Should I Put Drain Tile Inside My House in a Room?

Identification

• Drain tile is made from corrugated plastic pipe that is placed beside your home's footing to remove excess water. They are not placed inside the home, because they are designed to keep basements and crawl spaces dry. Drain tile must be installed near your home's foundation and are not meant for indoor installation. They are a type of perimeter drainage system and are often connected to a sump pump underneath the basement to pump out water as it accumulates.

Function

• Their primary function is to prevent water from making contact with your home's concrete slab, states the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA. When water leaks into these areas, it is carried away by the drainage system. The gravel placed underneath your home helps provide a capillary break which keeps water from making contact with the underside of your concrete slab.

Installation

• Poor drain tile installation is a primary reason many homeowners have moisture problems in their basements and crawl spaces. The EPA states the top of the drainage pipe must be below the bottom of the concrete slab. Failure to do this may allow water to saturate the gravel layer underneath your home with water eventually seeping in through the foundation. Drain tile pipes must be flat and slope slightly in the direction of the drainage point or sump pump. Clean gravel must be placed around these pipes and wrapped in filter fabric to avoid clogging the drain pipes.

Considerations

• Even though drain tiles are not placed inside the home, there are steps you can take to keep moisture from running inside and causing damage. Repairing all leaking shingles on your roof is one way to keep water from running down your walls. Cleaning all downspouts and gutters around your home on a regular basis helps remove clogging debris that can cause water to back up and run inside. Inspect the lot your home is built on to determine if the ground is sloped appropriately. It must be sloped away from your home to keep water from running inside and causing damage. If necessary, have your lot regraded for proper drainage.