Foundation Footing Drains

A Footing Drain, is a French drain located outside at the base of a structures foundation walls to prevent the flow of water from entering into the basement, crawl space, or through the foundation wall itself.

Footing drains were not really introduced into home building practices until the late 1940’s to 1950’s, although in some cases even earlier, and when they were the pipes were typically made out of clay (terra-cotta) or concrete (see photo). Over time and with age the pipes become brittle, they break, clog with dirt and tree roots, or they collapse and water can no longer flow through the pipes. The methodology used when those older systems were installed was not designed for the long term nor with the idea in mind that population growth would be so dramatic.

Outside footing drains are one solution that Perma Dry Waterproofing and Drainage provides and believes in to solve wet basement, crawl space water and foundation water problems. We safely remove soils away from the foundation to create a working space all the way to the base (footing) of the foundation wall. From the base of the footing we excavate at a 45 degree angle to ensure proper depth is achieved. The walls are cleaned, sacked and packed, a fillet is installed at the footing to wall marriage and the walls themselves are coated with an elastomeric waterproofing emulsion. Wall protection or drain matting is then installed to prevent water and damp soils from touching.

the wall. The drain pipe system is made of rigid and durable PVC perforated pipe, geo-textile soil retention filter fabric is used to burrito wrap everything to keep the system clean, it is then covered typically to grade with washed drain rock. The soils are generally exported off-site for disposal and the remaining landscaping is returned to as close to original condition as possible. The water that the system collects will then be re-routed to a safe location for disposal either on site or tied into the municipality storm water system. Where water is discharged is truly dependant on code criteria of where the structure is located and what is allowable.

Exterior footing drains can be a costly and very intrusive way to prevent water from entering a basement or crawl space, but it might also be the best course of action to solve the issue long term. Depending on the source of water there may also be other exterior and interior solutions to basement water problems that Perma Dry Waterproofing and Drainage may recommended to achieve a dry and healthy home.

To learn more about the right solutions to your basement water problems call us today at 425-277-1990 and have one of our trained field reps help you address your water problems today.