How Deep Should A French Drain Be
Camila Farah

A drywell is a hole dug deep in the ground using a post hole digger or auger which is then filled with gravel.
In some cases you will want to increase the slope to avoid having to dig very deep french drains. This depth helps capture most of the water that s an issue. The minimum depth is typically 18 to 24 inches. In our example the end of drainage system close to the house is 54 deep and we would like it to be shallower.
This a vertical version of a french drain. Grading the bottom of trench to obtain the proper slope is also much easier in a wider french drain especially when digging by hand. Remember that a slope of 1 8 per foot is a minimum. This is to maintain the lateral support of the foundations by the ground surrounding them.
If you re trying to stop water from getting into your basement you need a deeper french drain that reaches footing level. A french drain should be no deeper than the foundations of a building and in the case of older buildings the side of the trench should slope away from the building at no less than 45 degrees. The gravel in the vertical hole allows the water to penetrate deep into the ground and spread out. About 8 inches to 2 feet deep should be sufficient for many water diverting projects though related systems such as those built around foundations and sub ground living spaces as well as the bases of retaining walls may be deeper.
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