Drain tiles are an essential part of any home’s foundation. They serve to move water away from your house, preventing moisture from causing any damage. If you have never heard of them before, don’t worry—you’re not alone. Thus, today we will discuss the basics and importance of drain tiles.
What is a drain tile?
A drain system is a way to help groundwater irrigate to a specific area and keep it away from basements and crawlspaces. Not all houses have drain systems but many of those that need them choose a drain tile system.
Drain tile may sound like some sort of tile that helps drain water, but it isn’t actually tile. Not in the way that ceramic tile is tile. Instead, it’s a perforated PVC pipe that is buried beneath the foundation of a house.
It collects water before it can enter any basement or crawlspace then sends it to a drain field or another type of area used for wastewater. It isn’t always buried though and can be found outside of the home. Source: Homedit
Types of Drain Tile Pipes
Rigid Pipe
Rigid PVC pipe in 10-foot sections that have holes on one side are laid with the holes downward. The PVC either has built-in bell-mouth ends to allow for pipes to connect end-to-end or separate couplings. Water enters the holes from the bottom and then makes its way to the termination point.
Flexible Pipe
Corrugated flexible plastic pipe comes in long coils, typically 50 feet long. This pipe is laid at the foundation footer. A fabric membrane, also known as a sock, is wrapped around the pipe. Sometimes, the pipe comes with a pre-attached sock. Water enters the pipe through slits and is moved downslope away from the house. Source: TheSpruce
Do you need to have a drain tile at home?
A drainage system is not required when the foundation is installed on well-drained soil or a sand-gravel mixture soil. You can test your soil to determine the type you have, but regardless, builders will often advise putting in some type of foundation drainage as an extra level of security.
Drain tile systems are fairly affordable and easy to install during the early phases of home construction, before the foundation has been backfilled. Given that you are protecting your home from water damage, it is probably worth having the system installed if you are contracting a new home construction. And it is a definite plus to look for if you are buying a home—either a newly constructed home or an existing dwelling.
Where water problems begin to appear in an existing home, drain tile can be retrofitted to eliminate the problem. Having drain tile installed on an existing home in order to correct basement water issues is very costly and labor intensive, but it may be the only solution. It requires major excavation around the entire foundation, or inside the existing basement, or both. Outdoors, you may need to remove landscaping—including decks, patios, steps, and sidewalks—in order to install drainage pipes. Source: Hunker
Do you need any help with installing drain tiles at home? Or maybe your house has drainage-related issues?
Contact:
Kerrisdale Roofing & Drains Ltd.
168 W 71st Ave, Vancouver, BC V5X 4S7
(604) 360-2114
