How to Install a Foundation Drain Tile
The foundation drainage system is an essential part of residential plumbing and construction. Since the foundation drain assembly is buried deep in the ground and is something you cannot easily access, properly installing the foundation drainage is very important. A functional foundation drainage system keeps water away from the basement and from the foundations of the house. In order to have a properly-installed drainage system, you have to learn how to install one of its important components, the drain tile. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Dig a trench around your house using a shovel, trenching hoe and a pick axe, although using heavy equipment would do the job much easier and faster. Make sure that the trench is straight, uniform and as deep as your house's foundations. The trench needs to reach the base of the foundation and all along the footer section of the outer foundation walls.
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Make a slightly deeper trench at the footer edge. How deep you should go would depend on the diameter of your drain tile. This will be your drain tile trench.
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Install a water filter at the bottom of the drain tile trench. You can use any water filter or filtration paper that is compatible with the rest of the foundation drainage assembly. This filter will keep the drain tile from clogging. It will also keep out soil particles from getting into the drain tile.
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Place the drain tile in its trench. Start from one end of the trench. If your drain tile is in 10-foot sections, simply lay one section after another. If your drain tile is in a roll that can go up to 200 feet, start from one end of the trench and unroll the drain tile as you go along the foot of the foundation.
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Seal the joints of the drain tile if you installed it in sections. Use an epoxy sealant to seal the drain tiles together.
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Cover the drain tile with gravel. Fill the trench at least 6 inches above the drain tile. Covering the drain tile with gravel will attract water from the soil and direct it to the drain tile and not to the house foundations.
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Fill the trench with the soil that you excavated earlier. Place the soil on the top of the gravel.
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Tips & Warnings
To have the most effect foundation drainage system, install the drain tile immediately after the foundation foot has been constructed.
If you want to spend extra money on the foundation drainage system, consider different features that you can add, such as a pump.
References
- Photo Credit Drain image by Hedgehog from Fotolia.com
