(french?) drain

>Now, am I supposed to put a pipe and gravel in the bottom of it and cover it back up with dirt?

The gravel should encompass the drain tile (pipe). It should cover the pipe on all sides. There are fabric sleeves that wrap perfectly around the drain tile. Just tie a knot on each end. I'd go at least a foot above the drain tile with more gravel, followed by landscape fabric and then dirt.

>But are there any actual advantages to having a pipe and gravel and all that in it? This is a cabin in the woods so having an open trench in the yard isn't a problem.

It can probably be left open without worry. Eventually though, with the rainfall and erosion of the dirt, I would think the trench would fill up and would have to be redug to benefit as much as it is now.

>>1048236
I'm worried that the fabric would clog up much sooner than I'd want it to, the soil where this cabin is at is bizarre, it's super sandy fertile black shit that becomes impentrable muck during heavy rain. So i'm torn between doing this pipe and gravel stuff and worrying about it getting clogged, or just leaving the ditch open and cleaning the junk out every so often.

But I obviously want to do whichever way is more effective for the job of diverting water, so you think that the open trench functions just as well as it would with a pipe and gravel? As long as I keep it clean oc

>>1048240
>so you think that the open trench functions just as well as it would with a pipe and gravel? As long as I keep it clean

Yes, an open trench will divert the water just as well as the pipe/gravel. The pipe/gravel is best when you are going to cover up the area with dirt/grass etc as it is much easier for the water to flow through than dirt alone. Since you're not going to have a lawn or landscaping over this area, an open trench would work just fine.

>>1048240
>>1048552
It might also be worth it to buy one piece of drain tile and a little bit of fabric and test it under your dirt. Give it a few months and see if it clogged up at all. For both the fabric and an 8ft drain tile, It would probably cost under $10.

File: Issue50drainagetrench_0.jpg (194KB, 600x485px) Image search: [Google]

194KB, 600x485px

>>1048209
depends on the problem OP.

an open drain is for surface water ie. flood protection. when it rains and if water pours along the foundation of your house you use a surface drain.

if the problem is water seeping through the wall or the ground staying boggy and moisture seeping up through the foundation them you install agricultural pipe underground down below the depth of the foundation.

English