Do I Need a Utility Locate Before a French Drain?
Yes. The trench runs along the foundation or across the low side of the yard, straight through the irrigation, the downspout drains, the sewer lateral and the gas line, none of which 811 marks.
French drains and yard drainage
A long trench through the lowest part of the yard crosses everything
Yes, you need a locate before a French drain. The trench runs along the foundation or across the low side of the yard, and that path crosses the irrigation main, the buried downspout drains, the sewer lateral, the gas to the fire pit, the power to the shed, and sometimes the water service itself. 811 marks the utility companies' lines up to your meter and stops; every one of those lines is past it.
The order that works. Call 811 first; it is free and it takes two business days. Then have the private lines marked. Then trench, and hand-dig wherever the trench crosses a mark instead of letting the machine find it.
What we do on a drainage job. We trace what carries a signal with an electromagnetic locator, sweep the trench line with ground-penetrating radar for what does not, and paint the results in APWA color code. If you want the sewer lateral traced, we run a sonde from the cleanout on the same visit; if the buried downspout lines have an opening we can push into, we can trace those too, which matters when the new drain has to tie into them. Anything we could not find goes in writing. No depth: a mark means hand-dig here.
Send the address and where the trench will run through the request form, or call or text (719) 800-4937, and we send a firm number, within one business day.
Drainage crew coming this week?
Call 811 first, then send us the address and where the trench runs, or call or text (719) 800-4937. Firm quote within one business day, often the same day.