drainage pipe

[John Dirks Jr]

This is a new construction. The pipe is installed under each basement window. If this is an exterior foundation drain, shouldn't the piping be perforated? The stuff in the picture is solid and un-perforated.

Is there a good explanation for using solid pipe here?

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[hausdok]

Yeah,

If you use perforated pipe you have placed a large soaker hose around the fouindation that will distribute the water at the foundation instead of taking it away.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[John Dirks Jr]

Yeah,

If you use perforated pipe you have placed a large soaker hose around the fouindation that will distribute the water at the foundation instead of taking it away.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

I was beginning to figure that. So, at least the protruding part needs to be cut flush with the grade, correct?

[hausdok]

Nah,

Then the surface dirt washes into the pipe. Leave it a little proud. It allows a little water in the well but when there's enough to go into the pipe it removes it without all that mud rushing in there. It'd work better if the wells had a layer of geo textile under a layer of clean stone. Then you wouldn't be worrying about mud washing into that pipe. It really needs a grate of some sort or some curious rodent is going to go down there and start gnawing holes in the walls of that pipe.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[John Dirks Jr]

The thing is, there are no window wells. Not on any of the houses of this design. This is why I wasn't sure if the piping was intended to gather ground water and direct it to the drain tile.

So if its purely meant to gather surface water I totally understand the non-perf piping. So, the lack of window wells is the part I'm not used to seeing.

So, flood prevention drain under windows without window wells. Is that legit?

[hausdok]

I guess I missed that in the intial post.

I hadn't clicked on picture number one because I'd assumed there were window wells there.

I suppose it would be legit if the yard is graded to drain to those pipes but then you'd need a surface box 'cuz you'd never expect water to get above the top of that pipe. Why would one grade the yard to drain into something that close to the foundation?

Is it possible that those are downspout receivers and the gutter guy was so dense that he couldn't figure that out? They're dumping water onto the ground within six feet of the foundation - that's bad. If those aren't downspout receivers I'm confused now. Who would ever gather water on the surface within a foot of the foundation? I don't get it.

Was that yard graded away from the foundation? If so, I'm betting that system is supposed to capture the rain water via downspouts and the guy who installed the gutters is mentally handicapped.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Charles46]

No, those pipes are not part of the roof rain water discharge system. If you look at the first picture you can see the downspout with a splash block on the left rear corner of the house. I think I might take a walk across the street to the house under construction and see if the same design was being used there. If so, maybe someone there can explain its purpose. Also in answer to your question John, I agree with Mike, they should not be perforated.

[John Dirks Jr]

The yard was not sloped towards the house. I would have included that info in my initial post if it were.

I'm going to find the answer sooner or later. For now, my guess is they are designed to prevent flood water from getting over the sill of the window. I mean in a case where the back yard were to become completely flooded. I'll check for sure but I think that general area is lower elevation and could be prone to flooding.

I'll post back if I find more conclusive info.

[John Dirks Jr]

The pipe you see flush with grade is directly under the right side basement window. No need for a downspout extension there. I ruled that out on site. The pipe travels straight down the foundation wall as if on its way directly to the drain tile.

Flood water intrusion prevention is my guess. I dont think its part of a window well drain system.

[Tom Raymond]

If there is water on the ground high enough to enter those pipes, where exactly would it drain to?

[John Dirks Jr]

If there is water on the ground high enough to enter those pipes, where exactly would it drain to?

Like I said, it looks like they go towards the foundation drain tile. So, from there I suppose the plan is to the sump pit. From there it's ejected by the pump out the side of the wall on the low grade end of the site. The sump pit was on one side and its discharge pipe ran clear across the basement to the other side of the house.

If that is the plan, I would question a pumps ability evacuate adequate volume to prevent the basement from flooding.

[Tom Raymond]

If the yard is flooded the foundation drain is already inundated. Creating a connection between the surface and the footer drain is pointless, leaving it open almost guarantees obstructions.

The builder is a putz.

[John Dirks Jr]

Watch it wind up being a case where it's mandated by the AHJ.

[John Dirks Jr]

My brother in law's brother is an inspector for the county in question and he is familiar with the particular construction site.

According to him the builder does not always know exactly where the finished grade will be. They will often install the piping for a window well system just in case they need it. When the finished grade is low enough below the sill of the basement window, they don't install the well but the pipe stays in place.

[ericwlewis]

My brother in law's brother is an inspector for the county in question and he is familiar with the particular construction site.

According to him the builder does not always know exactly where the finished grade will be. They will often install the piping for a window well system just in case they need it. When the finished grade is low enough below the sill of the basement window, they don't install the well but the pipe stays in place.

And it winds down to the fact that no particular tradesman is responsible for giving it a finished look when the house is completed.

This builder needs a good punch-out guy.

[John Kogel]

It is easy enough to cut that stuff off flush. A bit harder when it is white PVC or that hard green pipe. But yeah, the drain guys leave the pipe long on purpose and the guys finishing the grading should trim the pipe.

If that house was here, I'd say the solid pipe was for downspout drainage. We use mostly the white vinyl pipe for that purpose and it is not perforated for the reason Mike gave. You want to carry the water away from the foundation, here it is either to an underground storm drain system or to an open ditch along the road.

[John Dirks Jr]

My brother in law's brother is an inspector for the county in question and he is familiar with the particular construction site.

According to him the builder does not always know exactly where the finished grade will be. They will often install the piping for a window well system just in case they need it. When the finished grade is low enough below the sill of the basement window, they don't install the well but the pipe stays in place.

And it winds down to the fact that no particular tradesman is responsible for giving it a finished look when the house is completed.

This builder needs a good punch-out guy.

They need to teach the crew the proper way to nail vinyl siding too. At best, only one out of four pieces of siding would move. The ones that would move took way too much effort to make them float back and forth. The majority of the wouldn't budge no matter how hard I pulled on them. I lifted a few pieces to look underneath and sure enough, nailed up tight.

[Marc]

My brother in law's brother is an inspector for the county in question and he is familiar with the particular construction site.

According to him the builder does not always know exactly where the finished grade will be. They will often install the piping for a window well system just in case they need it. When the finished grade is low enough below the sill of the basement window, they don't install the well but the pipe stays in place.

And it winds down to the fact that no particular tradesman is responsible for giving it a finished look when the house is completed.

This builder needs a good punch-out guy.

They need to teach the crew the proper way to nail vinyl siding too. At best, only one out of four pieces of siding would move. The ones that would move took way too much effort to make them float back and forth. The majority of the wouldn't budge no matter how hard I pulled on them. I lifted a few pieces to look underneath and sure enough, nailed up tight.

Do you keep that little vinyl replacement tool in your pouch?

Marc

[John Dirks Jr]

I have one of those tools but usually it's not needed. The siding these days is so thin it's flexible enough to pull the bottom lip down with your fingers and zip it back up.

If the weather is really really cold the siding can get brittle and crack. In those cases I usually don't muck with it.

[juzplanekrazy]

I would assume the pipe is a perforated drain for the basement wall. The pipe shown is HDPE, soild wall is shown above the ground and could have a coupleing underground to change to perforated. This type of pipe is common to use as a underdrain to carry off water that seeps down along the basement/retaining wall. This type of pipe normally has a shock wrapped around the perf. area or it's wrapped in a Mirifi material with a rock envelope.

It's hard to tell by the pictures but that end sticking up could be the "high" end they roped up above ground. I would also assume it drains off to a low point in the back yard or a Sump drain of somekind.