 inch or 6 inch French Drain is best when protecting a large area such as a foundation.

2.  Keep water away from small or inclosed areas.  This might be a low area just through a gate on the side of a house, or the low area between a flowerbed and the wall of a house, or standing water on or near a sidewalk or driveway.  These types of Drainage Problems are best served with Surface Drains.  A Surface Drain can move water away from a low area that is relatively small.  This can occur in yards, flowerbeds, sidewalks and driveways.  A surface Drain is designed to move Surface Water away from a problem area to a predetermined exit point.  Surface Drains are available in many sizes.  How quickly they remove standing water is usually determined by the size of the pipe that is connected to the drain.

Simply put, a Drainage System is one or a group of underground Drain Pipes that take water away from a place that has water standing on it or flowing across it.  The water that is in the problem area, can be causing damage or may be inconvenient or both.  (Usually Both)  A simple Drainage System is a Drain for the water to enter, a Drain Pipe to move the water away from the Drain, and an Exit Point for the water to be released out of the Drain Pipe.

French Drain running to Curb Outlet

Drainage Systems quickly can become more complicated.  Considerations must include:

How does the water get to the problem area?  There may be one or many sources.

Water Sources:

1.  It falls from the sky directly

2.  It flows down hill over the surface (surface water)

3.  It flows underground under the surface (sub-surface water)

4.  It flows from the edge of a roof ( There may be many roofs near the problem area, neighbors etc.)

5.  It flows from a gutter downspout

6.  It flows over the edge of a gutter because the gutter is too small or clogged

7.  It flows up from the ground (seeps and springs are common in Oklahoma)

8.  It flows from a sprinkler system use ( yours or your neighbors)

9.  It flows from a leaking pipe ( water mains, water meters, water lines, sprinkler pipes, sprinkler valves)

There are other reasons for Drainage Problems, the above reasons are just the most common.

Once the number of water sources is determined, a rough estimate of the amount of water that needs to be drained away on average must be estimated.  This can be simplified down to "SMALL, MEDIUM, OR LARGE AMOUNTS OF WATER TO BE DRAINED AWAY.  You don't have to be an engineer trying to calculate fluid dynamics.  Experience at diagnosing drainage problems helps however.  How much water needs to be moved will help determine the type and size of the Surface Drain or French Drain that needs to be installed.  It also helps to determine the size of Drain Pipe required for the Drainage System.  A good rule to follow is, "If in doubt, install a larger Drain and Drain Pipe."  Unused Drainage Capacity is better than property damage caused by a Drain that is overwhelmed by too much water.

For home and small business use typical materials used are:

6 inch, 9 inch, and 12 inch Surface Drains -

3 inch, 4 inch, and 6 inch Drain Pipes --

3 inch, 4 inch, and 6 inch French Drains --

French Drains move more water than Surface Drains --

French Drains move Surface Water and Sub-Surface Water

Surface Drains move Surface Water only

Surface Drains look nicer than French Drains in most cases

Once the type and number of drains is determined and what size Drain Pipe will connect them, an exit point must be selected.  (Where is the Drainage System going to take the water to and release it?)

The Drainage Curb Fitting is installed when the desired exit point for the French Drain will release the Drainage Water into the Street.   The Drainage Curb Fitting is rectangular in shape and made to be installed through the curb.  A small section of Curb is cut out with a concrete saw.  The Section is a few inches wider than the Drainage Curb Fitting.  We then install new concrete around the curb fitting.  Once the concrete has dried, the Drain Pipe coming from a French Drain or Surface Drain is connected to the Drainage Curb fitting and then covered with dirt.