My husband and I bought a 10 year old home a few years back. It has large PVC pipe coming out of a retaining wall flowing to the street, however, I have never seen any water come out of them. I have tried putting the hose down the few french drains that I can find - but they just over flow. Any advice of how to track them - and how to clean them out.

Thank you in advance for any advice you can offer.

A number of questions come to mind:

How large is the pipe?
Is it smooth pipe or corrugated?
Could the pipe be an outlet for drainage behind the retaining wall?
When you say the French drains you found fill up and flow over, where are these drains located and are you sure they are French drains and not surface drains?

Most drains can be traced and cleaned out by a qualified plumbing company. Many have the capability to run a camera into the drain and locate problem areas but this service is not cheap.

Glenn

Moderator: Construction Systems, Foundations, and Masonry & Stone

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