What is a French Drain?

A French Drain, named after it's inventor, Henry French, is a fairly basic structure.  It is essentially a ditch filled with crushed stone and perforated pipe that leads to one or more sump pumps.  The key to the efficacy of a French Drain is the basic physics behind it.  When the water table rises in the ground, as it hits the French Drain under the floor, the water is going to move through the stone and pipe in the trench towards the sump pump, rather than continue to move up.  The laws of gravity ensure this.  The video playing on the right of your screen shows our crew installing a French Drain.  There are only 2 things that can really go wrong with a French Drain.  1) it can clog   and   2) the pump can fail.   The solution to problem one is a large trench with a lot of crushed stone.  The stone acts as a filter to keep mud from clogging the pipe.  The solution to problem two is a heavy duty, cast iron, commercial grade sump pump.  We use Zoeller pumps, which we feel to be the best brand available.  They come with a 2 year manufacturer's warranty, but we have such confidence in these pumps, that we extend that warranty to 5 years.   These pumps have been known to last for 20 years.   Now, for some added insurance against possible pump failure, you can also get a battery backup system.  This will keep you protected in the unlikely event of a pump failure.