How do I install drain tile around my house?

Question

Have no-basement home with heat pipes in foundation. Water collecting in pipes. Furnace hot air passing thru makes house like a steaming greenhouse full of condensation. HELP!

Answer 1

You have to dig down to the Footings,, put in a 4" perforated flexible plastic drain pipe all the way around your home.. Where the 2 ends meet (because you don't have a basement) run them away from your home say 25 feet or more. Dig a hole about the size of a 55 gal. drum or bigger, direct the drain tile hose ends into that hole. Then fill the hole with coarse gravel to about 4" from the top. Put weed guard fabric over the gravel, than top soil and seed it.
The hole with gravel in it is called a French Drain.

Answer 2

Unless your house is sitting in a marsh, the water must be coming in on one particular side, and you should be able to figure out which side that is by the lay of the land. Once this is determined, you start doing things in steps to try and redirect the water away from the foundation, such as by digging a swale. You could also try putting those flexible extenders at the bottom of the gutter spouts so that rainwater is carried away from the foundation. These are relatively inexpensive steps compared to installing drain tiles. You could boost any positive results with a dehumidifier unit in your house.

Of course, if you have the budget for it and want the problem corrected in one fell swoop, I think it would be better if you consulted a reputable contractor in your area to take care of the problem professionally.

Answer 3

Your question sounds like you have misdiagnosed your own problem.
If you have hot water radiant heating, you would not have forced air also. You dont have water collecting in pipes, because they are supposed to have water in them all the time.
It is definite that something is leaking.
It can be your radiant heating system, or your water service. Your water company can tell you if their line is leaking at no cost.
I believe that your radiant heat is leaking, which is common.
If you have a crawl space you are the luckiest person in the world, because the old system can be disconnected and a new system installed relatively easy.
If your house is on a slab, you are screwed.
You only have two options, and one involves a jackhammer.
Most retrofits are done converting over to a forced air system, installed in the attic. Either way, it ain't cheap

Answer 4

I dont think you need drain tile. I think what you need is a dehumidifier in the crawlspace below your house. You need to insulate the crawlspace so there is not a big difference in temperature as that what causes condesation to form. Also condensation is formed by moisture in the air, so you need a fan or dehumidifier to pull the moisture laded air away from the pipes. The moisture is also coming from the soil so you will need to add Poly (plastic) liner over the ground so the moisture stays in the ground.

Answer 5

We have a lot where the rain runs downward toward our house and could get down in the walls of our basement, so we dug a hole and added the black mesh piping material in front of the wall to catch the water and make it flow East to West, nor North to South. Very inexpensive.

That may not help, but to put tile down would be expensive I think.

Answer 6

I believe you would have to put a plastic vapor barrier up to prevent the steam from entering if you don't have a leak that is doing the damage. This would also be cheaper than doing drain tile I would think.

Answer 7

If it were me I would lift up the chimney and put a new house under it, including the foundation.

Answer 8

http://www.drainarea.com/

You surely have a unique problem.........and heating system.