Drain Tile may have come up when discussing solutions for basement seepage issues with someone, such as your contractor or even just an acquaintance who lives nearby without issues – perhaps it was even your handyman! No matter who suggested it to you, it is essential that you understand how this system operates and its potential advantages for you.
Drain tiles are subterranean drainage pipes installed around a home’s foundation footings to prevent seepage into its basement and protect it from flooding and structural damage. But as with anything left for too long without being checked regularly, drain tiles may become blocked over time, leading to flooding or structural damage in your basement. However, overly prolonged neglect could cause blockages which cause puddles in your basement or salt-like deposits on walls (known as efflorescence) as evidence that something has gone amiss with a drain tile issue.
Drain tile systems work on one simple principle, creating an easy path for water to take. This is essential in keeping homes dry and keeping soil away from their foundation; plus it’s effective for new builds as well as retrofits of older properties.
Drain tile systems consist of corrugated, flexible plastic pipes with perforations on their exterior surface that is usually covered with a grates to keep water out of living spaces in basements; however, these grates may remain open if no further elaboration will take place in that basement.
Contractors often construct drainage basins in basement floors with sump pits and pumps or storage containers to collect groundwater before it seeps into homes through basement walls or crawlspaces. Weeping tiles capture any seeping water and channel it directly towards these sump pits or tanks to be pumped out of the home’s interior space.
This can be especially helpful in areas with high water tables or underground springs where foundations may become submerged by rainwater or flooding from storms. Although both types of basement drainage tile work to divert excess water away from a house’s foundation, interior weeping tiles provide greater relief from hydrostatic pressure by collecting it before reaching walls of homes.
Exterior and interior basement drain tile installations are typically performed during new home construction; however, retrofits for older properties can also be implemented. Installing an infiltrators requires jackhammering a portion of the floor away and digging a trench for their pipe, before covering it up with washed rock. Labor-intensive and costly projects such as this can save a home from flooding, structural damage and mold over time. Drain tile systems frequently become clogged due to dirt or debris entering pipes or an unreliable sump pump; if this is occurring for your basement drain tiles contact a waterproofing company immediately so they can inspect and clean.