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Exterior Perimeter Drain To Drywell

| Posted in Construction Techniques on April 4, 2005 01:50am

Hi,

I am new to this chat room. I have a finished basement with an inch of water at this point as a result of the heavy rain we have been getting in the past week. I am in the New York metropolitan area.

My basement has a new concrete slab that was poured over 6 mil poly, 3/4 blue stone. No problems until now, The floor was recently tiled with ceramic tiles. Water appears to be coming from the perimeter which is a field stone foundation (not in the best foundation circa 1920). Water is also seeping in from the interiror footing under the interior columns.

We just removed a few hundred gallons of water and it appears to be making a strong comeback. We are loosing the battle….. HELP!!!

The We are considering an exterior perimeter perforated pipe leading to daylight or drywell. We are also considering examining where the current leaders are discharging to. They all seem to be connected below grade to black solid corrugated pipe.

There are some exterior plantings that may have to be sacrificed in the process. Is this the way to go? Or should we be considering an indoor solution with a curtain drain inside the basement?

Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

I will await your suggestions in my scuba gear….

Thanks in advance.

Sameh

 

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  1. dIrishInMe | Apr 04, 2005 02:39am | #1

    Exterior drain tile needs to exit to daylight.  The only time a drywell isn't dry is when you need it the most...  If you can't daylight it, get a sump-pump, but daylighting it is always better.  Make sure your grading around your foundation has good fall away from the house for at least 10' out.  Also be sure your downspouts (if you have them) discharge water well away from the foundation and that your gutters are clear and functioning properly.  If you don't have gutters/downspouts you may want to consider getting them. 

    If none of that resolves the problem, jack out the concrete around the perimeter of the inside of the slab and dig a ditch, add corrugated pipe and gravel, and make them drain to a sump pit with a pump with an automatic switch that pumps out to daylight away from the house.   Sorry - thems the facts... :-)
     

    Matt
    1. User avater
      EricPaulson | Apr 04, 2005 02:46am | #3

      D gave you good advice.

      Either solution seems to work well.

      I would rather head off the water outside if possible.

      That will entail excavating your entire foundation, installing drains and waterproofing the foundation prior to backfilling. Way to go if you are finished inside.

      The inside solution is a viable one, but probably not if you have a finished basement.

      All said, you DO realize that we just had an ENOURMOUS amount of rain after a very wet winter right??

      I'm in Putnam, where are you?

      EricI Love A Hand That Meets My Own,

      With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.

      [email protected]

      1. Sameh | Apr 04, 2005 03:30am | #4

        Eric, I am in New Rochelle in Westchester county.

        I realize that we had a great amount of rain in the past week and flooding has not been a problem before in the past couple of years. Maybe this is an isolated case, but I am worried that this could be a long term preoblem given our global climatic change due to global warming...

        It sounds like addressing the problem from the outside would be better.

        Is the spring the best time to address this problem, or is it better to wait for the end of the April showers that will hopefully bring May flowers?  :-)

        Thanks for your prompt responses....

        Sameh

         

  2. WayneL5 | Apr 04, 2005 02:44am | #2

    Sorry to hear about your water.

    The only effective solution is to stop the water from the outside before it can get to your walls and floor.  There are two vital elements, perimeter drainage and waterproofing the exterior of the walls.

    Like you suspect, perimeter drainage is good.  What is called drain tile, actually pipe nowadays, should be below the level of the floor surface.  It is even better below the bottom of the slab so water does not even touch the slab from below.  Draining to daylight is better than a drywell if you can do it.

    Your downspouts should not be connected to the footing drains, otherwise they'll just saturate the ground right around your footings.  They can drain underground, but need to go to daylight in a separate pipe from your footing drains.

    An interior solution is far inferior.  You may be able to stop liquid water, but your basement will always be damp if the exterior is not waterproofed.

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