All About the Crawl Space French Drain
We mean it when we say that water should never be “accepted” in the crawl space. This is because constant exposure to standing water breeds bacteria, increases your relative humidity, and saturates your wood with water over time leading to mold growth. This in turn also weakens your wood structure and attracts termites, pests, and rodents due to the moist environment. A weakened wood structure, or structural integrity in general, will make a negative impact on the health and value of your home. If you want to protect the investment that you’ve made in your home for years to come or are looking to sell your home, it’s imperative that your home’s drainage & grading are in good standing.
You may have heard of a French drain before but not know much about it. That’s where we come in! Our French drains and other drainage systems are designed with the challenges of living here on the Jersey Shore in mind.
Regardless of the conditions within your crawl space, we can help! Continue reading to learn more about French drains, the installation process, and if your home needs one.
Does my crawl space need a French drain?
Crawl space French drains are designed to move standing water to a sump pump. They can also be used to channel water away through the foundation wall. This means that a French drain is a component of a larger drainage system at play and that they’re not the be-all and end-all solution to your home’s moisture problem.
If your home is having issues related to standing water, then a drainage system is needed in the crawl space. French drains work well in larger areas that need water moved to an exit point while sump pumps work better in smaller areas with standing water. With the help of a moisture management professional, you can decide if your home is an ideal candidate for a French drain system. Some factors to consider while making this decision include the size and layout of your crawl space, the grading of your yard, your budget, and more.
French Drain Installation
French drains can be installed either indoors or outdoors. Again, this depends on the layout of your home, your crawl space, and your yard. The purpose of a French drain is to collect water rising from the ground. The French drains channel collects water from the hollow cinder blocks that comprise your foundation, along with water rising from the ground.
We accomplish this by first trenching around the perimeter of your crawl space and installing our fast-track drainage system within the trench to collect the water. Then, the water routes to a Sump Pump, which diverts water outside of the basement.
Following this, our technicians drill “weep holes” in the foundation. This directs water collected in the foundation wall into the French drain.
Lastly, we install skirting on top of the fast-track drainage system to cover the “weep holes” drilled, and divert water into the trench for the sump pump to pump the water out of the basement environment.
French Drains by Jersey Shore Crawlspace Enhancement
We have helped thousands of our neighbors here along the shore to protect their home from moisture with a French drain. Unlike traditional French drains, we use a specialized product designed to prevent blockage that requires 30% less water in the system to begin diverting to a sump pump. Additionally, each of our French drains come complete with an extensive warranty.
Our team of crawl space experts offer the highest quality of defense against damp crawl spaces, energy inefficiency, and common problems found in homes with crawl spaces. Not only this, our team provides you with all of the information you need to make the right call in protecting your crawl space from moisture.
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