French Drains in Cold Climates 6

[minor4326]

I have a concern that my newly installed french drain will get damaged by winter thaw and freeze cycles. My house downspouts are connected to a French drain and I've got concerns that the snow/ice in the gutters will cause problems in the French drain during winter. I live in SE Michigan. Do I need to be concerned?

 

[cvg]

drain the downspout into a grated catch basin, then a pipe to drain to the yard. the basin will allow the system to drain even if the pipe gets blocked by ice

 

[civilman72]

As I stated in my first post, you will have to watch and maintain the outlet of the pipe. For all the reasons you mentioned, there will be freezing water that will clog your outlet if not properly cleared. I've seen heat tape at the outlet help improve the freezing/clogging issue, but it's never completely maintenance-free.

The freezing issues I've witnessed occurring at the outlet are for drainage systems that are properly buried (usually at least 4' deep). I still think you are going to have freezing issues further up the pipe if you only bury it a few inches deep.