Drain tile installation in Green Bay, WI
Where clay soil and a high water table press water against the floor, drain tile gives it a way out before it comes up through the joint.
Interior drain tile is perforated pipe laid in a trench beside the footing, inside the basement, under the edge of the floor. The concrete is cut back along the walls, the trench is dug and bedded with washed stone, the pipe goes in and slopes to a sump crock, and the floor is patched. Water building up under the slab and at the wall-floor joint drains into it instead of into the basement. For Green Bay-area homeowners whose floors get wet along the walls every spring, it's the core of most basement waterproofing systems.
Signs you may need it
- Water at the floor edge along several walls
- Seepage coming up through floor cracks during snowmelt
- Hollow block walls that weep at the bottom course
- A house with no sump or an old clay tile system that has stopped working
- Plans to finish a basement that has had water
Why does water build up under Brown County floors?
Much of the metro sits on clay. USDA's 1929 soil survey of Brown County describes heavy clay soils on both sides of the Fox River that were flat and slow to drain, noting drainage "can be improved by tiling," and low, poorly drained flats bordering the bay. When groundwater rises in spring, it pushes up against the underside of the slab and through the wall-floor joint. Drain tile relieves that pressure by giving the water a lower, easier path.
What are the choices?
- Interior drain tile in stone. The standard approach for most basements, set beside or just above the footing.
- Block core drainage. Holes drilled into the bottom course of a block wall let trapped water drain into the tile.
- Wall membrane. A dimpled sheet that guides wall seepage down into the tile.
- Exterior drain tile. Installed during excavation outside the footing, often paired with a wall membrane, where access and budget allow.
- Cleanouts. Access points that let the line be flushed, useful in fine clay and silt.
Every drain tile system ends at a sump pump, and in clay soils with a high water table, that pump may run a lot in spring.
What affects the cost?
- How many feet of wall need tile
- Floor thickness and finished areas that must be opened
- Block or poured walls, and whether cores need draining
- Number of sump crocks and pumps
- Obstacles like stairs, furnaces and water heaters
The company you're connected with prices the job after an inspection. We don't quote prices.
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Common questions
Is interior or exterior drain tile better?
Exterior tile keeps water away from the outside of the wall but requires excavation. Interior tile is less disruptive and handles water under the floor. Many Green Bay basements use interior tile because of cost and access.
Will drain tile stop a bowing wall?
No. Drain tile relieves water pressure under the floor, but a wall that is already bowing needs separate stabilization such as anchors, beams or carbon fiber.
Does drain tile installation need a permit in Wisconsin?
It depends on the municipality and scope. Under Wisconsin's ATCP 110, the seller must tell you about required permits before you sign, and can't start until they're issued.
Related services
- Sump pumps and backup systems
- Bowing wall stabilization
- Foundation crack injection
- Window well drainage
Soils, Wisconsin contract rules and sump discharge: Brown County basement water guide.
Bowing block, a leaking crack, or a sump that runs all spring?
Call and a Brown County waterproofing company will come take a look.