Help WantedComplete our Job Application!   Call For Service Quotes!    |    913-764-6229

Archive for category: Drain Tile System

You are here: Home / Leaky Basement Repair / Drain Tile System

What is a Drain Tile System and what benefit does it provide? Learn answers to these questions and more about drain tile from the Gordon Energy & Drainage team.

Water Bubbling Up From The Floor?

/in , , /by

Water bubbling up from the seam where the wall meets the floor is almost always a symptom of hydraulic pressure from below the floor level.

The first thing to check is the sump pump.

Is it on, is it working, is it pumping out the water?

Is the pit full of water?

Is the drain tile pipe coming in to the sump pit full, is water over the top of that pipe, or is able to spill in to an empty sump pit and the pump is able to fully cycle.

Solving a problem inside of your sump pit is usually the right solution. Happy to talk about other solutions.

The builder I helped on this day had an older home, and we ended up installing 70’ of channel track with inside drain tile to the existing sump pit.

Drain Tile Installed On The Footing Vs Next To Or Off The Footing

/in /by

Drain tile installed on the footing vs. next to the footing

It is technically better to install the drain tile off, or next to the footing.  But, it is also better to use a 1,000 pound chain when installing a swing.  But, will you ever need a 1,000 pound chain?  Would a 700 pound chain do the job?  In most cases, yes.  But, a 1,000 pound chain is still better, right?  That is the basic logic behind installing drain tile off, or next to the footing vs. installing it on the footing.

It takes more labor to install the drain tile off the footing.  The reason is because the ground next to the footing needs to be prepped.  Trenching with a shovel may be necessary to ensure that the top of the tile is not above the footer.  Concrete overspill from the foundation may need to be removed.  Additionally, you should not lay the tile directly on the dirt, so a 2” minimum bed of gravel or filter fabric should be installed first.

Installing drain tile on the footing is much easier and requires less labor.  You simply sweep the footing and it is ready for drain tile installation.

You can expect to pay about $ .75 – $ 1.00 per lineal foot more to install a drain tile next to the footing vs. on the footing.  You will also have a little more gravel to pay for.  This equates to about $ 200 more for an average sized home.

Is it worth the extra $ 200?  Having an understanding of how water enters a basement is the key to understanding if it is better to install it off the footing.   The drain tile system is designed to keep the water table from pushing up on the bottom of the basement slab.  If you can imagine the water table doing this, you can get a clear picture of how it works.   During rainfall events, the ground beneath the home becomes so saturated that the water table rises like a lake upwards towards the floor slab.  The water will take the path of least resistance.  A drain tile system should be this path of least resistance since it is installed at a level that is lower than the floor.  But, is lower better?

If your drain tile system is installed next to the footing, it is lower than a drain tile that is installed on the footing.  So, it will be able to pick up the rising water table sooner.  It manages the water approximately 4” – 8” sooner than a drain tile that is installed on the footing.  (this can vary depending on how much trenching is done)

But, drain tile installed on the footing is still installed at a level that is lower than your basement floor so it still works.  Drain tile installed on the footing will allow a water table to rise closer to your basement floor.  But, as long as it keeps it from penetrating the floor, does it matter?  Well, in some rare cases, a water table can rise so fast that it overwhelms a standard drain tile system.  In those cases, it could be beneficial to have it lower.

Should You Install A Secondary Drain Tile On The Inside Of Your Basement?

/in , /by

As a builder, you may be faced with the question, “is an inside tile worth the extra expense?”  We will attempt to lay out the facts about it so you can make your own conclusion.

First, an interior, or secondary drain tile is not required by most city codes.  Currently, Miami County, KS is the only jurisdiction that does require it.

Having an understanding of how water enters a basement is the key to understanding if an interior drain tile is worth the extra money.   All drain tile (exterior and interior) are designed to keep the water table from pushing up on the bottom of the basement slab.  If you can imagine the water table doing this, you can get a clear picture of how it works.   During rainfall events, the ground beneath the home becomes so saturated that the water table rises like a lake upwards towards the floor slab.  The water will take the path of least resistance. Hopefully, the home that you build has a good working drain tile system so that path of least resistance is not the cracks in the floor!

An interior drain tile is simply one more place for this rising water table to take as its path of least resistance.  It is a backup or extra help for your exterior drain tile.

However, there is 1 more avenue that this water table can take besides the drain tile.  It is the gravel bed that is directly under your basement slab.  A good bed of clean ½” or ¾” gravel (4” thick or greater) will allow a lot more water to pass through it than a drain tile can.   This is because the gravel bed is placed across the entire basement, vs. just next to the footing.   Generally, larger, clean, & rounded gravel will allow the most water to travel through it.   There are many things that can happen to you to cause the gravel to not be able to do the job.  Plumbers who dig in the ground rough pipes can sometimes leave dirt trenches causing dams in the gravel bed.  Footings are sometimes placed in the middle of a basement, causing a dam.  Dirty gravel, crush & run gravel, or pea sized gravel won’t allow for the proper flow of water.  In, these cases, the gravel may not be a good source for the water’s path of least resistance.

An average price for an interior drain tile is about $ 1.20 per lineal foot.  An average size home would utilize about 180’ lineal feet to circle a basement, or cost you about $ 220.

Sometimes, an interior drain tile may be added on a lot by lot basis.  In summary, installing inside drain tile is definitely better than not, but you have to decide if the extra cost is worth the extra piece of mind.