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Jacksonville French Drains

French Drains in Jacksonville, FL
Both home and business owners in Jacksonville who have basements understand the frustration of basement moisture if they do not have a yard drain or an adequate basement drainage system. For many people, French drains provide the perfect solution to excess basement moisture that comes from too much water in the soil. It helps to understand the value a French drain brings to a property with its special design and benefits.
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What is a French Drain?
There are interior and exterior French drains. As the names suggest, exterior drains are outdoors, and interior drains are indoors in a basement.Exterior French Drains

Exterior French drains use a system of pipes and trenches to route groundwater away from a home or business. The trenches are strategically chosen based on several features of the property, and the pipes are placed in them. Pipes have small holes in them to collect water, and they are surrounded by gravel.

Interior French Drains
Interior drains typically have trenches that are lower than the floor. They may be placed in the basement along the perimeter. Similar to exterior drains, they use perforated pipes to collect water. There is a point where the water flows and either connects to a drainage system or is pumped out.How Exterior French Drains Work?

French drains use the science of gravity and how it affects water flow. Since water naturally flows to the lowest point, the system works by collecting water through the perforated pipes and taking it to an exit point. The gravel allows for better aeration of the soil for water to drain easier. When excess moisture is removed, it reduces pressure on basement walls. This means less risk of seepage or basement wall cracks.

With exterior drains, the exit point depends on the property and what is nearby. If the property is on a slope, the drainage point may be a low-lying drainage field, a ditch, a dry well or a street. When a property does not have a slope, it may require a sump pump if there is not one in place. Drains often connect to existing septic systems. In some cases, the drainage point may be a storm sewer or a dry well for a property without a slope.

Why is French Drain Installation a Good Idea?

French drains can be useful for many properties in Jacksonville because of the area’s plentiful moisture. However, they may not be the optimal choice on all properties. Our team has years of experience inspecting properties to determine the right lawn drainage solution for each commercial or residential property. These are some signs that this type of drain may make sense:

• There are visible water stains on the floor or on the walls in the basement.
• Mildew or mold is growing in the basement.
• Whenever there is heavy rainfall, the basement floods.
• The basement always has a musty smell.
• There are cracks on the basement walls.
• The soil surrounding the basement walls is always heavily saturated.
• On most days, the humidity level in the basement is high.
• No waterproofing or drainage system exists in the basement.

Many people have a hard time determining the humidity level in the basement if there is no system to measure it. Also, it is hard to determine if there is a waterproofing system in some basements. A professional can quickly assess the property and make a good basement drainage system recommendation.