INSTALLING A FRENCH DRAIN

[Apachewoman]

Drainage Problems during rainy season.  Pooling water and or lack of adequate drainage causing

serious selitre damage to exterior/interior wall of room along an exterior passageway.  Seeking experienced contractor to assist

in excavating, gravel placement and setting of perforated pipe(sleeve cover ) and catch drains as

needed for slope/elevation of drain, etc.  Laying concrete pad over passageway to move water downslope has been recommended by one contractor

but am concerned about surface 'solutions'.   Where to PURCHASE French Drain Materials in Chapala Lakeside area if possible or Guadalajara if necessary.

Please also advise if rain gutters/downspouts are customarily used and are there contractors who provide materials and installation?

 

Thanks in advance.

Happy Holidays🎅

[camillenparadise]

Sorry, can't help you at the Lake, but when I built my house north of PV on the west coast. I installed a French Drain instead of a septic system. In 19 years there have been two problems, each solved by my gardener and his helper. Good luck!

[bmh]

metal guys can imstal metal or pvc gutters. wjat material.arr you looking for French drains?  graveñ, sand?perforated pipes? fabric? the ferreterias  or places with construction material will have that.  Try galvez material

 

 

[Ezzie]

The proper solution is to trench down the side of your foundation and install a weeping tile system.  This consists of a 4" perforated tile (with "weeper" holes) preferably wrapped with a filter cloth (sometimes called a "sock") and laid in a bed of clear crushed gravel.  I have not seen any of the Lakeside ferreterias carrying this but it is available from a supplier in Guadalajara.  The outside of the exposed foundation should be coated with a waterproof membrane such as either a paint-on tar or a plastic/rubberized membrane before back-filling to prevent water from getting into the foundation.  This takes care of the ground water problem due to an elevated water table during the rainy season.

In addition to this, the installation of gutters, an impervious surface adjacent to or at least ground level sloping away from the structure can further help to keep water away from your walls further reducing any damage.  I have not seen much evidence of any local knowledge on how to implement these measures by local contractors.  One that I know of who has the knowledge and experience is Alejandro (Alex) Salazar Gutierrez at (33) 4593-6417. 

[Apachewoman]

Thank you for your informative response and the time you spent sharing.  And for the referral of Alejandro Salazar Gutierrez.  Is he located in the Lake Chapala

area or in Guadalajara?

Thanks again.

Feliz Navidad

Apachewoman

[Ezzie]

Alejandro lives in Guadalajara but does a lot of work in the Chapala/Ajijic area.

[Apachewoman]

12 minutes ago, Ezzie said:

Alejandro lives in Guadalajara but does a lot of work in the Chapala/Ajijic area.

 

Thanks, much!🎄

[geeser]

21 hours ago, Apachewoman said:

Drainage Problems during rainy season.  Pooling water and or lack of adequate drainage causing

serious selitre damage to exterior/interior wall of room along an exterior passageway.  Seeking experienced contractor to assist

in excavating, gravel placement and setting of perforated pipe(sleeve cover ) and catch drains as

needed for slope/elevation of drain, etc.  Laying concrete pad over passageway to move water downslope has been recommended by one contractor

but am concerned about surface 'solutions'.   Where to PURCHASE French Drain Materials in Chapala Lakeside area if possible or Guadalajara if necessary.

Please also advise if rain gutters/downspouts are customarily used and are there contractors who provide materials and installation?

 

Thanks in advance.

Happy Holidays🎅

Most contractors here will slice in half a 6"PVC pipe to make your gutter and add a 2 or 4" down spout. This system wont leak, can be pain ted and last many years. 

[mudgirl]

You definitely need some kind of silt-proof barrier above the drain pipe- My French drain worked perfectly for 8 years, until the holes plugged up with all the silt that washed onto and down through the gravel, resulting in the first bit of salitre in my house. i had it all dug up and redone, and the contractor then covered the gravel with an apron of concrete about a meter wide sloping away from my wall, and it all works again.

Once you get the moisture problem sealed from the outside, what worked for me with the inside walls was to wash the salitre area with a muriatic acid/water solution, but DON'T SEAL IT AND PAINT IT YET.  There's a lot of moisture in that wall now and you don't want to try to seal it in or it will just keep creeping along and show up somewhere else. You need to give it time to dry out and once the outside wall is sealed  the moisture needs to come out on the inside. So let it do that- just wash it with the acid/water solution to neutralize it as it keeps appearing. Might take a couple months, it did for mine. Then when you don't have any more salitre appearing, give it one more wash, rinse with plain water, let it dry, then use an anti-salitre sealer and paint.

[camillenparadise]

Every coupla weeks I give it a cup of Clorox....not Clorolex or the other local imitators.

[Apachewoman]

12 hours ago, geeser said:

Most contractors here will slice in half a 6"PVC pipe to make your gutter and add a 2 or 4" down spout. This system wont leak, can be pain ted and last many years. 

 

THANKS!

Would you know a reliable contractor and contact info?

Merry Holidays🎄

 

Apachewoman

[Ezzie]

To prevent the silting problem I use a cloth that is used to prevent weeds from growing in patios.  It is called "Weedblocker" - water can get through but not fine sand.  I lay that on top of the gravel before backfilling the trench with soil.  I have not seen it here (yet) so I bring it back with me when NOB.  Available in Lowes, Home Depot, etc. NOB.

[bmh]

it is available in Home depot in Mexico  bought some in Chiapas

 

 

[Ezzie]

Thanks for that.  I'll take a look next time in Home Depot here.