Heavy rain and melting snow can cause standing water in your front or backyard and around your home’s foundation. Without a proper drainage system, the water can seep into your basement. Luckily, there’s a solution; you can install a French drain. French drain systems draw in and redirect water away from your home. In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at how these drains work, when to use them, and the average costs.
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What Is a French Drainage System?
French drains, also known as weeping tiles or trench drains, are a type of waterproofing solution. In areas such as the GTA, large volumes of snow, ice, and rain are a common occurrence. This increases the risk of flooding, water damage, and mold growth as the water and moisture can infiltrate the walls of your foundation. This results in health and safetyhazards that require costly, complex, and often time-consuming repairs. A weeping tile system will collect, contain, and divert water away from your home before it becomes a big problem. These drains also keep excess amounts of moisture from building up in the ground, which prevents your basement from feeling damp or developing mildew.
How Does a French Drain Work?
French drains have perforated pipes that are installed intrenches. The trenches can be located inside the perimeter of your basement floor or outside surrounding your foundation. Multiple layers of gravel or stone line and cover both interior and exterior trenches. Gravity naturally draws rainwater or melted snow and ice down through the stones or gravels and into the hollow pipes. The pipes collect the groundwater and redirect it into a sump pit. A sump pump then expels the water away from your home. The sump pump automatically ejects the water when it reaches a certain level.
When to Use French Drains
Weeping tile systems are an extremely useful waterproofing solution that can safeguard the structural integrity of your house, protecting you and your home from harm. You should consider a trench drain if your basement floods, you live in an area prone to heavy rainfall and snowfall, your basement has mold or mildew, and if your backyard or front yard experiences pooling water. You can also install weeping tiles in a crawl space. Here are a few signs of water damage that indicate the need for a French drainage system:
- Foundation cracks or gaps
- Damp or wet walls
- Black, white, or green spots of the ceiling, walls, or floor
- Leaking basement
- Musty smell
Types of French Drains
The two main French drain systems are interior and exterior drains. The following explains how interior and exterior Frech drains are installed and how they function:
Exterior French Drain
Exterior weeping tiles are installed outside along the perimeter of your home’s foundation. The following outlines the installation process for exterior trench drains:
- Excavate the soil surrounding the foundation, down to the footing.
- Dig a shallow trench and line it with gravel or stone.
- Place perforated pipes into the trench and cover them with additional layers of gravel or stone.
- Replace the excavated soil.
- Install the sump pit and sump pump.
Interior French Drain
Interior French drains are installed underneath and around the perimeter of your basement floor or crawl space. The interior drainage system draws in excess water from beneath the basement floor and redirects it into the sump pit just as an exterior weeping tile system. Here are the steps to the installation process:
- Break up the perimeter of the flooring slab with a jackhammer.
- Dig a shallow trench and line it with stone or gravel.
- Insert the perforated pipes and cover with a layer of gravel or stone.
- Replace the flooring slab.
- Install the sump pit and pump system.
Average French Drain Installation Cost
The average cost of an interior French drainage system is $40 to $100 per linear foot. Exterior drains cost, on average, between $10 and $50 per linear foot. In residential properties, interior and exterior trench drains are an average of 50 to 100 linear feet in size. The total cost can vary from one installation to the next depending on the type of drain, such as interior versus exterior drainage systems, as well as the overall complexity of the job. Additional cost influencers are soil type, property size, and required labour.
DIY vs. Professional French Drainage
Regardless of whether it’s an interior or exterior drainage system, it’s best to have your trench drain installed by a professional. Both jobs require specific tools and equipment, along with specialized knowledge, skills, and materials. Digging trenches around your foundation is also extremely dangerous if you don’t have prior experience or training. You can damage the structure of your home or underground pipelines. If the work isn’t up to code or the proper permits weren’t obtained beforehand, you could face hefty fines and complications with your home insurance company.
Is it Really Worth It to Install French Drains?
A French drain system is definitely worth the investment. The long-term cost savings combined with the health and safety benefits far outweighs the installation expenses. In addition to preventing floods and water damage you can increase the lifespan of your home’s foundation. To have your interior or exterior drainage system installed by the experts call Aquamaster now!
FAQs
Do you need a French drain system?
Whether you need an interior or exterior drainage system depends on where you live. Although not required in Toronto, they’re strongly recommended because of the frequency of heavy snow and rain. Consult with Aquamaster if you’re unsure whether a French drain is right for you.
When should French drains not be installed?
You shouldn’t install a trench drain in any of the following scenarios:
- You live in a dry climate
- You have a negative slope, meaning the trench and pipes will go from low to high rather than high to low.
- There are underground utilities, such as sewer lines, gas lines, or electrical wiring, in the area where you plan to dig the trench.
Where does the water from the French drain empty to?
When weeping tiles expel water away from your home, it typically empties to a public drain, the street, or the sidewalk.
