French drain shingle

[Mojooo]

I need to build a french drain to move water away from foundation of a house.

I was ordering a skip and so bought some recycled 20mm shingle from the same place. It was advertised as being free of 'fines' and suitable for drainage. I expected to get stones with no small bits.

What I got was this - http://1drv.ms/1w9SAqn

Its a mixture of small stuff and big stuff (simialr to MOT type 1).

Is this stuff suitable for french drains? The very small bits look like they will cause things to clog up.

Remedies are to get new stuff or I could potentially wash the small bits off or put the big ones through a filter.

If the advert says 'no fines' does that mean you don;t get the smaller stuff or are fines something else like soil?

[B17NNS]

I'd be thinking more of a 20mm pea gravel for a french drain.

[badboyburt]

Theres no shingle in that at all, will just clog up.

This however wont, and is what is needed,

[ATTAK Z]

Looks like they've sent the wrong stuff ... should be single size material whether that be 75mm or 18 mm ... thus giving about 30% voids ... wrap it in terram also

[Mojooo]

It is supposed to be 20mm

Essentially as long as all the pieces are big (over 20mm) then I doubt it matters hugely.

The stuff I bought is recycled which is why it doesn't look so nice.

But yea, I reckon the stuff they sent is not suitable.

[Spudler]

DONT use what they've supplied.
That's cheapest of the cheap st, usually used by farmer tt and his mates on farm tracks, sub-base and the likes.

[jason61c]

you won't get much drainage though that. I've got to do the same next year and i'm planning on using 30mm size smooth stuff as it doesn't self compact as well.

[Mojooo]

I paid 24quid for 2 tonnes.

so I can sue it for a base for a footpath/s? If so not the end of the world - but will have to re-order clean new shingle I guess.

[TA14]

Wow, that's cheap. If the fines are sand it may work, just not too well comparatively. Try throwing a bucket of water at it: if it were 20mm shingle, clean the water would disappear in about 0.5 seconds.

[anonymous-user]

Jeez that's crap :shock:

B17NNS said:

I'd be thinking more of a 20mm pea gravel for a french drain.

40 Mil single size limestone ?

[ATTAK Z]

As I said earlier, any single size material (preferably rounded) will do the trick ... snooker balls are ideal and will give about 30% voids (do the maths)