Basement Waterproofing Solutions specializes in all kinds of exterior drainage.
Managing the water around the outside of your home is the 1st line of defense to help keep your basement dry.
Driveway grate/zipper drains
Water in Your Garage? We Have the Solution.
If your driveway slopes toward your garage and you’re getting water inside, you need a grate drainage system (also known as a zipper drain) installed in your driveway.
Already have one and still getting water? That means it wasn’t done correctly. Call the professionals at Basement Waterproofing Solutions to design a custom grate drain system built specifically for your property.
All our driveway drainage systems are rated for vehicle traffic — each grate drain is fully encased in 6″ of concrete
French drains
The Truth About French Drains
A French drain is any type of perforated piping surrounded by clean ¾” gravel. When properly designed and installed for the right application, these systems can be very effective at managing groundwater.
However, a common mistake is installing a shallow surface French drain — just 1 to 2 feet deep — around the outside of a home in an attempt to stop basement leaks. Unfortunately, this approach is a complete waste of time and money.
To truly prevent water from entering your basement, the drainage piping must be installed below the basement floor level, where hydrostatic pressure is at its highest. That’s where Basement Waterproofing Solutions applies over 60 years of experience to ensure your system is designed and installed the right way — the first time.
See interior French drain vs exterior French drain
Exterior Drain Applications
- Property Line Protection: Installed along a property line to prevent water intrusion from neighboring land.
- Hillside Management: Placed at the base of a slope to control runoff and manage water flow.
- Yard & Home Drainage: Positioned alongside a home or yard to prevent puddling and standing water.
- Leach fields: A leach field is a perforated pipe system set on a bed of gravel that allows water to safely drain back into the ground. They are commonly used as part of septic systems. At Basement Waterproofing Solutions, we often connect sump pump discharges to a leach field, helping to disperse water over a larger area and reduce surface water flooding around your home.
- Drywell:
- A drywell is an underground structure or basin that collects and disperses water. They come in various shapes and sizes and can receive water from leader downspouts, sump pump discharge piping, and surface drains. At Basement Waterproofing Solutions, we’ve seen many improperly designed exterior French drain systems terminating into a drywell that fail, often resulting in hundreds of gallons of water entering basements. That’s why it’s crucial to have a professionally designed system to ensure your drywell works as intended, protecting your home from costly water damage
- Surface drains
Surface drains work great to drain water in a low area and prevent stagnant water puddling.
Pop up drains
A pop-up drain is a small plastic fitting installed level with the ground and connected to underground PVC piping. When water flow is abundant, the center of the fitting pops up, allowing water to flow through.
- Leader downspouts and sump pump piping can be connected to a pop-up drain, which gently disperses water around the area where it’s installed, helping to prevent ground erosion.
- Basement entrance drains
Basement entrance drains can be connected to a sump pit and pump in your basement, or a pump and pit can be installed directly at the entrance if needed. Other options include connecting to an existing drainpipe or using a gravity drain to a low-lying area.
It is never recommended to connect a basement entrance drain to a drywell, as drywells can overflow and back up, causing water to enter the basement.
· Sump Pump Discharge Solutions
Sometimes a well-designed plan is needed for sump pump discharge. If your pump cycles often, it may be causing major flooding around your home. Other pumps may rarely cycle, in which case simply installing the discharge pipe above ground several feet away from your foundation is sufficient, as long as there is a positive pitch away from the house.
Top options for managing sump pump water (best options listed first):
- Connect the pump discharge pipe to a street catch basin or storm sewer.
- Install exterior piping to a low area or creek bed.
- Connect to a drywell or leach field.
- Connect to a pop-up drain, installed at least 10 feet from the home.
Important installation notes:
- 1.5” piping should never be buried underground, as it can freeze solid. Always transition a 1.5” pipe to a 4” pipe above ground.
- When connecting a pump discharge to underground piping, avoid a sealed direct connection. If the underground pipe freezes or breaks, it can back up water into the basement sump pit. Use a freeze-out fitting to prevent this problem.
Freeze out options above
· Leader Downspout Connections
All of the sump pump discharge options also work perfectly for leader downspouts.
For many homes built after 1975, downspout piping is often already connected to a large drywell or a storm sewer system. Most building departments maintain records of downspout connections if they were installed when the home was built, making it easier to determine the best solution for managing water away from your foundation.
When Not to Install Exterior Drainage
Never install an exterior drainpipe that leads nowhere. We often see drain pipes simply buried in the ground with no outlet. Proper drain piping needs to lead water somewhere. The best options include:
- Directing water to a low area so it can naturally flow above ground, such as exiting a retaining wall or hillside.
- Connecting to an existing catch basin.
- Leading water into a drywell, leach field, or pop-up drain.
A properly designed drainage system ensures water is effectively moved away from your home, protecting your foundation and basement