How to Install French Drains in a Basement

Sometimes no matter how well the exterior drainage is set up, problems still occur with basement foundation leakage, especially with black and stone foundations. If water infiltration is a continued issue, an interior French drainage system may be the best option to keeping the basement dry. These system are expensive to have professionally installed because of the labor. However, they are not expensive if a home owner performs the projects on their own.

Measuring tape
Pencil
Chalk line
Concrete saw
Sledge hammer
Shovel
4-inch perforated drain tile
Sump pump pit
Sump pump
2-inch PVC
2-inch 90-degree elbow
Back flow valve
Cordless drill
2-inch hole saw
Electrical tape
PVC mounting strap

Instructions

- 1
  Measure 8 inches away from the walls where water issues are taking place and make a mark in several locations along the wall. Connect the marks by snapping a chalk line.
- 2
  Cut along the chalk line with a concrete saw. Have a friend put a hose to keep water on the blade as it cuts to keep dust down. Loosen the cut concrete with a sledge hammer and remove the pieces. Cut the concrete where the sump pit will go also.
- 3
  Dig down 6 inches at the starting point of where the drain tile along the wall will go digging down so there is about 1/4 inch of pitch every 4 feet. Remove the dirt and debris. Dig down deeper if necessary for the sump pit.
- 4
  
  Clear gravel
  
  Lay filter fabric down in the trench and the sump pit hole. Lay an inch of clear gravel at the bottom of the trench all the way to where the sump pit will go. Lay the 4-inch drain tile in the trench all the way to the sump pit and cut the drain tile with a utility knife a little longer than it needs to be. Dry fit the sump pit and add gravel to the bottom if it needs to come up. The sump pit should be even or slightly below the surface of the basement floor. Fill the rest of the trench with clear gravel and attach the drain tile to the sump pit through one of the knock out holes making sure that the pitch to the sump pit is maintained. Fill around the sump pit with clear gravel.
- 5
  Attach a 4-foot piece of 2-inch PVC to the sump pump and set the pump into the sump pit. Screw the back flow valve onto the pipe making sure that the compression washer is fully tightened. Measure up to where the next piece of PVC needs to be go to turn 90 degrees and go to the exterior of the house.
- 6
  Drill a hole in the box sill that the PVC pipe will exit the house from with a cordless drill with a 2-inch hole saw attachment. Push a piece of 2-inch PVC through the hole and glue a 90-degree elbow on the inside end of the pipe. Then measure cut a piece of PVC using your measurement in Step 5 for the rest of the vertical piece. Glue the piece to the 90-degree elbow and screw the bottom to the back flow valve making sure that the compression washer is fully tightened.
- 7
  
  Cordless drill
  
  Plug the sump pump into the nearest outlet. Use electrical tape to keep the cord up off the floor. Use a metal mounting strap to keep the pipe sturdy by mounting the strap to the ceiling joist using a cordless drill.

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