Decomposed Granite Path Over French Drain?

[WooHorn]

I am going to cover a large utility area behind my house with decomposed granite, but there is a long french drain along the full length of the area. The drain is perforated PVC in a bed of gravel, covered by fabric and then large egg rock-type stones.

I don't think that I want the fine DG on top of the egg rock, so should I just put some landscape fabric on top of the rock before I put the DG down?

If I just use loose DG without stabilizers or resins, will water drain through it properly?

 

[Mobyhorn]

Yes, it will drain through composite granite, but not as freely. You may want to put a fabric mesh, as you mentioned over the drain first.

 

[brntorng]

It's hard to say without seeing it, but how about this: Add pea gravel over the larger rocks to fill the voids and make the base more stable and level while still providing good drainage. Then put fabric over that followed by the DG. I'm concerned that eventually the fabric will fail, especially if it's supporting the DG between the large rocks, and the DG will collapse into the voids. You might want to experiment with a short stretch to make sure it's going to be stable before you create a bigger problem.

BTW, I agree that the DG will drain, albeit much more slowly. If this French drain is expected to handle a lot of water in a downpour you might not want to mess with it or you could cause flooding where you don't want it. Worth considering anyway before you really screw it up.