Drainage clogging
Installing a system for diverting water from your basement can save you a lot of money. Rainwater and snow are the main reasons why basement get flooded. Trough systems are maybe the least expensive and also the most effective.
What to consider
French drains are amazing systems that can be used for interior or exterior problems. No matter where it’s used, the French drain system is made to collect water and carry it away to the lowest point, or pump it outside the basement.
Interior use
So what French drains do is collect the water the infiltrates through the walls and floors and then diverts it and discharges it. Because the basement is always set in the lowest place of your home, it’s difficult to dispose of the water without a sump pump. So to dig the trench for the French drain, you will need to use a jackhammer and break a 6-inch wide patch of concrete that will be running the entire length of the walls. It doesn’t need to be near the walls, but at a distance of 10-18 inches. The trench should be 18 inches deep. After digging the trench, you will need to add a 2 inch layer of gravel, the perforated pipes and another layer of gravel.
Remember that the trench should have a slight slope of 1/4 of an inch per foot. Then the pipe will feed a collection tank from where the sump pump will get the water and dispose of it outside.
Exterior use
Exterior French drains work the same way and the only difference is that it doesn’t need a sump pump, because it direct water to lower spots. You will also need to dig a trench. It can be a little deeper, 24 inches and 6 inches wide. Be careful to plan the route to the lowest point of your yard. Also add a layer of gravel, the perforated pipe and another layer of gravel. Cover the trench with sod to make it almost invisible.