What Should You Do When Something Goes Wrong With Your Perimeter Drain?

You have various types of drains in your home; almost every sink has a drain. But, did you know there is a drain located outside your home named perimeter drain and if that drain does not operate well, it can damage your basement?

A perimeter drain is made to protect your foundation from drain water. Its design prevents water from entering your basement by attracting water into the underground pipes. Then, the drain carries the water away from your foundation to wards the main sewer system.

Over time, dirt, debris, and other waste materials can block your perimeter or French drain. Once clogged, your drainage system becomes unable to carry away the water and that leads to water seeping through to your basement because it has no other way to go.

Many residential as well as commercial properties, especially older properties, have clay or concrete tiles that get damaged and clogged due to the dirt and debris. Depending on the condition, you may have to either replace the whole perimeter drainage system with plastic weeping tiles or if you are lucky, replace just the damaged sections.

Drain Cleaning

However, if the tiles are just blocked, but not collapsed, by just flushing the drain out, you can fix the problem. You should call a professional drainage expert to dig around the place where they need to access the perimeter drain and clean it out or repair it, depending on the demand of your drain.

When a professional drainage expert performs a perimeter drain installation, they add a gravel layer to the top of the drainage system to protect it from debris. If you get your drain installed by an experienced drain professional, your perimeter will be able to fight back against debris for a long time. However, if it is not like that, it will get blocked.

If your drain expert recommends drainage system replacement, then talk to him regarding a clean-out port because this will eliminate the probability of digging up in the future.

The perimeter drains and weeping tiles in several old homes are directly connected to the sewer system. If this is your case too, then you should talk about disconnecting the drainage system from the system because your drain cannot be able to deal with the overload of the system and water can come in your home.

Now, the question is, how can you identify if there is something wrong with your perimeter drainage system? There are several indicators of it. For example, water stains on the walls of your basement and puddles near your home’s foundation.

The best way to maintain your perimeter drainage system and ensure it is working fine, you should call a drainage repair expert once a year or every two years to inspect and service your perimeter drain.