Does Bank Run Gravel Drain Well?
Quick Answer
Somewhat. Water moves through the coarse fraction, but the sand and fines slow it down. Never use bank run as the stone inside a French drain.
Partly, and Not Enough for a Drain
Water does move through the coarse fraction of bank run, but the material commonly carries 10 percent or more sand and fines, and those fines slow flow considerably. Bank run drains far better than clay and far worse than clean stone.
Never in a French Drain
The fines will choke the trench, which is the exact failure a drain exists to prevent. Use clean, washed stone with no fines: #57 or #4. The same applies behind retaining walls and around foundation drains.
There is a second reason to keep it out of wet locations. Where fines trap water in the section, a bank run layer can heave in freeze-thaw. Daylight the edge of the base wherever the site allows so water has somewhere to go.
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