What about French Drains
Can anyone educate me on what French Drains are, what benefit they serve, and who installs/builds them? I have asked several plumbers and they hadn’t heard of them. Are they helpful for days like today. I had a terrible flood in my basement, and am trying to assess all of my options.
Can anyone educate me on what French Drains are, what benefit they serve, and who installs/builds them? I have asked several plumbers and they hadn’t heard of them. Are they helpful for days like today. I had a terrible flood in my basement, and am trying to assess all of my options.
12:34 poster is wrong. We all have our roof water down through gutters that feed into outgoing sewer systems. We all obey the law and still have flooding in the cellars. I called 311, the city came out and patiently told me that the sewer lines going down our street couldn’t hande the amount of water that feeds into it during a hard and fast rain. That water backs up into our outgoing pipes and floods. In addition – the teeny tiny yards we have become saturated, and water seeks any weak point in the foundation. I was also told that the city lines would not be replaced any time soon – meaning in my lifetime. They told me the problems are so much worse in business districts of Manhattan – that their priority is to tend to those first.
I thiink my basement floods when a drain somewhere overflows. It never floods after long, slow rain, but lately, after short downpours water floods in almost immediately from somewhere under the finished floor.
Could it be a drain somewhere overflowing (previous owner put floor down) versus general seapage through the foundation? I’d hate to tear up that floor – as would my tenants. Contractor from yesterday said add a sump pump and better grade the back yard to keep water away.
Above poster,
My basement floods because the city’s sewer system cannot handle the huge volume of runoff in a fast rain. So put that in your pipe and smoke it!!!
There is a zero runoff law in nyc….your gutters must be attached to the city sewer system….if we all obeyed that law your basement would be dry.
Brooklyn basements are not meant to be finished….give it up folks. When we have torrential downpours….similar to this mornings basements will flood….we live in a city of cement rain has to go somewhere and that somewhere is your basement….use it to store stuff….at least 5 inches above basement level and live with the square footage above ground and be happy
“I have asked several plumbers and they hadn’t heard of them.”
Will you please print their names and license numbers?
*wink*
A french drain is a trench that is dug in your cellar, usually along one long wall where water tends to run. The trench is then filled with gravel, and it will slope down, for example, to the back of your house. There it usually empties into a sump pump. This way, when you get water in the cellar – it runs into the french drain, which will lead it to the sump pump. This work is done by a plumber or plumbing contractor. It is also possible to put a french drain in your back yard – digg a trench along one wall, the length of your yard – fill it with gravel, etc. to catch the run off of water from your yard. This would be done by a garden contractor.
Don’t do any waterproofing until you fix the real problem – the real problem is you have water coming in your house. When it should be led away from your house. Waterproofing doesn’t stop that. Figure out where the water is coming from, and why it’s not going where it’s supposed to go, like down drywells and into storm sewers from the roof gutters, and out into the yard. Contractors are eager to talk about waterproofing and french drains and pumps because that’s what makes them money.
My contractor told me a french drain was a ventilated pipe that let water drain in, around the basement. The pipe then drained into a sump.
Water’s been draining into my (finished) basement for the last few weeks all of a sudden. Not sure how but I’m planning on concreting the part of the back yard closest to the house to reduce seepage and install a sump pump where the water goes. Alternative is to dig up the yard and waterproof all the way down to the basement, but apparently there’s no guarantee that’ll stop the waterfall.
Now why don’t TV psychics advertise how to fix basement leaks. Surely they know what’s causing the problem . . .