A French drain is an effective way to deal with flooding issues around the base of your home. French drains help channel water away from the house’s foundation of the house to a safe location in the yard. Yet, because they are below ground, they don’t hurt the aesthetics of your property, points out B&R Management Company.
French drains are also appropriate for solving water issues in a below-ground space or wet basement. But whether the drain is inside or outside, the basic components of a French drain are a gravel bed, perforated plastic pipes and water-permeable fabric, all housed inside a covered trench.
Like most drains, French drains are susceptible to clogs and may need occasional cleaning. That is because the soil can penetrate the drain’s fabric and end up inside the perforated pipe. If the drain is not cleaned, it can lead to flooding in the yard or basement as the drain backs up.
What is the proper way to clean a French drain? This post provides clear guidelines on what to do when cleaning your home’s French drain.
How to clean a French drain
What you will need
- Electric drain snake (3/4 inch spring-wound cable, preferably)
- Mini hydro jetter
- Long garden hose
- Tough leather gloves
- Shovel
You can rent an electric drain snake or hydro jet machine from a home improvement center. If you are unsure how long your French drain is, choose a drain snake machine with a 100-foot cable.
Next, locate the ground-level access point for the drain and open it. You may need to remove grass and soil from around the edges before you do this. If the drain is connected to a downspout, detach the downspout from the drain entrance. If you find some soil and other debris at the bottom of the basin after you open it, this is normal.
Test your French drain. You want to flood the French drain to see if there are any issues with it. A French drain can easily handle water from a garden hose without filling up. It will take hours before the drain starts to fill up because most of the water will drain through the pipe openings into the ground. If the drain fills up shortly after you start pumping water into it, you could have a blockage.
- Leave the garden hose inside the French drain with the water turned on. The hose should go 3-4 feet into the line. You want to run the water the entire time you are using the drain snake. The hose will not interfere with the function of the snake.
- Insert the drain snake cable into the opening of the French drain. Wear your gloves before you do this; the cable is made of solid steel and can grab a hold of your skin when it starts spinning. You may have difficulty pushing the cable in; keep trying until it starts going in freely.
- Once the cable is inside the line, power on the drain snake machine. The spinning motion of the cable clears the debris inside the drain, including tree roots. Take firm hold of the spinning cable and keep pushing it into the line (this will require some effort).
- Feed the cable into the drain until it reaches the end of the line. If the cable hits an obstruction or bends in the line, hold it back and let it turn until the obstruction is removed or it finds its way around the bend. Continue feeding the cable into the drain.
- Retract the snake after it reaches the end of the line and repeat steps 4-6. Turn off the drain snake machine and move it out of the way. Get ready to insert the mini hydro jetter into the line. The front nozzle of the jetter produces a powerful stream of water that has enough force to cut tree roots.
- The hydro jetter will not only wash out the debris dislodged by the snake, but it will also clean the gravel bed of your French drain. Unlike the drain snake cable, the jetter is self-propelling due to the set of jets on the back side of the nozzle. Guide the jetter into the drain and hold it steady as it makes its way through the drain.
- Retract the jetter after it reaches the end of the line by pulling it backwards. Do not turn it off; the jet of water travelling in reverse will remove any remaining debris in the line. If you do not have a mini jetter or cannot rent one, send a powerful spray of water into the drain with your garden hose.
Finally, how often should you clean your French drain? Once a year, before the rains come, is enough. Also, clean the drain every time you see any signs of trouble. Lastly, if you think cleaning your French drain yourself is too much work, please hire a professional hydro jet drain cleaning service to do it for you.