Can a Drainage Pipe Push on a Foundation Wall?

Foundation Basics

• All foundations are concrete in nature, either based on a poured concrete method that is reinforced with rebar, or as concrete blocks which are cemented together with concrete mortar and include rebar steel both horizontally and vertically to support the structure above. These foundations support the weight of everything above, ranging from the walls to the floors to the ceilings, roofs, subsequent other floors, pipes, accessories and more.

Concrete Basics

• Concrete is one of the most durable construction components in the world. It is a basic mixture of sand, cement and water. As evident by ancient ruins, concrete can last for generations, even when submerged under the ocean. Once the concrete has had a chance to harden, or cure, it is there indefinitely, unless a natural disaster or human efforts cause it to be destroyed. This is why it is used in foundations around the world.

Drainage Pipe Basics

• Drainage pipes are usually PVC pipe, which is a plastic based pipe that weighs only a handful of pounds. Most drainage pipes range from 2 to 3 inches in diameter, depending on if you are talking about a drain pipe for a sink, a shower, a bathtub, washing machine, or mop sink, for example. Since they are plastic and weigh next to nothing, their pressure against the side of a concrete foundation wall is nothing. It is similar to the way your shirt rubs against your skin when you wear an article of clothing.

Weight

• Although the weight of the pipe itself is next to nothing, the pipes can still contain water from time to time during the draining process. Even then, such as after a bathtub is being drained, the weight of the water as it flows through the tub is minimal, spread out over the length of the pipe, and quickly passed as the water flows through the pipes and into the drainage system surrounding the home. At no time is there ever sufficient pressure to affect the concrete foundation.