How to Install Foundation Perimeter Tile
- 1). Measure the perimeter of your foundation and add approximately 6 additional feet for the drain tile. Drain tile, despite its name, does not resemble regular tile. A 4-inch-wide perforated tube comes in one long continuous, flexible length.
- 2). Install the sump bucket in a pit next to your foundation, with the top of the bucket approximately 6 inches lower than the level of your foundation footer. The foundation footer is the wide concrete pad beneath the foundation walls. Contractors may install a sump bucket in the space beneath a window well for ease of access in the future.
- 3). Insert one end of the drain tile tube into one of the drainage holes in the sump bucket lid and lay the rest of the tubing around the perimeter of the foundation, directly on top of the footer. Bring it all the way around without kinking it.
- 4). Rotate the drain tile until the perforations are at the bottom, touching the footer. Avoid facing the perforations upward to reduce the risk of sediment entering the holes. Some drain tile comes with a "sock," an exterior mesh covering that acts as a filter to keep sand and sediment out of the tube.
- 5). Stick the other end of the drain tile into the second drainage hole in the sump bucket lid. Both ends should reach a few inches into the bucket without touching the bottom. If they are too long, trim off the ends with a utility knife.
- 6). Cover the drain tile with gravel 1/2 inch in diameter. Use washed gravel free of sand and dirt. The gravel acts like a filter above the drain tile.
- 7). Install the sump pump in the bucket according to the manufacturer's specifications, replace the lid, and backfill around the foundation. Groundwater that seeps down by the perimeter tile will now flow into the sump bucket for pumping out.
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