Drain Tile Key Terms

Learn basic terms for drain tile projects
By J. Stoltzfus, writer/programmer LOCAL CITIZEN A drain tile project generally includes using clay, stone or other materials to allow for water flow in a given area. Drain tile work is often done by professionals who know the tricks of the trade. Businesses might hire drain tile workers or excavators to fix a part of a site that gets flooded. Residential drain tile work is also a sizable industry as professionals prevent basements from flooding to avoid property damage. Knowing some of the key terms involved helps businesses make the right decisions for getting drain tile installations on a commercial site.

Sump pit, water outlet

A sump pit is a place that can serve as a repository for the water that is backing up on a property and causing problems. The place where the water goes is also called a water outlet. A sump pit is often a part of a comprehensive drain tile project.
Try:  Learn about the sump pit and other key terms at this glossary from Vulcan.

French drain

A French drain is basically a ditch lined with gravel - it is similar to a drain tile project in that it facilitates drainage, but the French drain generally looks a little different.
Try:  Get detailed information on French drains from WiseGeek.

Standard, extra-quality and heavy duty clay drain tile

Clay drain tile, a common solution for subsurface drainage, is put into several categories for slightly different uses. Companies create the tile from clay soil, which is plastic when moist, but hard when fired or baked.
Try:  Find out about the general classifications of standard, extra-quality and heavy-duty clay drain tile at Illinois State's Subsurface Drainage info page.

Field drainage

In agricultural usage, field drainage helps remove excess water from the fields for better crop production. Sometimes this involves ditches, but in other cases it involves subsurface installation of perforated pipes, commonly called drain tiles because they were originally made of short pipes called clay tiles.
Try:  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency discusses field drainage and the use of subsurface pipes.

Filter media

In the case of drain tile solutions, the filter media is usually gravel. The filer media provides permeability for those critical spaces in the system where water needs to be able to travel.
Try:  Take a look at this resource from JJ Custom Plumbing to learn more about the filter media and other basic components for a drain tile system.

Crack injection

The crack injection method is an alternative to doing work intensive and costly drain tile work in a basement, where a drain tile solution may back up. A crack injection method could keep water from entering the basement.
Try:  For a look at crack injection and drain tile repair options, take a look at this page at BasementAnswers.com.