If your basement or crawl space are experiencing water seepage or flooding issues, drain tile could be an ideal solution. Also known as footing drains, these perforated pipes use gravity to direct groundwater that accumulates at foundations to either a sump pit or drainage system away from the house – drain tile isn’t usually required during new construction but is an effective way of protecting basement walls from moisture damage when other waterproofing measures don’t work as intended.
An exterior drainage tile system entails excavation down to footing level around your foundation, while installing an interior system requires just under that threshold. A major undertaking, installing either exterior system requires breaking up concrete floors, hauling away and disposing of rubble, digging trenches, then patching and reinstating. Though expensive and time consuming for professional builders, both methods catch moisture from below the soil surface and transport it away, keeping your basement dry.
An interior drain tile system is easy and less disruptive to install for homeowners. This system uses corrugated floor edging that captures water running down your basement walls and seeping through cove joints (where basement floor meets foundation wall), then redirecting it through corrugated pipe to a sump pit and into an outer drainage system up to 50 feet away from your house.
No matter the type of drain tile you own, its proper maintenance and repair are crucial to its effective operation. Over time, your soil around drain tiles may become filled with dirt from landscape plants or tree roots clogging them, rendering the system ineffective; therefore it’s crucial that a maintenance plan include regularly checking and cleaning pipes.
Maintenance aside, there are various things you can do to help waterproof your basement and crawl space more effectively. Install an egress window connected to your sump pump; add a French drain system using an exterior system using large pits with pumps that fill and empty away water up to 50 feet from the foundation; or create an exterior system called an eco-drain using exterior systems that divert rainwater away from homes/foundations areas.
If you need help with waterproofing or are experiencing moisture damage in your basement, Reid & Pederson Drainage’s basement experts are ready to provide solutions. We serve Western Pennsylvania communities including Pittsburgh, Greensburg, Harrisburg and Altoona and offer free no-committal estimates – get in touch with us now for your no-cost assessment! We look forward to speaking with you!