December 10th, 2012

How Your Vancouver Drain Tile Installation Keeps Your Home Foundation Dry

You know that spring has arrived in Vancouver when the weather has gotten warmer and snow has melted. The arrival of spring and the occasional rains that come with the season (on top of the melting snow) may cause drainage issues for your home. The ground surrounding your home becomes saturated with the water that ends up sitting in low spots.

The wet ground around your home can create a slew of problems. Mowing your yard becomes difficult, stagnant water breeds mosquitoes, and your kids come back to the house wet and muddy. Contact a Vancouver drain tile professional like Milani so you can get rid of your water problems and enjoy the new season.

Water seepage can damage your home's foundation, but a drain tile prevents that from happening. A drain tile is a special kind of pipe installed in a drainage system and is used to pull water away from the foundation of your home so that the water cannot penetrate. It is usually installed while the foundation is being built and it requires periodic maintenance and replacement.

Installing a drain tile system involves digging a trench around the footings of your home. A filter barrier is then placed in the trench, inside which the drain tile is laid. The trench is then covered with gravel and then covered with another filter. The system of filters prevents dirt and silt from going into the trench and clogging it, while the gravel serves to filter water. (Water is naturally drawn to the gravel because the former can flow more easily through gravel than the surrounding soil.)

The drain tile system has an outlet that allows collected water to disperse. The outlet may be adjoined to a sump pump if your home is on level ground or if it is situated lower than the surrounding ground. Otherwise, it may simply drain freely, with runoff water flowing into storm drains or trickling harmlessly downhill. It is important to regularly check that the trench and outlet remain free of dirt and silt. If the gravel gets packed with dirt, less water reaches the pipe as it remains pooled around your home.

Anticipating water seepage is important. In the same way that you call on a Vancouver or Port Coquitlam furnace specialist to prepare for winter, you need to contact a professional drain tile contractor to help you get ready for spring.