Like another user said. To save some steps in the process of French drain installation, consider purchasing an alternative gravel-free drainage pipe system. This is commonly available at all building supply stores. of soil and attempts should be made to have ample slope to drain the pipe. This allows the water to leech into the soil over a given distance, rather than pooling where you don't want it. If you choose this approach instead of manually building a French drain, skip the filter fabric and crushed stones steps listed above. Once a 4-in. Use a tape on a drill and only drill up to half an inch. I used one recently and avoided drilling through a main sewage branch pipe. Author: hj (AZ) First drill a 1/4" hole all the way through the plate as a pilot hole. If you need to go further in, drill slowly in until you feel like the drill has gone through the back of the board. To install a French drain: The inside perimeter of the floor is cut approximately one foot from the wall. Then use the 2 1/2" hole saw centered with the pilot hole from both sides. DRILLING PVC. Fully slotted polyethylene drainage pipe is installed and covered with gravel. Sediment will eventually start to fill the French drain over time. The hole will be straight and there will be 1/8" clearance for the pipe. drain pipe is placed underground, it should be covered with 2 in. Most french drains use holed corrugated piping or holed PVC. The finished wall is papered and it would be a mess to cut out the sheetrock to plug the 1/4″ holes. While hanging a shelf, I recently mistakenly drilled two holes in a PVC drain pipe that was tight against the sheetrock. Rigid PVC drainage pipe can be easily cut with a handsaw. Instead use 4" rigid PVC drainage pipe that has holes along the bottom edge. This system uses a corrugated pipe surrounded by polystyrene aggregate that is then wrapped in filter fabric.. Another important thing to remember in PVC installations: Orient the pipe holes downward. Re: What size hole to cut to fit a 2" PVC line through? Where possible, the lowest course of block is tapped and bled (weep holes) in order to drain the walls. In many cases, inadequate slope to drain the area is the original problem that usage of a french drain aims to solve. A trench is excavated and pitched. I used PVC for this project. You could drill more holes if you like, but the holes that are in the pipe will work just as it is supposed to, to insure the drain stays open. The 4 inch rigid PVC drain pipe can be cleaned out with a Roto-Rooter machine - as long as you install a cleanout access point and use the proper fittings. Amazon sells cheap USB powered camera endoscope. To keep the drill bit from slipping, make a small divot in the pipe using a hammer and nail or center punch. Because PVC is a soft plastic, you can use both wood and metal drill bits to make small holes, and spade bits can be used for larger holes. 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