French Drain Vs Sump Pump

Sump pumps have come a long way.

French drain vs sump pump.

The cost of a new sump pump plus the labor to install it ranges from 650 to 1800 most homeowners spend about 1200. Drain pipe is placed underground it should be covered with 2 in. Basements in homes constructed before the 1980s generally don t have underground pipes to collect water. This system comes with a lifetime guarantee that your basement floor will not have any.

For these reasons alone a french drain can require a lot of effort with minimal effectiveness. Installing a french drain may require an inspection and permit to ensure your home s drainage fix doesn t become your neighbor s problem. Unlike basement sump pump french drains offer passive draining instead of an on and off pump. I also recommend a battery backup to keep the system working should the power fail.

In some situations sump pumps are not as good as french drains. French drain a french drain is an underground water management and drainage system. The entire system of pipes sump and pump is called a french drain. If these conditions are not met it would be better to allow the water to drain across the surface.

There s nothing french about it it s named after the man who invented it henry french. French drain collects subsurface water it flows to sump pump which lifts it p and sends it out to discharge. Sump pump disadvantages vs french drains. They may still have a sump but the water collection system is different.

A trench is dug along the inside foundation of the home. Some super systems feature sealed lids with built in floor drains alarm systems and a host of other features. This french drain controls the water delivers it to the sump pump s and discharges it out of the house. However unlike the french drain the trench drain is a surface drainage structure.

These drain lines lay in the ground with a minor slope to use gravity to your advantage and drain water away from the basement. Usually interior systems drain to a sump pump but in rare cases they can be run to daylight. It is usually dug 2 to 4 inches deep. Catch basin collect surface water a great comb.

Then i would install a couple of sump pumps not a french drain. If you do a sump pump all you need to have done is hammer out a couple holes in your concrete floor and drill a couple 5 gal buckets full of 3 8 holes like swiss cheese install them in the holes flush fill. To remove water from the basement you can either install a french drain or a sump pump. A perforated drain pipe is installed.

There s a lot of confusion between french drains and trench drains because they sound so similar and because the french drain does incorporate a trench.