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Gutter and Downspout Details (C) Carson Dunlop AssociatesGeotextiles: types, uses, sources

for building & site erosion, septics, drainage control

This article describes geotextiles, woven and non-woven synthetic fabrics, used for a wide variety of purposes in and on buildings and at building sites to control water drainage, erosion, or to construct septic systems, drives, walks, or for other purposes.

Page top illustration: a geotextile placed against the foundation wall combined with other materials can help assure that water near the foundation is conducted to footing drains and away from the building.

Sketch courtesy of Carson Dunlop Associates, a Toronto home inspection & education company.

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

- Daniel Friedman, Publisher/Editor/Author - See WHO ARE WE?

Types of Geotextiles & Their Uses

Rope "geotextile" substitute for erosion control in Central Mexico (C) Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.comGeotextiles are a strong fabric, usually synthetic but possibly of natural fibers such as jute, used in a wide range of applications to control the movement of soil and water. The fabric is intended to be buried or covered with soil, gravel, or similar materials.

A geotextile fabric permits water to pass through its body while preventing soil to be carried away by the movement of the water.

The geotextile may be used as a flat-spread fabric that covers soil or rock and that is then itself covered with a final layer of soil or sod, or it may be in the form of a tube or sock used, for example, in some erosion control experiments in Australia (Restall 2001) and in some septic system effluent disposal system designs as well as in the treatment of surface water (Moslemizadeh 2009) and sewage sludge (Fowler 1996).

Synthetic geotextiles are typically made of glass, fiberglass, nylon, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, or polyester.

Natural fiber matting and geotextiles are typically made of jute, coir (coconut), or other plant or wood fibres.

Photo: rope netting or matting, (not a geotextile) providing a more coarse form of erosion control, in use in Central Mexico in 2011 [DF].

Geotextiles—also known as filter fabrics, synthetic fabrics, construction fabrics or fabrics—are porous fabrics used for erosion and sediment control purposes. Manufacturers create woven geotextiles by weaving fibers together and non-woven geotextiles by bonding fibers together. - US EPA

At buildings and building sites, the most common uses of geotextiles are in building foundation drainage systems, soil erosion control, septic system construction, and beneath gravel, interlocking block, slate or similar walks and driveways. Geotextiles are also being tested in coastal protection systems (ter Harmsel 2018) (Restall 2001), concrete form work (Miller-Johnson 2009), and to improve the performance of timber retaining walls (Levy 1992).

Summary of Geotextile Types for Various Uses

Geotextile use in Two Harbors, MN (C) Friedman Church at InspectApedia.com

Photo: at this new home in Two Harbors, MN, where clay soils are common, the builder installed sod over a thin layer of well-drained soil-gravel mix that is in turn held in place by a geotextile.

  1. Backfill over a drainfield trench:

    the fabric has to be just strong enough to not tear during backfill over the trench - 2 oz. to 3 oz. thicknesses, using a non-woven geotextile product.

    Those lighter weights are strong enough to remain intact during backfill but light enough to have very high permeability - you want good flow rates around a drainfield trench.

    See also GEOTEXTILES over SEPTIC SOAKAWAY BEDS
  2. Building perimeter drain

    or "French Drain" uses 3-4.5 oz non-woven geotextile.

    We may use a waterproof membrane buried and sloped away around a building to prevent water entry when roof edge gutters can't be installed.
  3. Surface erosion control:

    use medium-weight non-woven geotextiles in the 4-6 oz range
  4. Weed prevention, soil-gravel separation, under gravel paths,

    parking areas, heavy-use areas: use non-woven or woven fabric geotextiles in the 8-16 oz range where traffic might otherwise tear the fabric.

 

Foundation Drainage Mats & Geotextiles for Foundation Waterproofing

Foundation drainage mats and geotextiles (C) Carson Dunlop Associates

As Carson Dunlop Associates' sketch (above) and our photos (below) illustrate, proper installation of a combination of damp proofing, a drainage mat, and a geotextile to keep the drainage mat from becoming clogged by soil particles can be effective in keeping roof spillage and surface runoff from penetrating the building foundation walls.

Watch out: even this approach won't prevent basement or crawl space water entry if groundwater levels are so saturated that they are rising up beneath the basement floor slab.

Foundation waterproofing (C) Daniel Friedman

Sealing Foundation Walls: damp-proofing vs waterproofing is explained

at WET BASEMENT PREVENTION

Foundation waterproofing (C) Daniel Friedman

and details about water barrier coverings for foundations are found in

our RECOMMENDED ARTICLES list below.

Geotextile Properties, Thickness, Flow-Rate, Durability

Watch out: when choosing a geotextile, be sure to review the manufacturer's product specifications and intended uses.

The geotextile that is most suitable as a pond liner (very durable, with a low gpm flow rate at which water passes through the fabric, is quite different from a geotextile most suitable for filtration or septic system effluent dispersal (higher gpm flow rates).

[Reader note: the table below is in process; contributions are invited - Ed.]

Geotextile Properties

Product Type
Woven
Non-
woven
Thickness Opening
Size
mm
US Sieve
Flow Rate
L / M / M2
GPM / ft2
Tensile
Strength

kN
lb

Puncture
Resistance 2

kN
lb

Agtec N 3.1 oz -
#50
-
150
-.
80
-
175
Eastgate EGLS3 N > 3.0 oz -
#70
-
88
-
62
-
179
Nilex 4535 3 N - 0.30
#50
6112
150
356
80
934
210
Nilex 4516 3 N - 0.15
#100
2037
50
1690
380
4804
1080
SKAPS GE180 N 100 mil
2.5 mm
0.18
#80
4074
100
1
225
2.67
600
SKAPS GE140 N 70 mil
1.77 mm
0.212
#70
6518
160
0.467
105
1.36
306
SKAPS M220 W   0.6
#30
1630
40
1.31 x 1.16
295 x 260
5.7
1300
SRW LS3 N 3.0 oz -
#70
-
88

-
62

-
179

US Fabrics US 80NW N 3.1 oz /y2
105.09 g/M2
0.297
#50
6112
150
356
80
770
175
US Fabrics US 7200 W - 0.585
#30
611
15
124 x 87.5
8500 x 6000
-

Notes to the table above

  1. In general, non-woven geotextiles are more porous than woven fabrics, and may break down faster (though we have found buried non-woven geotextiles lasting fifteen years or more with no apparent damage - Ed.)
  2. Nilex, cited below, offers this list of geotextile features that may be compared across products:

    Geotextile Mechanical properties: grab tensile strength, grab elongation, CBR puncture, trapezoidal tear

    Geotextile Hydraulic properties: apparent opening size, permittivity, water flow rate (l/m/2 or gpm/ft2)

    Note: Permittivity is the flow rate (in cubic metres per second), divided by the area of the geotextile tested, divided by the hydraulic head.

    Geotextile Endurance - UV resistance (if not buried)

    Geotextile Packaging - roll size
  3. Nilex describes at least 11 different geotextile products; we selected two as representative of the range of geotextile features

    See NILEX NONWOVEN CIVIL GEOTEXTILE COMPARISON CHART [PDF] , cited in more detail below.
  4. Geotextile Limitations (BMP-17 cited below)

    Effectiveness may be reduced drastically if the fabric is not properly selected, designed, or installed.

    ƒMany synthetic geotextiles are sensitive to light and should be protected prior to installation.

    Geotextiles that are not biodegradable should not be used where their presence or appearance is aesthetically unacceptable.

    Geotextiles should not be placed on 50% slopes if they are to be covered with overlying material.

Geotextiles vs Matting - what's the difference

Geotextile

Geotextiles are porous fabrics known in the construction industry as filter fabrics, road rugs, synthetic fabrics, construction fabrics, or simply fabrics.

Geotextiles are manufactured by weaving or bonding fibers made from synthetic materials such as polypropylene, polyester, polyethylene, nylon, polyvinyl chloride, glass, and various mixtures of these materials. - source: Idaho Best Management Practice BMP 17 GEOTEXTILES [PDF] (2005) cited in detail below.

Matting

Matting is a porous net or fibrous sheet that is laid over the ground surface for slope stabilization and erosion control or to hold mulch in place and protect it against wind or water damage.

Matting and netting are sometimes classified as geotextiles (see BMP 17-Geotextile), but in this catalog, matting is considered to be materials made from biodegradable materials including straw, coconut (coir), jute, wood fiber (excelsior), paper, and cotton.

Some of these organic materials may be held in place by plastic netting. - source: Idaho Best Management Practice BMP 18 MATTING [PDF] (2005) cited in detail below.

Geotextile Research, Studies, Suppliers, Standards

Erosion control at a waste containment site - Bonaparte EPA cited & discussed at InspectApedia.comIllustration: using geotextiles as part of waste containment system management - from Bonaparte et als, cited below.

Geotextile sand tubes for coastal protection described by Restall (2001) cited & discussed at InspectApedia.com

Illustration: Stockton Beach Club illustrating use of geotextile sand tubes, in Restall (2001) cited just below.

Geotextile Fabric Sources & Specifications

A geotextile fabric from Brockwhite Construction Materials cited & discussed at InspectApedia.com

Illustration: a woven geotextile or geosynthetic fabric from Brockwhite, cited below.

Geosynthetics Line Card from US Fabrics cited in detail at InspectApedia.com

Illustration: Geosynthetics of a range of types, from US Fabrics Geosynthetics Line Card cited in detail below.

...




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Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above

Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

What is the Recommended Geotextile for Use over Septic Drainfields?

I plan on using a Geotextile fabric filter over my leach lines. However, what is the recommended type of Geotextile weight/thickness for septic fields? I've seen everything from 0.5 oz - 8oz being sold. Is it better to use thinner fabric for septic fields so gases and water can move more freely? Any suggestions is greatly appreciated!

thank you so much! On 2022-07-28 by Zachary

This Q&A were posted originally

at SEPTIC DRAINFIELD SIZE

Reply by InspectApedia-911 (mod) - use 2-3 oz non-woven geotextile over a drainfield trench.

@Zachary,

Thank you for a helpful question.

Bottom line: use a 2-3 oz non-woven geotextile over a drainfield trench.

Details:

Because all geotextiles are designed to be water permeable, the main factor in choosing which to use is the requirement for durability.

In the case of backfill over a drainfield trench, the fabric has to be just strong enough to not tear during backfill over the trench - probably 2 oz. to 3 oz. thicknesses range, using a non-woven geotextile product. Those lighter weights are strong enough to remain intact during backfill but light enough to have very high permeability - you want good flow rates around a drainfield trench.

Over a building perimeter drain or "French Drain", builders use 3-4.5 oz non-woven geotextile.

Medium-weight non-woven geotextiles in the 4-6 oz range are used to control surface erosion or perhaps under gravel paths.

Heavier non-woven as well as woven fabric geotextiles in the 8-16 oz range are more likely to be selected for use under gravel paths or parking areas where traffic might otherwise tear the fabric.

See also:

NO-ROCK SEPTIC GEOTEXTILE-WRAPPED PIPE

Additional Source: "What's the Best Landscape Fabric for Draining Water?" Eastgate landscape supply, PO Box 84, Bothell, WA 98041 USA, (800) 583-4891 Email: support@eastgatesupply.com, Web: eastgatesupply.com/

Followup by Zachary

@InspectApedia-911, Thank you so much for your quick reply! We have a local company here in Western NY that sells septic tanks and supplies and they have a geotextile fabric for leach fields but it is only 0.6 oz and I thought that was pretty thin. Maybe I'll just carefully layer it. Let me know your thoughts!

thanks again!

Reply by InspectApedia-911 (mod)

@Anonymous,

Thanks to your question I've spent the whole day on this topic - see our updated article above.

Bottom line: a very thin geotextile is more-likely to be torn or damaged, that's why a drainfield trench would usually use the heavier weight I cited.

You could try layering it and it may be fine, but honestly we've no expert source nor experience that discusses that approach.

There is a very significant variation in geotextile gpm flow rates

@InspectApedia-911, I just looked over your new write up! Looks great - This site has been so helpful!

One thing I will note is that during my search today I've found some manufacturers with a 3 oz geotextile that actually have fairly low gpm rates.

For example, Eastgate Supply has a 3 oz (EGLS3) that has a rating of only 88 gpm.

I thought this was an error and emailed their support to confirm and he said it was correct. Apparently their 3oz is produce slightly different causing lower gmp rates.

However, I've seen companies with a 3.1 oz fabric and the gmp rate jumps back to 150.

Do you think I should go with the 3.1 oz due to the higher gpm rate?

Thanks Thanks again for all the advice! - On 2022-07-29 by Zachary

Reply by InspectApedia-911 (mod) - use higher gpm-rate geotextiles for septic drainfield construction

@Zachary,

That's so interesting.

A low-flow rate geotextile is perhaps one designed for use as a pond liner while high gpm flow rate geotextiles are more suitable for uses where we want water to flow freely through the material, such as in septic effluent dispersal systems.

Any details you can offer, brands, products, flow rate data would be very helpful.

It makes sense that various geotextile fabrics may be designed for a particular application, but a buyer may not know that.

I've added a geotextile data properties table to include flow rates above in this article.

Followup by Zachary - geotextile flow rate variations

@InspectApedia-911, Sure - I'll provide a few links below..

EastGate Supply 3oz:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0043/5716/0995/files/EGLS3.pdf?v=1610413181

SRW 3oz:
http://www.landscapediscount.net/images/spec/LS3-Spec-Sheet-2020.pdf

Take a look at these specs and let me know your thoughts...Assuming they are accurate, I should go with something with higher water flow rate, correct?

Here is the AgTec 3.1 that I was looking at:
https://www.agtec.com/agtec-non-woven-3-1oz-geotextile-fabric-choose-size

Thank you!

...

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