Why You DO NOT Use a Trencher to Build a French Drain

Why You DO NOT Use a Trencher to Build a French Drain

French drain contractors have to work a lot of times in the dark, so I’m sorry that the quality of this video might not be the greatest, but I just want to show you how much dirt has to come out to build a good French drain.

We just came in and we unloaded all the dump trucks and we will take care of the dirt in the morning and we got to load up with stone and head out, but this all came out of one job. I always talk about how you can’t do a French drain with a trencher and get a quality French drain. That’s why we like to use an excavator or backhoe. Some people call it.

You have a drainage problem for a reason. You have soil that does not percolate. You want to remove all that heavy soil and replace it with a channel of stone. So right here in our driveway, this is a great shot. This is from today’s job. This is one French drain. This is one job.

The more stone, the better the drain. I can’t emphasize it enough to get the stone in the ground. You got to get the dirt out. The guys that are using the trenchers. It’s a cash grab. They come in with a trencher. It only makes a six-inch trench. They put a four-inch pipe and a six-inch trench. There’s only room for two inches of stone. This drain works a little bit in the beginning and a little less than a little less until it doesn’t work anymore. That’s why one-third of our installs are replacing failed French drains. Don’t use a trencher.  Hire a contractor that’s going to use an excavator. The more stone, a better to drain.

For more information on hiring a French drain contractor in Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair or Lapeer County, Michigan, give us a call at 248-505-3065.  Follow us on YouTube!