When it comes to the growth of french drain knowledge, home drainage systems, hand excavated french drains, groundwater drainage, hand excavated drywells, rain drain discharges, and home groundwater removal, homeowners in the Portland area are seasoned veterans.
I see groundwater drainage knowledge growing by leaps and bounds in the Portland metro area. This knowledge gained is flying over the hurtles of ignorance with respect to groundwater removal systems and home drainage. The words french drains would rarely have passed through the lips of homeowners with drainage problems a few years ago. Sure, there were the few homeowners who had french drains installed, but lately everyone is talking about hand excavated french drains.
I love the line in the Dustin Hoffman film of old, ” Little Big Man”. The old chief in the movie says, when talking about something of his passion, “It makes my heart soar like a hawk”. That’s the way I feel about the results that homeowners get with french drains and their joy of ownership.
It is cool to get a call from a satisfied homeowner who just wanted to call me in a rain storm to say hi, and mention that their hand excavated french drains “are running like a firehose”.
Properly installed rain drain discharges, hand excavated french drains, hand excavated drywells and daylighted vents, are all components of success with respect to home groundwater removal.
Groundwater drainage needs seem to get greater every year, as builders and homeowners neglect home drainage systems in their construction plans.
New construction and city planners are stuck on the idea that you can bury a perforated pipe with a black sock on it, laying flat on the foundation footing, with no grade, and that will solve the groundwater drainage problem caused by the saturation of groundwater. The trouble with that logic is that it doesn’t remove the groundwater on the surface levels of the ground when the rainwater causing the groundwater drainage problem is coming hard.
For success, you must remove that groundwater from the foundation area before it has time to saturate and cause groundwater drainage problems. In fact, without the installation of hand excavated french drains and a compacted splash block on the outside of the foundation, groundwater caused by rain will likely continue to saturate below grade at the foundation and cause groundwater drainage problems. Home groundwater removal means hand excavated french drains, hand excavated drywells, and rain drain discharges for optimal groundwater drainage success.
Home drainage systems of the 21st century come in many sizes, shapes, and many opinions. Just put in the words french drains into your internet browser, and you will find everything from the newest plastic invention, to folks that rent backhoes and trenchers. You will find opinions of contractors and writers that say gravel works in french drains. Writers who say that making a bundle out of road cloth or weed cloth with a perforated pipe and sock, plus gravel, will work after making a crude ditch and backfilling with dirt. Lots of drainage opinions.
I live in an area where groundwater removal is key to getting your home sold, as well as having a dry basement or crawlspace. Groundwater drainage is key to having a dry basement or crawlspace. Groundwater problems are everywhere. Homeowners in the Portland metro area know about hand excavated french drains and many are proud owners of these cutting edge home drainage systems. These homeowners share their stories of success with neighbors and friends and refer them to this website on home drainage systems. “It makes my heart soar like a hawk”.