How to Install Drain Tiles
Drain tile is part of the water management system that keeps water from seeping into your home. You may need to install or upgrade your drain tile if you have a damp basement. This is not a project for beginners. Drain tile systems are underground and it's difficult to modify them once they're installed. Drain tile that's installed incorrectly can damage your home's foundation. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Drain tile
- Drain tile connections/corner fittings
- Sealant
- Shovel
- Hoe
- 1- to 1½-inch round washed gravel
- Landscape fabric or roofing felt
- Topsoil
- Sod or seed
Instructions
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Check with your municipality to see if you need a permit for this type of work. Apply for the permit before you start the work.
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Decide where you want the drain tile to be installed as well as where the exit points for the water should be. If you live on a hillside, the drain tile can empty on the surface of the hill and gravity will carry it away from your house.
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Dig a trench beside the foundation footer. This allows you to lower the water table 6 to 8 inches below your basement floor. Install drain tile as soon as the foundation forms are removed in new construction.
If you're adding drain tile to existing construction, you may not be able to dig all the way down to the footers. In that case, dig a trench at least 12 inches wide and 18 inches deep next to your house's foundation.
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Line your trench with landscape fabric or roofing felt. Leave enough fabric or felt so you can wrap it around the drain tile and gravel.
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Lay your drain tile. Drain tile is usually a flexible, 4-inch perforated pipe. You may need corner connections or fittings to run the tile around your entire foundation.
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Seal the connections and joints to ensure a tight fit.
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Backfill the trench with enough gravel to cover the drain tile. In new construction, the gravel should be even with the top of the footer.
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Wrap your landscape fabric or roofing felt around the drain tile. This keeps small soil particles from working their way through the gravel and clogging the pipe. Top with more fabric/felt if necessary.
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Backfill with an additional 3 feet of gravel in new construction. This gives water an easy, downward, "path-of-least-resistance" to travel so it will go into the drain tile instead of your foundation.
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Install a layer of topsoil over your gravel and seed or sod the area if necessary.
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Tips & Warnings
A sump pump or French drain may be necessary if gravity isn't adequate to drain the water away from your house.
Call the gas, water, cable and electric companies (or a digging hotline if your area has one) to mark the underground utilities before you dig.
References
- Photo Credit Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
