Table of Contents
How do you cover a French drain in a basement?
To install an interior French drain, a waterproofing contractor cuts a channel into your basement slab around its perimeter. The contractor excavates the ground below the channel, installs perforated drain pipe and a sump pump well, and fills the trench with drainage gravel. The slab is patched with fresh concrete.
Do basement French drains need maintenance?
To keep dirt from building up in the pipe which will prevent water from flowing in and out, you need to clean the French drain. A clogged interior French drain can result in water in your basement. If you have a clogged exterior drain, water will start backing up and won’t drain properly out of your yard.
Should French drain be next to foundation?
It’s important to install French drains around foundations because a French drain can prevent water from causing foundation damage.
Will a French drain help with basement flooding?
A French drain also provides a solution for basements that admit water through the foundation. In these “wet” basements, water presses against the foundation and gradually leaks through. With a French drain, however, water near the foundation can be rerouted and deposited elsewhere.
What do you do with the floor drain when you finish a basement?
Any floor drains should go to plumbing buried under the floor. You can’t just relocate them without a lot of destruction. If they exist, they were put there for a reason. You generally don’t want to simply remove or cover them.
Will a French drain keep my basement dry?
A French drain, often called “drain tile,” installed inside or outside the foundation, will keep most basements dry and never requires maintenance or replacement.
How far should French drain be from foundation?
Recommended French Drain Installation Distance We recommend installing the french drains between 2 and 5 feet away from the foundation. There are a few variables that impact the exact distance to dig the new drain lines to carry water away from your home.
How deep should a French drain be around a house foundation?
The trench should be at least 2 feet wide, and can be as deep as 6 feet for a basement or as shallow as two feet for a slab-on-grade home.
Can you put a French drain under concrete?
As the ground under the slab gets saturated with runoff, moisture leaches up through the concrete and makes a soggy mess of everything stored on the floor. If you don’t want to break up the existing slab, another solution is to install a French drain around the perimeter of the existing slab.
Do I need a sump pump or French drain?
French drains are passive, which means there is nothing to ‘turn on’ during a heavy storm or flood. Sump pumps on the other hand activate as soon as the float starts to rise. This means that as long as the pump can drain more water than can enter the pit the basement will not flood.
What is the difference between a French drain and a trench drain?
Aside from what we’ve listed here, the difference between a French drain and a trench drain is that a French drain is used for water that is underground while a trench drain diverts excess water from a surface.
Do french drains really work?
Properly constructed, french drains will work well to transmit water from the pipe to the exit of the pipe; however, they are not very efficient in dewatering poorly drained soils. Adequate fall means at least 2 ft lower per 100 ft of pipe or 0.25 in. per foot of slope.
Can you finish a basement with a floor drain?
Attaching a Lid or Cap. While ceiling a floor drain may be the only option to truly finish a basement space, adding a lid or cap is a good solution to block gasses or prevent backflows. These caps or plugs are removable, allowing the user to keep the drain closed when no needed or open it in the event of an emergency.
Do French drains cause mold?
French drains are only installed on properties prone or likely to flood. These systems collect water and move it away from the basement walls so it won’t penetrate. If it does, it can cause damp, mold, structural damage, and more problems. For these reasons, it’s important to stay on top of maintaining a French drain.
How deep should a French drain be in a basement?
French drain depth: About 8 inches to 2 feet deep should be sufficient for many water-diverting projects, though related systems, such as those built around foundations and sub-ground living spaces, as well as the bases of retaining walls, may be deeper.
Why is my basement drain backing up when it rains?
If the water is coming up through floor drains or sink drains in the basement, then the problem is often water backing up from the municipal sanitary sewer system. During heavy rains, combined sewer systems can become overwhelmed with water. This can cause sewer water to back up in the system and sometimes into homes.
Do you cap the end of a French drain?
Cap the end at beginning of the system. Level rock 4 inches from the top of the trench. Note: If you just dump rock on top of the pipe, it will shift to one side of the trench. Make sure to keep it in the middle of the trench.
How long should a French drain last?
Properly installed drains use advanced plastic sheeting called geotextile to protect the drainpipe from a blockage. French drains can last decades before needing maintenance. If your home requires a sump pump, a high-quality model will last around ten years before needing replacement.
