Many of our restoration projects on older homes require the replacement of the drain tile and rain leader systems due to the age of the home. However, a number of clients come to us or are referred to us because they have water seeping into their basements that is causing damage to the drywall, flooring and wall assemblies in their finished basement or Vancouver half basement. In most cases the existing drain tile, which consists of 12” lengths of clay pipe, is either mostly clogged or completely filled with mud. Even some of the drain tile systems installed in the 80’s and 90’s used Big-O pipe, which has now been abandoned as a system because it would often collapse under the weight of the ground above it and clog. In comparison, all modern, residential drain tile systems use extremely tough and durable white PVC pipe. The corners in these systems tend to fail first, while the straight section may still be mostly or partially clear. Often a section or sections of pipe over time will break and collapse under the weight of the ground and clog the system. Certain types of trees can also clog up drain tile systems with their roots. Another common problem has to do with the original installation. Often the original installer used soil or some other compactible materials underneath some of the pipes to add the required slope. Over time the soil or compactible material compacted under the weight of the ground above the pipes and a section or sections of your drain tile now have no slope or even worse are sloping in the opposite direction and have a negative slope. These dips or areas of negative slope fill with mud and debris and clog the system. On a few occasions we have also seen a systems that have been clogged by a young child dropping large stones, a baseball, or other objects into an open drain tile while dad was trying to replace the down pipes from the roof gutters. If you have a clogged or failing drain tile system there are really three options open to you. They are listed below in order of cheapest and least effective to more expensive and most effective.
Some of these items have definitely added more cost to the replacement of a drain tile system. However, the largest cost is digging up the entire perimeter of the home. When we install a new drain tile system around a home in Vancouver or any area that has basements it becomes even more important that all pipes have the correct slopes to drain the water away from the foundation.
If you are contemplating adding an addition to your home or have another renovation project that carries drain tile concerns, please rest easy in the knowledge that we can look after your entire project including the drain tile system.
Please feel free to fill out the request a consultation form on our website or give us a call to discuss your new renovation project at: 604-277-5572. We will be happy to meet with you and discuss these options with you in more detail.
We look forward to meeting with you and discussing your renovation or new construction project. Please feel free to give us as little or as much information as you choose.