Homes, farms, and businesses all over the country suffer from serious water issues if they aren’t taken care of properly. There are real issues with flooding, and it’s common for basements to take on water when they aren’t built properly. The main reason this happens is because the builders make it easy for water to enter the structure, or the area of the yard where it shouldn’t be collecting. The answer to this problem is to create a new drain system that will direct the flow of water away from the structure or that section of yard, and the most effective way to do this is with a drain tile system. It directs water away from the house, the yard or the office building, and send it to a better location such as a drain system, a sump pump or some other water directing solution. But what is drain tile and how is it implemented on homes and businesses today? That’s the type of question that we’ll answer in-depth down below, and hopefully more people will understand why drain tile is so important after reading.
Understanding What Drain Tile Is
Drain tile is essentially a network of porous pipes that run alongside your foundation. These pipes are in place to encourage water to drain away from the foundation and into the network of pipes, instead of seeping through cracks and causing issues in your basement itself. The pipes run through a network that leads to a sump pump to drive the water away, or they go through a downward sloping drain system that leads away from your home to the surface where the water can safely drain away. Either way, drain tile will help keep your home clear of any water.
How a Drain Tile System Is Set Up
When a drain tile system is added to a house, a series of perforated 4” pipes are added around the base of your home’s foundation. They’re generally put a few inches down under the foundation or slab itself, to help force water to run down under the top level of the foundation and reduce seepage. The pipes are all connected in a network that runs around the house and to a single drainage outlet of some sort. These pipes are covered with a foot or more of loose gravel that easily allows water to drain down in. On top of that gravel tar paper or another fine screen material is installed to prevent silt from seeping down into the tile pipes. On top of the screen dirt is piled up to help weigh it down and give the whole system a normal appearance.
How a Drain Tile System Works
Drain tile functions very simply. It creates a path of least resistance for water around a house to follow. The water runs down the side of the house and notices that it can run down just a little bit further down to the drain tile. Once there it runs down into the pipes and continues downward out to the drainage outlet. This whole system is very efficient at keeping a home’s foundation dry and helping to keep unhelpful water far away from the home as well.
Every application requires a different setup of drain tile, but the systems always work on the same principle. Water has a more convenient way to flow and redirects itself to a better location than your home or your field. It’s efficient, powerful and very helpful when installed properly.
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