My house was built in 1972. Was it common here back then to put a pipe for drainage either on top of or next to the footer outside the foundation? How can you tell, and if it's there, can you determine whether it still works without digging down to it?

My house is 1973. It has a drain pipe outside the foundation. Works great, too. My basement is always completely dry. Never a drop of water over the past 20 years and no sump pump, either. We dug down and found it a few years ago.

Don't know if it was common. Our house is a 4BR 2.5BA 2000-2500 sq ft Dutch Colonial that was probably pretty typical for that era.

Unless you have some kind of expensive ultrasound device, not sure how you would know without digging. But it's really not that hard to dig and find out.

> Unless you have some kind of expensive ultrasound device

it may be less that 2' down, depending where the soil horizon is on the (foundation)

the answer is: yes and no

It obviously depends. If your house was built with a sump pump. it may well have such a drain as well. These things are needed in some spots, but basically unnecessary in others that may be just down the street.

It varies... Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It obviously depends. If your house was built
> with a sump pump. it may well have such a drain as
> well. These things are needed in some spots, but
> basically unnecessary in others that may be just
> down the street.


No sump pump. Homes with sump pumps on this street had them installed years later. I'd prefer to take care of the water outside the foundation rather than deal with it after it infiltrates the floor or walls.

You can dig appropriate drain lines across your property for cheap. You or whoever does the work for you will need to understand how surface water moves now before you start the job. You obviously want to carry water away from the house and into a swale, catchment, rain garden, or other LID feature that will impede further flow. Fairfax County can provide tips and info.

https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/soil-water-conservation/rain-garden

Beware the shysters Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You can dig appropriate drain lines across your
> property for cheap. You or whoever does the work
> for you will need to understand how surface water
> moves now before you start the job. You obviously
> want to carry water away from the house and into a
> swale, catchment, rain garden, or other LID
> feature that will impede further flow. Fairfax
> County can provide tips and info.
>
> https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/soil-water-conservat
> ion/rain-garden

Just pipe the downspouts into the storm drain. Works like a charm

^^^ Might not be to code.

wasteoffukintime Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Beware the shysters Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > You can dig appropriate drain lines across your
> > property for cheap. You or whoever does the
> work
> > for you will need to understand how surface
> water
> > moves now before you start the job. You
> obviously
> > want to carry water away from the house and into
> a
> > swale, catchment, rain garden, or other LID
> > feature that will impede further flow. Fairfax
> > County can provide tips and info.
> >
> >
> https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/soil-water-conservat
>
> > ion/rain-garden
>
> Just pipe the downspouts into the storm drain.
> Works like a charm





Many houses would benefit from gutter storm water being diverted into a dry well.



.
Attachments:

With weather patterns changing, you might want to kick the kid out of the basement; very soon.
Attachments:

A Climate Change Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> With weather patterns changing, you might want to
> kick the kid out of the basement; very soon.

gerrymanderer2 (OP) posts several lies on ffu daily - many\.10think he's a fx co gov worker who is getting paid to do it for false DNC democrat "advertising". he floods ffu with useless posts to bump down major news, posts fecal matter, mutilated bodies, child porn, foreign drug ads and sneaker ads, tells people to kill themselves and government should seize them and put them on psych pills in prison - decided by democrat gov of course, promotes kangaroo courthouse trials, gives anti-religious rants, gives satanic ritual rants, posts black males with large dicks on white young females, portends white low birth rate and fall of USA, and anything possible to DEMORALIZE white people on ffu. (perhaps a chinese prisoner or isis member - but definitely knowledgeable of fx co gov from the inside at times). the website operator has told him "not to post or return" which are still posted - not removed, by the sysop: not because of a political leaning but for continual illegal and gross spam along with messages that are only to demoralize if not kill others.

we're kicking all the asians out of Fairfax soon

Digger Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It varies... Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > It obviously depends. If your house was built
> > with a sump pump. it may well have such a drain
> as
> > well. These things are needed in some spots,
> but
> > basically unnecessary in others that may be
> just
> > down the street.
>
>
> No sump pump. Homes with sump pumps on this
> street had them installed years later. I'd
> prefer to take care of the water outside the
> foundation rather than deal with it after it
> infiltrates the floor or walls.

obviously, dig by hand if you are within 2' horizontal of the footer, and call 1800-miss-utility before doing so

obviously, if you have running water on the property make sure it doesn't run to the foundation, if you can do that you won't have a wet foundation

Real Old Timer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>, not sure how you would know without
> digging. But it's really not that hard to dig and
> find out.


you really need to call miss utility before you go prodding around with a shovel, our neighbor was putting in a trench in his yard and cut right into a buried electrical conduit with his shovel, gave him a zap he won’t soon forget and singed half his hair, his whole family was freaking out

think before you dig Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Real Old Timer Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >, not sure how you would know without
> > digging. But it's really not that hard to dig
> and
> > find out.
>
>
> you really need to call miss utility before you go
> prodding around with a shovel, our neighbor was
> putting in a trench in his yard and cut right into
> a buried electrical conduit with his shovel, gave
> him a zap he won’t soon forget and singed half
> his hair, his whole family was freaking out

Miss Utility only marks from the street to the house. They do not locate wires that the homeowner, or previous homeowner have put in. Such as outdoor/landscape lighting or additions, like running power to the garden shed. You are on your own with those