Question about french drains in a basement...

[vi5]

I know that it's basically a gap between the wall and the floor in a basement. But are these only done around the whole perimeter of a basement (which is the way I've always seen them) or can they be done in certain sections.

My basement takes in a bit of water every time it rains, but only in one corner of the basement. I plan on trying to seal it up better outside by digging down and putting a sealant on (which I've also done on the inside). But if that fails I'm probably going to look into the french drain but since I only need it in that one area is that something they can do or is it an all or nothing proposition?

Anyone know offhand?

[Whoa_Nelly]

1. It's important to have rainwater move away from the foundation/basement area

and is something you really should get a licensed contractor to look at for you. If put in incorrectly, a french drain can back up with dirt/silt and other outside stuff caught in the collection runoff, and can clog and actually back up more water to the basement area, thus further compromising the foundation over time.

That being said, here's a Google search link for you re: french + drain_basement

http://tinyurl.com/29gq7c



This link is an ad for a better type of french drain that keeps the clogging of the drainage down...am sure you can research this further , but thought you might be interested in checking it out:
http://www.jesbasementsystems.com/french_drain.html

[Warpy]

2. First, the waterproofing should be applied to the outside

to stop water from coming through the concrete. You also need to make sure gutters are carrying water away from that part of the house. There are extensions available for that, or you may need to install underground drainage.

Second, you might be better off with a dry well in that corner. It's a drain set over a pipe made of either PVC or cement, holes drilled in the sides, and the pipe filled with coarse gravel.

[NMDemDist2]

4. that's what we did in AZ. our side yard would have 5-6" of standing water

after every storm

we rented a big auger and drilled holes then filled them with gravel, never had a lake out there again. but we didn't have a basement .....

[Kolesar]

3. If it is on the inside, it is called a "perimeter drain"

We had one installed and it was partially successful.

Perimeter drains are a channel that is glued to the wall/floor junction. Holes are drilled in the cavities of the concrete blocks to shunt the water to the channel. Water will flow through that channel to whatever is the lowest point of the basement, where some other conduits drain the water into a sump pump crock or into a drain to the storm sewers (if you have the proper elevation and all). You can buy these drains and install them yourself or pay for the whole project. An installer will break away the floor near the wall to set the drain down lower.

I say ours was partially successful, because for some reason water wicks right up to points in the center of our basement floor.

I don't think you will get good results digging up outside and trying to waterproof the wall. There will likely be a gap somewhere. That would be a lot of work for an unknown result.

Before you do any digging or installing a perimeter drain, I would recommend an assessment of the surface water at your house.

Figure out where the rain spouts go (like Warpy said). Replumb them into the storm sewers or put in diverters that take the water 8 or more feet from the foundation.

Make sure the soil near the house slopes away from the house. Some homeowners even flash the soil near the house with a rubber sheet, then cover it with soil for grass.

You should have grass near the foundation to take up and transpire the water. No rock garden

I suppose you could put in shallower French drains near the foundation wall--especially if you have an area hemmed in by a driveway or a sidewalk and there is nowhere for the water to flow away from the house. Look into "geotextile and sand" such as Akwadrain. http://www.americanwick.com/applications/detail.cfm?app_id=7&app_cat_id=3