French Drain - River Rock or Crushed Stone

[s219]

We use #57 gravel here, which is 3/4-1" size. We also line/wrap the trench with septic fabric to prevent the soil/clay from infiltrating into the stone. So the steps are:

1) dig trench
2) line with septic fabric
3) drop in about 2-3" of stone
4) place pipe with perforations on the bottom
5) cover with more stone up to about 6" below grade
6) fold over septic paper and roll the seam
7) cover with top soil to grade

[94BULLITT]

I have heard of some people having french drains without the corrugated pipe.

[s219]

I have heard of some people having french drains without the corrugated pipe.

Definitely. In fact, if the drain runs down a change in elevation in clay soil, you can skip pipe on the upper parts and only use it on the lower half.

Or if the base soil is sandy and drains well, the french drain can be all stone since it will just direct surface water down to the sand layer, and doesn't necessarily need to move it laterally.

[Tompet]

This was part of a large drain project I did which might show what some others on have described. This was a high end job and worked out very well to protect this really long asphalt drive from future washout. The pipe is 4 inch smooth bore (about 220 feet installed in this part) which is semi flexible and also used schedule 40 to the catch basin, under the concrete trench drains across asphalt drive and across concrete pad up top of the one photo. About one foot of #2 limestone was used on top of the four inch wrap. #57 limestone was used inside the wrap.

[Red Horse]

This was part of a large drain project I did which might show what some others on have described. This was a high end job and worked out very well to protect this really long asphalt drive from future washout. The pipe is 4 inch smooth bore (about 220 feet installed in this part) which is semi flexible and also used schedule 40 to the catch basin, under the concrete trench drains across asphalt drive and across concrete pad up top of the one photo. About one foot of #2 limestone was used on top of the four inch wrap. #57 limestone was used inside the wrap.

Nice-and it looks like that the drain system you used across the road was one of the precast polymer types? what brand?

[94BULLITT]

This was part of a large drain project I did which might show what some others on have described. This was a high end job and worked out very well to protect this really long asphalt drive from future washout. The pipe is 4 inch smooth bore (about 220 feet installed in this part) which is semi flexible and also used schedule 40 to the catch basin, under the concrete trench drains across asphalt drive and across concrete pad up top of the one photo. About one foot of #2 limestone was used on top of the four inch wrap. #57 limestone was used inside the wrap.

That looks very nice. I need one of those trench drains but I am not sure how to do it with a gravel driveway, I am afraid the plow will hit it in the winter.

[slowzuki]

We've got some with crush some with river rock. For us the river rock was about 1/5 the price of crush when its available. Both work equally well. The river rock is slightly easier to shovel but the tractor scooped both equally well.

[forgeblast]

The gutters around our house ended about 2' before the ground when we moved in. I extended the gutters, and put in solid pipe from the end of the gutter until the pipe was sloping away from the house.
(all 4''). Then I put in 2-3'' of stone and compacted it, then put the pipe in covered and compacted, and then added 2'' more of stone and compacted. covered and it has worked great. It carried water away from the house during the last few 100 year storm events we have had.