French Drain Behind Wood Retaining Wall

Fabric keeps rock and soil separate.

French drain behind wood retaining wall.

Drain pipes go behind the wall on the side with the surcharge the soil that that wall or foundation is holding back. Mar 19 2014 when building a retaining wall lay perforated drainage tubing at the base of the wall slightly above ground level so runoff can drain out without undermining your wall. The proper drainage behind a natural stone wall is extremely important. Why you need a french drain behind your retaining wall.

Drainage problems in your yard can lead to pooling mold or water damage in or around your home. Backfilling the space behind the blocks with crushed stone and then installing a flexible perforated drainpipe available at the home depot also called drain tile at the base of the wall. We go about 6 8 deep behind the wall with loose rock usually crushed granite and up to the second row from the top. The design of a properly built retaining wall resists the force of the soil behind it and prevents caving buckling or leaning.

Luckily you can avoid these problems by installing a french drain. French drain below or above retaining wall. Why proper drainage is important for retaining wall performance. Ask question asked 2 years 9 months ago.

Otherwise water moving down the hill will build up behind the wall and undermine it. Let me show you what happens after 19 years. If you re building a retaining wall add a french drain behind the first course of stones or blocks. They are also always lower than the footing of a foundation or wall or stair system.

We re pulling all this out. If you re building a retaining wall on a hillside. The pipe should rest on the same compacted gravel base or concrete footing that supports the wall. A french drain is a trench filled with a perforated pipe and gravel that allows water to drain naturally from your yard.

This loose rock is probably more than other companies would use but we would rather allow more water to flow behind the wall and out than not have enough. However retaining walls are built with a certain capacity in mind. You want to use a perforated 4 plastic pipe below. The stone is just deteriorating.