An effective drain tile system in your basement is key to protecting against damage caused by water intrusion. Water intrusion occurs due to hydrostatic pressure exerted against your foundation by ground water or hydrostatic pressure from above accumulating against it and pushing against it, damaging and cracking it allowing water seepage into your home’s structure and basement. Drain tiles can help prevent this, whether installed during new construction or retrofitted into an existing property.
Drain tiles are corrugated plastic pipes fitted with holes placed below your basement floor/slab, often corrugated plastic pipe with holes – often corrugated plastic pipe with perforations – that collect groundwater before it enters your home through traditional drains or foundation drains with round or square grates to catch it. Drain tiles connect these holes directly with a sump pit that pumps it away, diverting any additional amounts that seep into it into another part of your property and foundation. Despite its name, drain tiles do not collect groundwater like traditional drains do; rather these pipes collect groundwater before it enters through its entrance and foundation – unlike traditional basement drains which merely collect groundwater before entering it can collect much larger volumes before entering into your foundation and home.
Drain tile systems should be installed early on during new home construction to allow installers to accurately design the system and reduce costs. Older homes may have existing drain pipe installed which can then be retrofitted by digging a trench alongside your foundation and installing drain pipe, then pitching the system towards an existing or newly added sump pump.
Exterior and interior drain tile systems are two common types of drainage solutions. These two systems vary in how they’re constructed and installed, with exterior systems typically being found in newer homes located on heavy clay soils which tend to retain water and cause hydrostatic pressure against foundations resulting in water infiltration into basements, structural damage, or even mold growth.
A drain tile system can prevent this issue by collecting excess water before it seeps into your basement, installed in a trench running alongside its footing and covered by washed stone. Over time, however, these systems can become blocked with particles from soil that make them ineffective.
Homeowners without an external drain tile system have only one alternative when it comes to drain tile installation – installing one inside your basement. This process involves clearing everything out, breaking up concrete floor with jackhammers and creating trenches underneath for drain tile pipe installation. Once finished, contractors channel this pipe into their sump pit where it pumps away from your basement.
Drain tile systems may not provide an immediate fix for leaky basements, but they are an effective and long-term way of keeping them dry. If yours has problems, seek professional advice as to the best strategy to restore dryness – this could be one solution that works! If this approach sounds appealing to you.