french drain design

[MasterPlumbersKeymaster]

I live in the arrid eastern plains of colorado, my soil is basically sand and gravel, and I am putting a new house with basement. Do I need a french drain, and waterproofing?
If I do need a french drain, how would I install this system for a 28×64 basement?
Thanks Bill

[robalaParticipant]

Bill, what are you draining in your basement? Any floor drains inside the basement will be connected to your sewer drain. As for water proofing, that is dictated by local code but is a wise thing to do any way.

[John Aldrich1Participant]

MitchellManor, I believe all of the Counties in Colorado require that you follow the building code which they have adopted in regard to foundation drainage systems. Even though the plains of Eastern Colorado are quite arid, there is the potential for high ground water conditions in certain areas, and we do occasionally experience very wet spring seasons from storm events.

The foundation drain, and the floor drains should be plumbed to a gravity drain to daylight if the terrain on your land will allow, but most likely, this drainage will have to be pumped from a sump pump pit to a surface drainage area. Do not pump this ground water, or storm water into your septic system. A separate sewage ejector pump will have to be installed to pump sewage generated in the basement into your sewage pipeline and septic tank. The Zoeller Pump Company has a wide selection of very excellent pumps for these very different applications.

Typically, most foundation drains in Colorado consist of washed gravel, and perforated, corrigated polyethylene pipe. State-of-the-art alternative systems are available however, from Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc., (Advan-EDGE), and Invisible Structures, Inc. (DrainCore2). Invisible Structures is a Colorado company, located in Aurora, Colorado. Their web page addresses are as follows:
http://www.ads-pipe.com

and
http://www.invisiblestructures.com

These drainage systems do not require the use of washed gravel, and siltation is prevented by the use of geotextiles wrapped around the drainage product. JWA

[Coker77Participant]

Water-Barrier is a dry basement in a box. There is NO need to dig around your home! Water-Barrier is a vinyl baseboard system that captures the water at the entry point, where the wall meets the floor. The baseboard measures 4½ inches high, 5 foot lengths. The baseboard is permanently sealed to the floor. The water is then channeled to either a floor drain or a sump pump. The result is a very dry floor! Water-Barrier works with block, poured, stone or brick walls. It can be installed in paneled or carpeted basements. Good Luck! Bob

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