Improper and insufficient drainage leads to flooding, foundation, and structural damage, mold growth, and many other costly property damages over time, if not addressed right away. A French drain is a common solution for waterproofing a basement.
If you are having any drainage issues, you might be thinking of having a French drain installed on your property. United Structural Systems is your go-to company for French Drain installation and concerned services in Chicagoland, IL.
A French drain (also called a weeping tile, drain tile, perimeter drain or sub-surface drain) is a wide pipe with slits, installed deep into the ground around your home or business property perimeter. An area drains only collect surface water, on the other hand, a French drain collects both surface water and groundwater, and channel it away from the basement foundation. A French drain can handle excessive moisture from foundation soil and prevent any water intrusion.
A French drain can be an effective option to redirect water, but it also has several disadvantages. Problems common with French drains include:
Difficult to Install
A French drain is typically installed after a home is built in response to a wet basement problem. This requires digging around the foundation of the home. Any landscaping, such as shrubs and flower beds, as well as walkways, steps, decks, and porches that are outside the home, must be removed. Buried gas and water lines, sewer pipes, and electrical wires could pose hazards during digging.
Clogging
A French drainpipe that's clogged with silt, sediment, and other debris can clog and cause water to overflow or back up into the basement. Footing drains often become packed with dirt or filled with tree roots. Removing clogs from the pipe is an expensive job that requires digging.
Expensive to Maintain
After a French drain is installed or serviced, the soil against the foundation can settle and will need to be re-graded. After about 10 years, you might need to repeat the entire process.
Although it drives water away from your basement, a French drain clogs over time by soil and dirt. A new French drain needs to be reinstalled after every 10 years if you wish to avoid the hassle of cleaning a clogged drain. Unclogging and re-installing a French drain- involve manpower and digging the soil up that can cost you a lot of money.
Unlike French Drain, GrateDrain™ is an internal drainage system, installed along the interior perimeter of the basement in order to capture water when it enters and diverts away. Install GrateDrain™ doesn't take much time. The whole system needs small maintenance work once a year. The installation and maintenance process doesn't cost much, also there is no risk of clogging. Therefore, a GrateDrain™, installed by the experts of United Structural Systems, is more cost-efficient than a regular French drain.
As a local family-owned business, our reputation is attached to each repair project that our team delivers. That’s why you can rest assured that our foundation repair contractors will provide high-quality service with each visit, and our inspections and estimates are free. Whether you’re in need of foundation crack repair, helical anchors, or another specialty service, call USS IL today at 847-607-1202 or contact us online, to speak to a professional on how so that we can help restore integrity and value to your property in Alden, Bartlett, Carpentersville, Dundee, and other places of our Chicagoland, IL service area!
