What is MENISCUS? The departure from a flat surface where a liquid meets a solid, due to surface tension. The effect can be seen clearly through the wall of a glass tube. The surface of water in air rises up the wall of the tube, while that of mercury is depressed, SIGHT-FEED LUBRICATOR.
An abandoned mud-covered scooter is found during the draining of the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris, France Charles Platiau/Reuters
A traditional french drain is a drain that directs water away from an area via a trench filled with gravel. This allows the water to leech into the soil over a given distance, rather than pooling where you don't want it. Most french drains use holed corrugated piping or holed PVC. I used PVC for this project. I opted to run my french drain into a dry well at the end. The well consists of a 55 gallon plastic drum ($35 on Craigslist) with holes drilled in it. It sits on a bed of 3-4 of gravel and is surrounded on its sides by about 6 of gravel.