The French Drain’s design takes advantage of scientific laws to quickly and effectively drain excess water away from a given location. For instance, during a heavy rainstorm, water can accumulate around the foundation of the home and eventually seep into the basement because it doesn’t have a drainage path.
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Excess Water can Ruin a Home's Foundation
Any standing water that infiltrates a home can wreak havoc and result in untold damage. Groundwater from rain, sprinklers, snow melt or broken pipes can quickly build up, causing a yard or area around a home to become soaked, puddle up, or even flood. Gravity naturally causes this standing water to seep down into the soil below, eventually reaching the structure itself. As the soil around the home fills in with water, the soil will expand, causing the weight from that water to eventually squeeze in – on the foundation and walls.
Standing or flood waters in any home can ruin everything in their path – especially a home’s environment, the health of its occupants, and precious valuables.
Our Solution
In order to keep water from entering a home in the first place, and to prevent costly, hazardous damage and destruction, Rhino Foundation Systems will install a French Drain, or other interior drainage system. Water will also build up underneath and around the floors, pushing upwards.
This unrelenting pressure against the foundation of a house is referred to as hydrostatic pressure. When these powerful forces push in, water creeps in at the joints between the foundation walls and floors…causing cracks, fissures, or fractures – resulting in continual basement or ground-floor flooding.
Figure 1
What is a French Drain?
A French Drain is an ingenious drainage system which is installed so that unwelcome water is channeled away from a house….away from foundations, floors, walls, crawl spaces, and basements – and is deposited into a sump pump or municipal drain. The whole intent is to guide water away from the home.
For ages, Science has proven that water follows the path of least resistance. And so a French Drain is installed to provide that path of least resistance. This is accomplished by:
- First, creating an underground interior passage trench, which is dug out below the floor and on top of or next to, the footing of a home.
- Then, perforated pipes are placed down inside the lengths of the trench
- The trench is then filled in with stone or gravel around the perforated pipe
- The removed concrete is then replaced with new cement.
(see Fig 1)
Another strategy is to install a membrane drainage system. This membrane sits between the foundation wall and the interior framed wall of the home. The membrane collects any water that seeps through cracks in the foundation and redirects it to a French drain buried under the concrete floor of the home. (see Fig 1)
Whatever type of drainage configuration a home calls for, our experienced technicians will create the most efficient drainage system according to the layout, slope, and feasibility for the most drainage possible.
Why an Interior Drainage System:
Heavy rains and melting snow can lead to water accumulating in a yard, where it forms puddles and creates widespread mud and standing water. When water can’t drain away from a yard, it may flow towards the home, resulting in water damage and flooding. To help protect the foundation of the home from ongoing damage and to prevent flooding, an interior drainage system can be installed to redirect the flow of water away from the home. By drawing water in from the saturated ground, the drainage system also reduces standing water in the yard, so that kids and pets can enjoy the lawn without worrying about muddy spots or huge puddles.
This reduces the hydrostatic pressure on the foundation, giving the water an alternate path to follow instead of being forced through cracks in the foundation wall.
How It Works:
However, installing a French drain around the foundation helps to pull water away from the home and into the hollow drainage pipe, making use of water's tendency to follow the easiest path. Each aspect of a French drain is designed to prevent water build-up and flooding, by making it easier for the water to move down from the surface, through the stones, through the unobstructed perforations, and into the hollow drainage pipe.
Depending on the dynamic of possible water flow, our knowledgeable technicians will place the drainage system either inside or outside of the home.
Historical Fact:
Interestingly enough, its name – French Drain – has nothing to do with that wonderful spoken language. It was named in the mid 1800’s by an American Judge and Farmer, Henry French – who discovered how to control water flow for crops, and to reduce flooding. Since then, the French Drain has been perfected, and so these home-savers are installed by Rhino crews, whenever the need arises.
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Our certified and trained technicians have helped thousands of customers over the years, here in the great state of Utah, and all over the United States. We average 4.7 for our Google Reviews, so contact us today — so that you too may experience our five-star customer service, as our dedicated technicians work diligently to satisfy all of your foundation needs.
