drainage along the side of the house.

teamcampreder · 07-27-2011, 12:58 PM

Hi All,

I Recently purchased a home with a finished basement, and want to avoid water in the basement at all costs. On one side of the home, the grade slopes a little towards the home (not more than a few inches across 4-6 ft). THe inspector advised that we would want to do something to remedy this, especially since there was signs of some very light water damage on the studs of the finished basement along that wall, but nothing too recent.

One suggestion I have recieved is putting a drainage pipe in the ground, and running that into the backyard where it slopes downhill.

I don't know if this falls under plumbing or landscaping, but does anyone have any experience with this? I am hoping to do this myself.

AGWhitehouse · 07-27-2011, 01:21 PM

12"x12" 3/4" washed stone wrapped in filter fabric with a 4" perforated pipe in it. Place it right below the top soil layer (4-6") and extend to daylight with a minimum of 1/8" per foor pitch.

Blondesense · 07-27-2011, 01:44 PM

You can also do a search here (or google) "french drain" for more info. We had a similar issue with our last home, but moved before actually doing anything about it so I can't give you first hand experience.

AGWhitehouse · 07-27-2011, 01:52 PM

to clarify the two posts, what I described is essentially a french drain. Overall dimensions (12x12 in my case) can vary depending on water loads.

teamcampreder · 07-27-2011, 04:50 PM

Is it ok to dig right alongside the foundation or do I need to leave some dirt between the foundatation and my trench?

AGWhitehouse · 07-27-2011, 04:56 PM

If you're putting it tight to the foundation I might suggest to line the base of the trench and part of the walls with a plastic liner so that the water is "forced" out the pipe. Without the plastic, the trench might act as a kind of drywell and create an area, right next to your house, for water to congregate.

The ideal spot to put the trench would be 5' away from the house with the soil pitched away from the house to the trench at least 1" down. Don't know if this is possible, but if it is, it would be ideal. That way any water that the pipe can't get can soak into soils that aren't right against your house.

teamcampreder · 07-27-2011, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AGWhitehouse

If you're putting it tight to the foundation I might suggest to line the base of the trench and part of the walls with a plastic liner so that the water is "forced" out the pipe. Without the plastic, the trench might act as a kind of drywell and create an area, right next to your house, for water to congregate.

The ideal spot to put the trench would be 5' away from the house with the soil pitched away from the house to the trench at least 1" down. Don't know if this is possible, but if it is, it would be ideal. That way any water that the pipe can't get can soak into soils that aren't right against your house.

Things I would never think of. Thank! yall are the best!