lawn drainage?

Question

I think the idea is a french drain, and how would it work if i dug it out at a decent slope, and after filling it in with rocks i put soil and sod back on top to cover it up. this is on the lawn and i dont want to see the rocks. Its not gonna be a huge drain, probably only 10-15 feet, just sloping down away from the house. I live in maine, and was wondering it the rocks would make their way up to the lawn eventually, if so how could i prevent that, and if it would drain at all or just fill in. I dont want to pay for pipes and stuff, and dont want to make too huge a project out of it.

Answer 1

Hi Mainah! Everything gets hove up around here because of frost, but you should be able to pound it all back into place.. Have you seen these instructions? http://www.repair-home.com/how_to/create_a_french_drain.htm

Answer 2

You may be referring to a "sump", a pit that collects liquid. A French drain has piping which channels the water away from where it collects. However, covering either of these with soil will negate the ability to collect and divert the water. A hard rain will run over the area just as if there was no drain. Perhaps using sand would help percolation, but I don't know how well this would work.

A French drain is a pit with perforated pipe laid in the bottom. Other pipe channels the water away from the area. Large gravel is used to backfill over the pipes, and a layer of landscape netting prevents washed in dirt and debris from cloggin the system. A final layer of rock goes over this.

A sump is a pit covered by a grate. In an outdoor sump the floor and walls are concrete blocks, or drain tiles laid to allow collected liquid to seep into the floor and walls of the pit while supporting against the pressure of the surrounding soil.