Drain tile…Day 4

The Sletten crew is busy today setting up the drain tile system beneath the basement floor as they prepare the space prior to pouring the cement slab. They have the laser out to help set the pitch of the drain tile pipe and to establish the grade height. The first photos show the trenching and drain tile. Wooden stakes all around the basement floor are set at the grade height and marked with big white X’s. The trench will be lined with fabric and the drain tile (pipes) carefully set on a bed of rock. The trench will then be filled to the top with additional rocks and “wrapped” with the fabric. The concrete  floor will be poured on top of a sheet of plastic that spans the rock filled trench. The top of the floor will be 2  1/2” above the “old” footing.

The drain tile pipes extend all the way around the perimeter of the foundation walls and are pitched to drain into the sump located below the entrance to the crawl space. The drain tile system already installed in the crawl space will empty into the same sump basket. A pump in the sump basket will send any water collected out through the wall and into the back yard through a 1  1/2” PVC pipe…

The diagram below shows the basement wall construction details and the water proofing system together. This is the kind of thing you add to a home hoping that it will never be used…but knowing it is there brings peace of mind.

  

• Wrapping the rock bed in fabric will prevent dirt from clogging the system.
• Floor edge is a “L” shaped corrugated plastic panel that allows water to flow under the concrete slab.
• The plastic sheet provides a vapor barrier and radon gas protection.
• The foam insulation has a backing that provides a vapor barrier for the basement wall.
• The 2 x 4 framing provides space for plumbing and electrical components as well as an air space.