What is a Weeping Tile System?

Dec 21, 2021

Your home is a major investment – perhaps the largest investment you will ever make. If you aren’t attentive, seemingly minor problems will pile up over the years and eat away at the resale value of your home. For example, moisture problems are a common issue, especially in older homes. Rainwater seems harmless, but as it seeps into the ground or pools around your home’s foundation, it will find a way in if there are any cracks or weaknesses. A weeping tile system is an effective solution to this age-old problem to ensure your basement stays dry.

Weeping Tile System

A weeping tile is a porous pipe that is installed around the perimeter of a home’s foundation. Modern weeping titles are usually made of PVC, while older ones are made of corrugated plastic or clay. A weeping tile system can either be internal (built into the basement floor) or external (dug outside of the foundation walls).

The pipe has small slits/holes for water to pass through. The pipe is buried underground and surrounded with an aggregate (usually small rocks or pebbles). Larger substances like soil will be filtered out by the aggregate, ensuring only water reaches the weeping tile. The weeping tile is also connected to the sump pump and the water is usually drained a safe distance away from the home into storm water drains. Rain water drains down to the weeping tile (or is directed there by the sump pump) and is directly safely away from the foundation and basement, keeping your home dry.

Without weeping tile, water pressure will build up in the soil surrounding the foundation – this is called hydrostatic pressure. That pressure needs to be released somehow, and it will find a way to your basement if you don’t relieve it with a solution like a weeping tile system.

Weeping tile is an effective and reliable basement waterproofing method that is very cost-effective especially when you take into account the alternative of water damage.

Weeping Tile System Failure

In rare cases, the weeping tile will fail. In our experience, it is one of the least common causes of basement leaks, behind causes like foundation cracks, leaking tie rod holes, and leaking window wells. However, failure does occur especially in older homes. This is because weeping tile systems in older homes are usually made of brittle weeping tile that can easily collapse. Or they may be made with plastic pipe, which is not strong enough to be effectively cleaned.

In the event of a weeping tile system failure, give The Crack Doctor fail for diagnosis, treatment, and cure! Whether we need to repair the system or overhaul it completely, we’ll take all the necessary steps to keep your basement dry.

Contact The Crack Doctor for all your weeping tile foundation drainage system needs!

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