The Weeping Tile

Jun 8, 2013

If you don’t know what weeping tile is, you might be surprised to learn that it looks nothing like bathroom tile at all.

I can remember being very young and hearing my dad talk about weeping tiles and how it had to do with digging outside. I remembered being very confused by this. Having been raised around this subject my whole life, I now know that weeping tile is a perforated pipe which allows water to enter or weep into it from the ground and the water is moved along inside the pipe toward the path of least resistance which is always the low spot.

Weeping tile is used to create the drainage system at the base of the homes foundation. The perforated pipe is installed beside the footing on the outside of the wall and is connected to the municipal drainage system under the street at a deeper depth. The weeping tile foundation drainage system is designed to remove water from under the house. Without a functioning drainage system, the seasonal rise of the water table as well as storm runoff could enter the basement.

Properly functioning weeping tile collects the water at the base of the foundation as it develops and removes it before it comes up from under the floor.

Some houses are not connected to municipal services or do not have weeping tiles at all. In these cases, a sump pump plays an important role in keeping the basement dry. A house which is not on municipal services would need to pump the water from the weeping tile up to the level of the leaching field or to the surface of the ground outside. New weeping-tile can also be connected to a sump pump, creating drainage on those walls guaranteeing a successful waterproofing solution.

When weeping tile is clogged, the foundation drainage system is not working, and since cleaning them out is unlikely, the weeping tiles will usually need to be replaced. Digging around the house, removing the old system and replacing it with new weeping tile is the only way to make them work again.

Another way to create a foundation drainage system is to install an internal subfloor drainage system or French drain. This system is installed inside under the floor and provides the same drainage but without the need to dig outside.

The Crack Doctor is able to either replace your weeping tile or install the internal solution. Both solutions are covered by our famous warranty and can be installed at almost any time of year.

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