Basement drainage - installing drain, sump pump, etc

[Christina R.]

Hi!

I live in Maryland and have family that may be installing a sump pump/interior drain system in their unfinished cinder block foundation basement.  The house was built in 1968.  I know nothing about this trade of construction.

Questions -

*  Do you have to have a French drain (and are ALL interior drain systems called French drains or is there something specific to that) with a sump pump .... or can you have one without the other?

*  the basement is completely empty except for mechanicals and w/d in one area.  How long would installing an interior perimeter drain with sump pump take?  Just the sump pump?

* What are some questions that MUST be asked when collecting bids that the Average Joe & Jane would not think to ask about a job such as this?

Any other suggestions, advice is appreciated.  If you know licensed workers that do this in Montgomery County, MD area please PM me the contact information.

Christina

[Account Closed]

Thanks for the tag @Russell Brazil!

@Christina R. - I'll do my best to address your questions:

- A French drain is common nomenclature to refer to a system that is designed to redirect water. It can be as crude as a trench filled with gravel or include piping and geotextile fabric.

- When the drain system cannot be terminated to daylight, then the system is often terminated in a sump crock/pit in which a sump pump is added. The crock/pit collects the water and the pump discharges it to an appropriate location (which is not the sewer or septic system).

- Among other things, the total length of the loop, the hardness and thickness of the concrete all play into the length of time it takes accomplish the task mentioned.  That said, for the typical home in our area, I suspect the timeline would be measured in days (as opposed to a week or more). A small home that has a wide-open basement may get knocked out in a single day.

- For retrofit work of this type, some companies may just install small drainage components of various sizes and styles, while others may also add coatings to the block wall.

- Generally speaking, in my opinion, interior measures are a last resort as I prefer to prevent water from breaching the building envelope.

- Water problems in basements may stem from different sources such as the water table, underground springs, or simply poor exterior drainage details (e.g., sloping the grade away from the house, making sure gutters and downspouts are in place, sized appropriately, in good working order, and do not terminate near the house - they should discharge some distance away).

- Prior to taking on an interior retrofit, I'd exhaust exterior measures first - sometimes, that's all it takes.

Good luck!