Basement drain tile is an innovative water drainage system that can be installed either inside or outside your foundation’s perimeter, offering effective basement waterproofing solutions and helping avoid costly repairs. Before hiring a contractor to install it for you, however, it’s crucial that you understand exactly what this solution entails and its functioning.
When people refer to “drain tile”, it typically refers to a perforated pipe installed in a trench beneath a basement floor or slab, used as part of an efficient waterproofing system designed to collect groundwater before it enters through the basement floor or slab and penetrate its foundation. Water from these systems either flows downhill away from homes through gravity, or collected and directed towards sump pits where electric pumps remove it from your house.
These drainage systems are intended to be clog-proof and long-term reliable; however, they can become blocked due to tree roots or dirt entering their pipes.
Installation of an appropriate drainage system is crucial, and drain tiles should be inspected or replaced as necessary to ensure their functionality. If your basement has become flooded or there is salt-like residue lining the walls (efflorescence), that could be an indicator that your drain tiles have become blocked.
Exterior basement drain tile is a drainage system installed around the foundation’s perimeter. It typically consists of perforated plastic PVC pipe in 10-foot sections with holes on one side or bell-mouth ends that can connect end-to-end pipes, laid in trenches with holes facing downward and covered by washed gravel that’s large enough to keep out soil while small enough to filter water entering it.
The system should have an ideal slope of at least 1/4 inch per foot, though steeper gradients are preferred. To keep soil out while still providing moisture for drainage, a layer of porous fabric allows moisture to enter while blocking soil entry – then covered by another layer of soil to complete its effectiveness.
Though installing an interior or exterior drain tile system yourself is possible, the work is extensive. Installation requires taking down and replacing flooring in affected areas, jackhammering the basement floor/slab, digging a trench beneath it all, as well as connecting with sump pumps so the pumped-out water is automatically expelled back out again. To get more information, contact a waterproofing expert in your area; they’ll help determine the most suitable option for you while diagnosing potential problems in existing systems and providing repair estimates for those as well.