How to Design a French Drain System - Where To Run the Pipe

Designing a French drain starts long before the pipe goes in the ground. In this video, Robert walks through how the crew lays out a large French drain system across a rural Michigan property — including how they find the low spots, establish slope, choose where the pipe should go, and prepare the trench for long-term performance. You’ll see: 📐 How the crew uses a laser level to find the lowest areas in the yard 💧 Why the French drain follows those low points instead of running in a perfectly straight line 🛁 How Robert compares drainage layout to placing the drain at the low point of a bathtub or sink 🔵 Why this property uses a double-pipe French drain system 🚜 How the system is built to handle tractors and heavy equipment 🪨 Why stone spacing between the pipes matters 🧵 Why non-woven geotextile fabric is so important 🧰 How cleanouts are positioned so the system can be inspected later ⚙️ How the system ties into an outdoor sump pump lift station 🌲 How the discharge is routed toward a natural wooded area ✅ Why keeping dirt out of the perforated French drain trench helps the system last One of the biggest questions homeowners ask is: Where should the French drain actually go? The answer is simpler than it sounds — find where the water naturally collects, establish the proper grade, and build the system around those low points. Robert also shows how the crew repeatedly checks the trench bottom during excavation to keep it smooth and maintain the intended slope. If you’re planning a DIY French drain or just want to understand how a professional system is laid out, this video gives you a real-world look at the process from design through installation. 00:28 Drainage Stone We Use 01:33 Digging the Trench 02:55 Low Points of the Yard 05:14 Making Smooth Trench Bottom 06:39 Geotextile Filter Fabric 09:24 Drainage System Cleanouts 10:32 Manifold Connections 14:44 Where Extra Dirt Goes 16:48 Laser Level Tip 18:12 Connecting Sump Pump Lift Station 18:46 Using Drain Sand FDM's Online Yard Drain Supplies: https://frenchdrainman.com/drainage-p... ======= French Drain Man – Michigan’s Yard Water Drainage Experts. Masters in the art of constructing contained French drain systems & curtain drain systems that and fix your yard drainage problems for years to come. Over 30 years’ experience in solving yard water drainage problems in Oakland, Macomb, Lapeer, and St. Clair Counties. French Drain Man / Sherwood Landscape Construction, LLC P.O. Box 777 Almont, MI 48003 248-505-3065 https://www.frenchdrainman.com http://www.macombcountylandscaping.com Follow us on: Facebook:   / frenchdrainmanusa   Instagram:   / frenchdrainman   #drainage #diy #FrenchDrainMan #gutters #watermanagement #YardDrainage #frenchdrain #michigan #macombcounty #oaklandcounty