What Are The Most Common Backyard Drainage Problems
Here are the most common signs of backyard drainage problems:
Persistent water pooling or puddles in the yard or near the house may also be coming from hidden leaking pipes underground. The average cost to fix a leaking pipe is $150 to $850.
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Hiring A Yard Drainage Contractor
Hiring the right French drain contractor ensures a long-lasting drainage solution and prevents repairing damage every year. Before hiring a contractor and signing a contract, be sure to:
- Get at least three in-person estimates to compare prices and warranties.
- Ask for recommendations from family, friends, and neighbors.
- Read reviews and check out their previous work on HomeGuide, Google, and the Better Business Bureau .
- Make sure they are licensed, insured, and bonded.
- Choose a company that’s been in business for at least 5 years.
- Avoid selecting the lowest quote as quality may suffer.
- Ask for a full itemized contract in writing in case of a dispute.
- Make sure they experienced and certified to determine the best system for your home.
- Are they willing to answer any questions you have?
- Avoid making large payments upfront. Never pay in full or in cash, and come up with a payment schedule for work completed.
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Install Piping After Waterproofing
After the foundation walls have been waterproofed you begin step two. Backfill over the pipe with at least a three-foot-thick layer of gravel.
If you can afford it, backfill with gravel to within 18″ of the finish grade. You must think long term. Remember, it will be virtually impossible to dig up and add gravel in the future when your basement is leaking. The extra money spent now is well worth it.
Once the gravel is in place, cover it with a 16-inch thick layer of straw or a single layer of 15# roofing felt paper. This barrier will prevent the silt from the backfill dirt from clogging the gravel and drain tile.
Exterior Drain Tile System
Exterior drain tile systems are usually installed at the lowest point in the outer perimeter of your home. Exterior drain tile systems carry surface water and groundwater away from the base through perforated pipes.
Exterior drainage systems have a perforated pipe in a gravel bed installed outside the underground foundation, so there is sometimes a risk of eventually being filled with dirt, roots, and debris.
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How Drain Tile Works
Water that builds up around the base of a homes foundation can create hydrostatic pressure and this can leak into the home or damage the foundation.
The best-case scenario is for water at ground-level to remain at ground-level and to move away from the house. If water does happen to percolate downward and reach the foundation, it should be kept moving so that it does not build up.
The drain tile pipes are laid at the base, or footing, of the foundation. Crushed rock or gravel extending at least 12 inches outward and 6 inches upwarda volume specified by codeis laid on top of the pipe.
The rock or gravel equalizes the weight of the soil above and it acts as a perforated pass-through for the water to reach the pipe. Plus, the rock itself aids with the lateral movement of the water.
Water fills the pipe through the pipes perforations. Fabric laid over or wrapped around the pipe protects the pipe from filling with silt. Water moves downslope through the pipe and away from the house. The water terminates either at a sump pump, where it is pumped away from the house, or to daylight.
What Is An Interior Drain Tile System
In order to understand why you might need one, it would help to understand what an interior foundation drain tile system is. An interior drain tile system is a series of pipes that will capture water at its most common point of entrythe basement floor/wall joint. The system is designed to direct water into the sump pit of the home, where the sump pump will flush it away.
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How Do You Protect The Gravel
You must protect the gravel with a barrier. It prevents silt and mud from the soil from clogging the gravel or the drain tile pipe.
During excavation, dirt removed from the hole is fluffed. This means that it is disturbed and broken up.
It’s volume usually increases about ten percent. It’s loosened and disturbed more during backfilling procedures.
B Flexible Corrugated Pipe
This pipe has slits cut on all of its sides. The slits allow water in from every direction and keep the sand, soil, and grit particles out.
The flexible corrugated pipe retails at about $0.89 per foot, making it cheaper than the PVCs. The best thing about it is that it does not require corner fittings as it can bend on its own.
Its other perk is that its highly durable and can withstand both high and low temperatures.
Note: The industry standard for residential drainage is 4 inches regardless of the pipe you choose. However, there are sizes up to 18 inches meant for industrial uses.
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Lay Your Gravel Cover
After you fill in the rest of your trench with dirt, there are many fluffed and loose dirt particles that can easily make their way down your gravel and into your drain tile with the water runoff. If this happens, it will clog your system and be nearly impossible to fix. The solution is a gravel cover, something porous that will allow moisture to seep through, but not the silt. Roofing felt is a good material to use.
Cover your gravel with roofing felt, and then fill in the rest of your trench with dirt.
Does Gravity Compact The Backfill Dirt
As the soil gets disturbed, small dirt particles, or silt, are created and separated. These are carried through the gravel by the rainwater or snowmelt which enters this soil.
Very few builders take the time to compact the soil around the outside of a house so Mother Nature does it using water and gravity.
Without a barrier of some type covering the clean gravel, these silt particles immediately clog the gravel and drain tile and render it useless.
IMPORTANT TIP: Most builders often do not install this barrier. It’s a HUGE MISTAKE to eliminate it. Do NOT ALLOW them to tell you it’s not needed. They’re either ill-informed or lying to you.
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Cost To Install Sump Pump And French Drain
The average cost to install a sump pump and French drain is $4,000 to $15,000, depending on the size of the basement’s perimeter and the number of sump pumps required.
Interior drainage systems require a sump pump to pump the water out of the crawlspace or basement. Exterior French drains may only require a sump pump if the slope is too high. Sump pump installation costs$500 to $1,200 when connecting to an existing drainage system.
Are Sump Pumps A Good Idea
No, sump pumps are a bad idea.
If you build on level ground, you have to install a sump pit. A sump pit is usually installed inside the basement of your home.
The pit is nothing more than a buried plastic container that resembles a garbage can. It’s large enough for a sump pump to rest at the bottom.
The drain tile pipe runs beneath the footer to this sump. The collected water is then mechanically pumped from the sump.
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Foundation Drainsfooting Drains Prevent Foundation Leaks & Water Entry
- about foundation drains, footing drains, and perimeter drains used to keep water out of buildings
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Foundation drainage:
This article discusses building foundation drainage: footing drains, used to prevent foundation leaks and building water entry. This article series discusses types of drainage system s, including foundation drains or “french drains” for preventing wet basements and crawl spaces.
We also provide an ARTICLE INDEX for this topic, or you can try the page top or bottom SEARCH BOX as a quick way to find information you need.
Interior Drain Tile System
An interior drain tile system is a way to permanently end the water damage in the basement of the house. Which will divert any excess water due to heavy rain to the sump pump.
Interior perimeter drain systems are mostly installed to waterproof leaking concrete block foundations. Compared to exterior waterproofing, an interior weeping tile system is less expensive and is a proven, highly effective basement waterproofing method.
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When All Else Fails Install Foundation Drain Tile
Few things worry homeowners more than the idea of water entering the home. After all, it has the power to be incredibly destructive and you want to do everything you can to keep it out. Even so, a lot of times homeowners dont realize that they have a water problemuntil they really have a water problem. At that point, its too late to avoid damage and now youre looking for a solution that will prevent it from happening again.
If youve experienced water in your basement and are looking for answers, then you may be seeking out waterproofing solutions.
Like most things in life, when it comes to waterproofing, its always best to start with a conservative approach. In the case of waterproofing, this would be crack repair with injections. If you dont have an extensive problem, an injection may do the trick.
However, sometimes, thats simply not enough. Thats why, when all else fails, you may require an interior foundation drain tile system.
Where Does The Water From French Drains Go
A French drain needs an exit point to remove standing water and prevent flooding. A French drain carries water down a gradual slope into a dry well, public drain or water main, or drainage ditch. Stormwater may be directed into city irrigation ditches with permission from the local water department.
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Hook Up The Pipe Connections
- Install an inlet grate at the point where the water pools the most.
- Secure as many fittings as necessary for your pipe system to extend from the inlet grate to the water outlet point.
- You can use an inexpensive, flexible drainage hose if you need a curved drain or longer-lasting PVC pipe if you want a more durable system. If you choose the latter, drill holes about 6 inches apart along the length of the pipe.
Create A Proper Slope
Use a sledgehammer to drive stakes/markers into the soil in the trench every four feet or so. Take a string and tie it where the pipe should start. Next, run that string to the next stake and wrap it around.
Use a line level to make sure your string is level. Slide the string down half of an inch to create the slope and ensure that the water runs down the drainage pipe and away from the structure. Repeat this process until youve tied every stake.
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Some Soils Are Tough To Dig
The soil we dug up for our 70-ft. long trench and dry well was among the worst for digging. The mostly clay soil was full of 4- to 8-in. fieldstonea far cry from the ideal sand soil. The digging took me and a helper two solid days of backbreaking labor. With any luck, yours will be a lot easier to dig, but be prepared. Get a large chisel-point bar to pry stones out of the way just to make room for each shovelful.
Can I Install My Own Drain Tile
Because a drain tile system is fairly simple and can be built out of readily available materials, many do-it-yourselfers have been tempted to install it on their own. First of all, it is important to note that the drain tiles are not meant to be permanent fixtures. They are meant for temporary use only, and should not be used for long periods of time.
Also, they should be installed in such a way that they do not interfere with the flow of water in your home. If you have any doubts about this, you should consult with a professional plumber to make sure that your installation will not cause any damage to your plumbing system.
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Determine The Source Of Your Water Problem
In most cases, its pretty obvious where the water is coming from. Often theres a slope approaching the house, a depression in the yard that causes pooling, or excess roof water draining next to the foundation. You can take care of minor foundation drainage problems by making sure the soil slopes away from the house.
Also, properly installed gutters, with a well-directed downspout that empties clear of the foundation, can be very effective. If youve already zeroed in on those solutions and still need help, stick with this article.
How Does Water Move Through Soil
The water in the soil is moving all the time. In almost all cases, it moves down a few inches then it begins to move sideways. Gravity is pulling it to the oceans around the world.
Here’s a side view of a typical house. The black clouds release rain. It falls into the soil and starts to go down, but then sideways. The bedrock under the soil generally, but not always, follows the shape of the soil above it. Soil depths can vary from several feet to tens-of-feet thick. ©2017 Tim Carter
Most people think that the water in soil moves straight down but in reality, it moves sideways through the topsoil and upper layers of the B horizon of soil.
Almost all homes are built on some sort of slope, so if you have acres of land above your home, the water in the soil is all marching and flowing towards your house.
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List Of Drain Tile Companies:
1. Belle Plaine Block & Tile Co.
The companys products include concrete tanks, septic tanks, gallon capacity, pumps, and holding tanks. Also included are corrugated metal pipes, high-density polyethylene drain tiles, and fittings.
2. Turtle Plastics
The company is a manufacturer and distributor of drain tiles from recycled PVC plastic. Also manufactures products with various features. These include features such as interlocking design, animal waste, shampoo, oil, and other chemical resistance, etc. Indoor and outdoor run, bathing area, floor tub, and other applications are offered with a five-year warranty.
3. Sandkuhl
The company produces clay and ceramic products for agricultural, commercial, and industrial applications, regardless of construction. In addition, various products include chimney liners, chimney, fireplace, baking and tower fill, drain tile, and partition tiles.
4. Kieft Brothers Incorporated
The company mostly consists of precast concrete products. These products include storm and sanitation sewers and water distribution programs. It also produces products such as manholes, grease basins, water vaults, septic tanks, and sump pits and pipes.
5. Quarry Setta Co.
Acoustical, Drain & Floor Tiles
6. A & B Precast Mfg. Ltd.
7. MyMatting.com
The company manufactures drain tiles using polypropylene material. It produces drain tile in various colors in 12X12 X 1/2. Also manufactures products for garage floor, basement, showroom, deck, and sport court.
8. ADS Pipe
Drain Tile Systems French Drains
Foundation King installs a variety of water drainage systems to help you solve your water problems. A drain tile system, also sometimes called a French Drain, is designed to collect and redirect water away from the house or foundation.
Drain tiles can be installed either on the interior perimeter of the foundation or along the exterior of the foundation. They can also be installed along the surface of the yard to redirect water away from the house.
Surface drainage systems basically consist of a perforated pipe set in a trench and covered with gravel. The pipe can also be covered with a nylon filter sock to prevent the pipe from filling with debris. Water that enters the pipe is then redirected away from the house.
Interior drain tile systems are typically placed below the concrete slab a portion of the basement floor is removed , then, a trench is dug and a perforated pipe is set on top the footing and covered with washed gravel. The concrete is then replaced. The pipe is directed to a sump pump and discharged to the exterior. This will catch water entering between basement floor and the wall.
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How Much Gravel Is Needed
Install at least at least 2 or 3-foot thick layer of gravel over the drain tile. More is better.
The filter media or gravel is used to cover the drain tile. Water can flow readily through this gravel and find its way to the pipe.
One customer wanted me to ensure his room addition basement never had water in it. He was willing to pay to have the high-side foundation wall that pointed upslope filled completely with the nice rounded gravel.
There was no way water was going to ever try to force its way into his basement when it had the chance to go straight down to the drain-tile pipe.
Remember, water takes the path of least resistance. Some soils, heavy clays, resist water movement.