If your home is located in an area vulnerable to flooding or experiencing water intrusion problems in its basement, investing in a drain tile system would be wise. Commonly referred to as French drain or weeping tile systems, drain tile systems consist of porous pipes which can be installed both outside of foundation walls and inside basement floors; it helps prevent basement water damage by diverting excess moisture away from foundation bases. Hunker provides more details.
Modern homes typically include drain tiles as part of their construction. Drain tile systems have now become part of national building codes for any structure with crawl space or basement spaces, so installing one would be a sensible and cost-effective solution to prevent future water intrusion issues in older properties.
Drain tile systems work to collect groundwater and direct it away from basement and foundation walls when it rains, to prevent hydrostatic pressure that causes cracking of foundation walls and leakage into homes. They work by collecting excess water from beneath your house and channeling it to either a sump pump or daylight outlet point on your property – something a simple raindrop cannot do on its own!
Before the 1950s, builders often utilized red or orange clay pipes. Today, manufacturers offer plastic or perforated PVC drain tile in various shapes and sizes including round, square and oblong versions with small holes to allow water to enter and flow freely through. It then drains into either a sump pit, storage tank or drainage ditch or overland flow system.
Some contractors opt to install both interior and exterior drain tile systems for their clients, with interior drain tile systems constructed by digging a trench beneath the basement floor and laying drain tile over it; then covering it with gravel. Builders also may opt for exterior weeping tile systems which work along similar principles but integrate better into an existing landscaping plan.
Modern waterproofing products provide another option that can supplement or replace traditional drain tile systems, like Great Lakes Waterproofing’s Flume Channel product that diverts excess water away from concrete floors into drainage trenches, sump basins or elsewhere on your property. However, to work effectively these systems require that gutters, downspouts and property grading are functioning as intended – otherwise they become clogged with debris which impedes their effectiveness – therefore regular gutter and downspout cleaning is key for keeping these systems free of debris! To maintain these systems effectively