What is the difference between a swale and a French drain?

A swale is a shallow, graded path on top of the lawn. A French drain is a gravel trench that collects groundwater. They solve different parts of a wet-yard problem and are not interchangeable.

Is grading sometimes enough to improve drainage?

When runoff is traveling the wrong way or ponding because of a dish in the ground, changing the shape can be the more direct fix. It will not replace a drain needed for water already in the soil.

Does every wet yard need a French drain?

No. The first question is whether the problem is a surface path or saturation. A trench is one option after that split.

When is a catch basin better than a French drain?

When water is still on the surface at a low point. A grate is faster for that burst. A French drain is slower collection below the lawn.

How do you decide where drainage water should go?

Both a swale and a pipe need a place to finish. An outlet that recreates a low spot just moves the wet area. That is judged on the property.

Do you serve areas outside Portland, Maine?

Yes. We serve Gorham and nearby Cumberland County communities including Westbrook, Scarborough and Portland. See the service-areas page for the full coverage list.

Yard Drainage Planning

Yard drainage services in Gorham, Maine

Yes. Portland French Drains serves Gorham and nearby Cumberland County communities. Exterior work includes grading and swales, French drain installation, surface collection, and a yard drainage plan when both shape and pipe are in play.

The useful question is where water starts on the property and where it can leave.

Surface runoff vs. a lawn that will not dry

If you can watch water sheet, standing water and runoff toward the house are the surface story. If the sheet is gone and the ground is still soft days later, that is closer to a yard that stays wet for days. If it never firms up between storms, see a soggy or saturated lawn.

A swale is a shallow surface path. It is not a French drain with the pipe left out. Mixing those names leads to the wrong excavation.

Water crossing a lawn or drive and stopping in a corner
A dish that ponds because the ground is shaped to hold it
Soft soil after the surface water has disappeared
Uncertainty whether to reshape the yard or install a trench

French drain vs. grading — and when they work together

French drain vs. grading is the core guide. Grading first can keep new surface water from pouring into the zone a drain is trying to relieve. A drain under a reverse slope still fights incoming runoff.

Catch basins sit where travel finally stops on top. Yard drainage is the plan when the outdoor area needs more than one of those tools.

How to choose in Gorham, ME

Walk the high side to the wet side. If water is still moving on the surface, shape and a grate usually come before a French drain. If movement has stopped and the soil stays wet, a trench becomes relevant — with an outlet.

Which drainage solution explains the differences. Call 207-870-9502 to get drainage help on the property.

Process

Describe the direction water travels and where it stops. Note whether you are choosing between a slope change and a drain. Existing swales or ditches, if any, belong in that description.

Review looks at slope, low areas, roof discharge, and outlet options. No guaranteed grading result and no invented Gorham soil profile.

Gorham in Cumberland County, Maine

Portland French Drains serves Gorham and nearby Cumberland County communities, including Westbrook, ME, Scarborough, ME, and Portland, ME.

See the service-areas page for the full coverage list.

Services for shape, runoff, and trenches

These services help compare grading with a French drain, then collect water where it stops.

Guides for the grade-versus-trench decision

Nearby Communities We Serve

Explore drainage information for nearby Cumberland County communities.

French Drain vs. Grading for Wet Yards in Gorham, ME