How Does Basement Drain Tile Work?


If your home has persistent basement waterproofing or crawl space issues that you have been unable to address, considering installing an interior drain tile system may be necessary. While this project involves excavation up to a foot deep from the basement floor/slab surface. Seepageseal professionals are well qualified and should handle such work.

A drain tile system consists of perforated pipes designed to reduce water accumulation around your foundation. They differ from weeping tiles often found in older homes that were made from clay and often became clogged with dirt. Drain tiles (sometimes referred to as French drains ) typically consist of plastic material and may be installed either outside or inside your foundation, with exterior french drain systems usually utilized during newer construction while contractors often recommend installing interior french drains in homes that already have existing basement issues.

Perforated pipes work in an easy and straightforward fashion: when water accumulates near your foundation or soil beneath your home, perforated pipes capture it and redirect it towards a sump pit or other form of discharge that pumps it away from your property and usually to either storm sewers or underground springs.

Pumping away this water means it won’t return into your home and cause more damage to the basement or crawl space walls, and will also relieve hydrostatic pressure that has led to cracking or bowing in foundation walls.

Professional contractors can install drain tile systems both inside and outside your basement or crawl space. An exterior installation involves more laborious excavation work, usually up to the footer of your foundation; sometimes this process takes weeks.

Interior basement drain tiles are much less intrusive to your home, and can be completed much more rapidly. The process involves moving everything out of the basement before excavating a trench around its perimeter to form a sump pit for drainage purposes and installing drain tile into that trench before filling it in with gravel for waterproofing purposes and placing floor boards over them to complete this phase of passive waterproofing measures.

Though a drain tile system is effective, improper upkeep could still lead to blockages due to roots entering through pipes or dirt and debris building up in it. When this happens, waterproofing measures will become less efficient, potentially flooding basements or crawl spaces.

If your drain tiles appear to be blocked or clogged, contact Seepageseal immediately. Our technicians will send a technician out immediately to assess if your drain tiles have become plugged up and/or blocked up, and repair or replace as necessary so as to avoid future flooding or water issues.