Weeping Tile Drainage &
Sump Pump Function
Did You Know?
Most homes in the Kingston area that have been built since the 1950s and later have some type of weeping tile system around the footing base. The original clay tiles were replaced with a plastic perforated drain pipe in the early 1970s,
but is still referred to as weeping tile today.
Some will have a drain through the footing into a sump pit for accumulated water to be pumped out. This is the proper installation of a sump pit & pump.
There is no infrastructure in or around Kingston to attach the weeping tile/drainage pipe to a storm sewer for off-site drainage. The weeping tile/drainage pipe is laid around the foundation perimeter at the base of the footing. It is usually in a closed loop and some will extend through the footing into a sump pit with a pump to remove excess water. The only exception is if the foundation footings are located high enough to allow the weeping tile/drainage pipe to exit the ground and drain downhill.
Both types of weeping tile/drainage pipe rely on being covered with adequate amounts of clean gravel for the water to drain & dissipate through. The more gravel that surrounds the footing & covers the weeping tile, the more room for drainage at the exterior. Some areas will drain better than others and will not require the aid of a sump pit & pump for exterior water management. Many of the basements we access do not have any sump pits or pumps for exterior water management and do not require one.
The majority of basement leaks that we see, happen when water can not drain at the foundation and make it down to the weeping tile system. This can happen when backfilled material such as clay soil is piled directly against the foundation with no drainage barrier. Instead, the trapped water ends up entering the foundation at any available crack, void or cold joint beforehand, due to hydrostatic pressure.
It is not uncommon for foundations to settle & show vertical cracks that extend down to the footing. We recommend that these be repaired from the exterior in order to keep water from freezing inside and making worse.
Trying to fill the cracks & seal from the inside can also prove to be challenging for two reasons;
If the inside injection material does not completely fill to the exterior so as no water can get in and freeze, then it will reopen again in the future.
It does nothing to relieve the hydrostatic pressure against the foundation that will force water into cracks, voids & cold joints.
Loyalist Waterproofing Services will repair your leaky basement properly from the exterior with permanent repairs to
foundation walls & relieve the hydrostatic pressure for good. We Guarantee it!
