Drain tiling has its origins in the field of agriculture. Although field drainage systems date back over 2000 years, they were first used in America in 1838. When farmer John Johnston installed clay tiles on his farm in Seneca County, New York, he was dubbed “The Father of Tile Drainage in the United States.” Farm drainage was further revolutionized in 1860 by Henry French in his book “Farm drainage: the principles, processes, and effects of draining land with stones, wood, plows, and open ditches, and especially with tiles.” The effect was so profound they renamed the tile drain system to French drains, after Henry French.

Drain Tile Uses

• Drainage tile systems have many uses in both agricultural and construction applications:
• Farm drainage – Used to keep fields from oversaturating, which limits crop growth
• Irrigation – Drain tiles can be used to transport water as part of an irrigation system
• Yard drainage – Similar to farming, drainage keeps water from pooling in low lying areas
• Footing tiles around foundation – Drains water from around and beneath your basement and/or crawl space

Names For Drain Tile

Although drain tile is a common term used interchangeably, it is often referred to as French Drain, Footing Tile, Weeping Tile, Clay Tile, Tiling System, Perforated Drain, Foundation Drain, and Rubble Drain, to name a few.

Drain Tile Properties

• Although material, size, and shape of the piping varies, there are common qualities: 
• Is perforated (has holes) to allow water a point of entry
• Is immersed in a bed of stone, which facilitates drainage to the piping
• Stone type varies, but 3/4-washed (clean) gravel promotes the best water flow. Pea gravel or compacted stone impedes drainage due to lack of space between the stones.
• The pipe is usually round or cylindrical in shape, although there are some square or rectangular shaped drainage systems. Shape makes no difference in the flow of water.
• Drain tile piping typically ranges in sizes from 2 to 18 inches in diameter 
• 4-inch diameter is standard sized piping for foundation drainage systems
• Piping is primarily constructed from plastic (PVC, ABS) or clay
• PVC drain tile typically comes in 10-foot lengths of rigid piping
• Corrugated (ABS) drain tile comes in coils of flexible piping in lengths that vary from 100 feet to 3000 feet

Editor’s note: This is an adaptation of an article originally posted on
www.uswaterproofing.com.