Exterior Drain Tile Systems in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and Colorado
Pros and Cons of Repairing Your Wet Basement With an Exterior French Drain
A French drain system installed on the outside of the home. A discharge line would also be included to send the water away from your home.The drain itself is filled with water, a fill of stone, and the backfilled soil.
Many contractors will suggest installing a French drain system along the outside perimeter of your home to waterproof a basement. To install an exterior French drain, the contractor will take the following steps:
- First, the perimeter of your home is cleared of gardens, steps, porches, etc.
- Next, the contractor will dig out the perimeter of your home. Excavated dirt will be heaped around the house.
- The drain is laid in a bed of stone. The stone, and possibly a layer of filter fabric, will protect the drain from clogging.
- The excavated soil will be "backfilled" on top. In a year, this soil will settle and you will need more.
Thrasher does not recommend this type of drainage system. Instead, we suggest an interior basement drain along the perimeter of your basement or crawl space. For a free waterproofing quote in the Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and Colorado area, call or e-mail us today!
Getting ready to install an exterior French drain
To install an exterior French drain system you will need to remove:
- Trees
- Shrubberies
- Gardens
- Porches
- Steps
- Sidewalks
- Patios
- Driveways
- ..And more
You can expect the contractors to create huge heaps of excavated soil all around your home, creating a mess. On top of that, the process is extremely expensive, costing $15,000 to $20,000 per installation. The installation time is twice as long or more than if you choose to have an interior system put in.
Failing French drains in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and Colorado
A clogged French drain system found installed around a home in Greater Omaha.
French drain systems have been installed on the outside of homes since the 1920s, and if they were the best way to dry a basement, Thrasher Foundation Repair would be installing them, too.
Unfortunately, placing a French drain or exterior footing drain along the outside is a recipe for failure. When you put a drainage system several feet under the earth, even in a bed of gravel, it will eventually clog with dirt, roots, and debris.
Sometimes, a contractor will try to stop this by laying down a layer of filter fabric around the drain. In this case, instead of the drain clogging, the filter fabric clogs and won't let water into the pipe.
Other problems, such as freezing pipes and improperly sloped lines, are also common. This type of exterior drainage commonly will not handle water that collects under your basement floor, in which case you'll still need a sump pump inside your basement.
Some contractors even connect the exterior drains to the sump pump inside. Now that's sure to clog! And what happens when your drainage system clogs? It will need to be excavated and you'll have to start over. Who wants to do that again?
Schedule a Free Interior French Drain Estimate
At Thrasher Foundation Repair, we can help you find a permanent waterproofing solution for your home -- one that includes a written, transferable warranty! For a FREE waterproofing quote, call or e-mail us today!
We service the Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and Colorado area, including Maryville, Spencer, Carroll, Storm Lake, Lexington and nearby.
Get a Free Estimate
Give us a call at 1-800-638-7048 or complete this form and we'll contact you shortly to schedule a Free Inspection, and you'll get a no-obligation written quote during our initial visit.
We serve the following areas
- Anchor
- Arrowsmith
- Ashkum
- Beaverville
- Bellflower
- Buckley
- Cabery
- Campus
- Chebanse
- Cissna Park
- Claytonville
- Clifton
- Crescent City
- Cropsey
- Cullom
- Danforth
- Donovan
- Dwight
- Emington
- Fairbury
- Forrest
- Gibson City
- Goodwine
- Iroquois
- Kempton
- Loda
- Martinton
- Odell
- Onarga
- Papineau
- Paxton
- Piper City
- Pontiac
- Roberts
- Saunemin
- Saybrook
- Stockland
- Strawn
- Thawville
- Watseka
- Woodland
- Wellington