As we welcome spring to the Midwest, it also means that homeowners have to be prepared for the ground thawing and potential heavy rains occurring simultaneously. The spring of 2019 was a prime example of this; a snow-heavy February along with a rainy spring had our foundation experts very busy helping homes all around the Twin Cities. Thanks to an early thaw and less snow, this spring is looking much better in terms of flooding. However, that can always change quickly, so it’s best to be prepared.

One of the best ways to prepare your home? Have a working drain tile system. An interior drain tile acts as a prevention tool and flooding solution; if your home does flood, most likely in the basement around the foundation, then the water can be diverted away from the home. Most homes, unless they have not been updated in a long time, will have this system set up already. However, the system can deteriorate over time, so it’s important to get them inspected, especially if water entered your basement the year before and it lingered.

Here’s a visual example of how a drain tile will work in your home.

By gathering the water around your foundation into one channel, the drain tile system can then direct the water to a sump pit in your basement where it is then pumped out away from the foundation.

When you hire us to repair your drain tile, we can do it with minimal disruption to your home or your basement. First, we remove about 12” of the floor to access the base of the foundation. A sturdy drain tubing is installed in the trench and filled with washed rock to act as a sediment filtration system. In the walls, we drill holes in the block wall voids to help water evacuation, and Vent-Mat edging is installed to help direct any water that gets in. According to the building code in your area, we install the evacuation pipe for the sump pump. Once all of that has been expertly set up, we lay a cover over the trench to form a final moisture barrier and then replace the concrete flooring.

Give us a call if you’ve been dealing with a wet basement or your drain tile has not been updated in awhile. Concrete & Foundation Solutions has been expertly serving the Twin Cities for 20 years.