I rented a ground auger to dig the footers for my new deck, and after a few hours, I found one of the holes filled with water, unlike the other nine that are dry. This hole is near where I believe our French drain is located. I'm worried I might have damaged it. Is there an easy fix for this issue, or am I facing a full replacement of the French drain?
3 Answers
French drains aren’t meant to hold water, so seeing that water might be a sign of an issue. Typically, they should have gravel or some kind of sleeve around them. Since there’s no gravel, it could indeed be improperly installed. If you're sure you hit the drain, you could put in a new catch basin or patch it. Just make sure to redirect the water before you pour your footer!
It's not uncommon to hit a French drain, especially if your auger got close to it. But don't panic just yet! Dig a slightly bigger hole to assess the situation. If you did hit the drain, you can usually fix it with a patch instead of replacing the whole thing. Replacing the entire drain seems excessive unless you find serious damage. Check it out first!
Glad to hear the water doesn't smell foul! Sounds like the French drain was buried without proper materials. Make sure to check if you dug up any gravel or foam when you were augering. If that's the case, it really might have been put in wrong from the start. A good patch or catch basin could do the trick, but be cautious about digging more around it.