# Weeping Tile Replacement .vs. Install Sump Pump



## masterblaster (Nov 1, 2005)

Hello,

We have a late 1950's bungalow and the basement has been leaking water in a few areas. No heavy flooding, just leaks... but enough leaking and water to cause mold and concern.

We want to finish the basement, but need to address this matter first. We received a quote from a company which does not dig on the outside, rather they recommend installing a full sump pump solution. Including the sub floor and vapor barrier, it'll come to just under $18K CAD.

I've been advised by an Engineer that this is not solving the problem, because it allows water to continue to get in. He advised that we should replace the weeping tiles instead. We don't have much landscaping around the house (not a costly replacement on that front), but we do have a concrete front porch.

There is a considerable amount of water around the house as runoff from the neighbours' comes our way, and we definitely will benefit by fixing the grading outside since it's in bad condition.

I've heard nothing but horror stories about sump pumps, especially since we already have a weeping tile system.

Any recommendations/thoughts for:
1 - replacing weeping tiles .vs. adding sump pump
2 - cost we should expect, house is under 2000 sq. feet
3 - recommendations for contractors in Toronto
4 - anything else we need to consider
?

Thanks.


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## JustaFramer (Jun 17, 2005)

One would be to seal the stem walls on both sides. There is also a fabric material that is used after the sealer is applied that blocks moisture. It is put ont he outside. If you have excess water running in from the neighbors also consider yard drains and piping them to the gutter system. if not pipe them to a more suitable run off area.


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## K2eoj (Aug 14, 2005)

Surface drainage can often be fixed by regrading and keeping landscaping away from the house. I built up around a house with what we call road base and this material sheds water nicely. One problem there is it may take a few years to decide if the fix worked. Another thing I would be interested in knowing is if there is any ground water beneath the house. Ground water will rise in a wet year and surface drainage probably won't help. I'd be looking for more opinions on your particular problem and if your not in too big a rush you can probably figure out what is really going on.


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## pipeguy (Nov 22, 2004)

If you're 'weeping tile' system outlets to daylight, and the outlet point is not subject to being submerged during storm events, then my opinion is the tile system is better. Pumps are always subject to failure and only fail when they're needed (otherwise they're not running).
Permanently drying up the basement is a multi-prong process that includes adressing the surface issues noted in the posts above. In a nutshell you'd want to seal the exterior of walls, install horizontal foundation drains, install vertical wall drains, place controlled foundation backfill, properly grade surface, install apprpriate roof drain system and landscaping.


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