basement drainage

Im going to finish my basement but first I have to correct a problem with water coming in thru cracks in the wall after it rains.I was going to put drainage pipe around the outside perimeter to carry the water away from the house.My question is how far from the foundation should the pipe be,also how deep should I bury it? what about gravel,where do I put it and how much should I use? Also I have a spot on the basement floor where water comes up through the concrete when it rains and forms a puddle any suggestions?

 

You don't have to dig that deep to provide drainage for that area. The way I usually install this type of drainage is that intergrate it with the landscaping. I'll dig an one foot deep ditch, 6 to 8 inches wide, from the area of concern to an area where the water can't migrate back to the house. Then I lay 4 inches of gravel and on top of the I lay the drainage pipe. You can buy the drainage pipe with landscaping already wrapped around the pipe or you can buy this material. If you buy it separately, lay the material down first then the pipe and wrap the material around the pipe. This material won't allow dirt or roots to get into the pipe but will allow water to get in. After that I put in what ever gravel I have left and cover that with decorative landscaping stones. In the areas where I didn't dig a ditch around the house, I lay decorative stones so that it appears to be part of the landscaping design. People won't know that it's a drainage system unless you tell them it is.

As far as the water seeping through your basement floor, see first if the outside drainage corrects the problem. If it does not, then I would suggest a sump pump.

 

Greetings,

You sound like you have problems drain pipe isn't going to solve.

Contact Mike at drytronicinc.com and tell him what you have.

Also, I would stongly recommend that you install radiant barriers as your insulation. If you use FG or foam with that type of moisture present your going have mold growing thru the wall board (like a bad sci-fi movie).

Do not let the wood come in direct contact with the floor. You might want to use all steel studs or a steel floor runner with wood studs.

Thank you for considering my opinion.