Keeping Your Basement Dry

11/22/2021 (Permalink)

Water event in a basement.

During the wet months of the year, we run across homes that have had multiple water events in the basement over the years.  These homeowners have redone landscaping, put up new gutters and downspouts and, still have water, in the basement.  What else can a homeowner do?  The can look into drain tile options:

What is Drain Tile?

Chances are if your home has a basement and has experienced flooding, someone has told you to get drain tile. But what is drain tile and how does it help?

Essentially drain tile is a way to protect your home from groundwater flooding. It redirects water away from your home before it can enter and cause damage. It is one of those things you never need – until you do! Increased run off from urban expansion and more frequent severe weather systems make our homes more likely to flood. Investing in a drain tile system could save you from lengthy insurance claims and expensive cleanups in the future.

How Drain Tile Works

Despite its name, drain tile is actually not tile at all. When used in the construction industry it actually refers to drainage piping. Drain tile is a system of subterranean drainage laid around the footings of a building. Water always chooses the path of least resistance so drain tile offers the easiest path. The pipe used for drain tile is porous so water finds its way into the pipe system rather than your home. Water is then directed away from your home using gravity or an electric sump pump. Once in the pipe the system directs the water to a dry well or releases it above ground to run off into a storm drain or sewage system.