What it is
Interior drain tile is a perforated pipe laid in gravel beside the footing, under the edge of the basement floor. It collects water before it can rise through the joint where the wall meets the floor and carries it to a sump basin, where a pump sends it outside.
Many south metro homes from the 1960s and 1970s were built with clay tile that has since clogged or cracked, or with no tile at all. Replacing or adding it is the most common long-term fix for water at the base of the wall.
Signs you need it
- Water along the base of one or more walls after storms
- Dampness that returns even after cracks were sealed
- An older home with no sump basin, or a basin that stays dry while the floor gets wet
- Water rising through the floor during spring melt
How the work is done
Open the floor edge
A strip of concrete about a foot wide is cut out along the walls that leak.
Set pipe and stone
Perforated pipe goes in clean rock next to the footing, often with a dimpled membrane on the wall to guide seepage down.
Tie into a sump
The pipe drains to a sump basin and pump that discharge outside, away from the foundation.
Patch and test
Fresh concrete closes the trench, and the system is tested with water.
What it costs
Compare every service in the cost guide. These are rough ranges; the real price comes after an inspection.
Questions
Does it stop water or manage it?
It manages it. Water still reaches the outside of the wall, but the system relieves the pressure and moves it to the sump before it reaches the floor.
Do all four walls need it?
Not always. If water only comes in on the uphill side of a walkout, a partial system can be enough. The contractor should show you where the water enters.
Is it messy?
Cutting concrete makes dust. Good crews use plastic barriers and dust control; ask how they handle cleanup.
Read more
- Why walkout and split-level basements leak
- Questions to ask a waterproofing contractor before you sign
Related services
- Basement waterproofing: Keep water out of finished lower levels, walkouts and split-level basements.
- Sump pump installation and replacement: Replacement pumps, new basins and battery backups for storms and outages.
- Foundation crack repair: Seal leaking cracks in poured walls and get block wall cracks checked before they grow.
- Yard drainage and grading: Regrading, downspout extensions and drains that stop runoff before it reaches the wall.
Where we serve
We connect homeowners with contractors across Dakota, Scott and south Hennepin counties, including Burnsville, Savage, Apple Valley, Bloomington, Credit River, Rosemount, Richfield, Lakeville. See all service areas.