Perimeter Drainage Service in Vancouver

The most common perimeter-drain cleaning service in Vancouver is a hydro-flush. We run a high-pressure jetter from a catch basin or cleanout to remove silt, soft roots, and collected debris. Most cleanings take one visit. We then inspect the pipe by camera so you can see its condition.

A collapsed, cracked, root-damaged, or disconnected section of perimeter drain may be suitable for a spot repair. We locate and excavate the failed section, replace it with perforated HDPE pipe wrapped in filter fabric and bedded in clean drain rock, then reconnect and backfill it. This can cost less than full replacement when the rest of the system is in good condition.

Full replacement may be needed when clay tile has collapsed in several places, original 1960s perforated PVC has become brittle, or the system was installed incorrectly. The work includes excavation around the foundation, removal of the old drain, new perforated HDPE pipe set in clean drain rock, filter fabric, required catch basins, and a connection to the storm-water line. Our workmanship warranty covers the installation.

Perimeter-drainage cost depends on the home's footprint, drain depth, equipment access, and the amount of driveway, walkway, or patio that must be removed and replaced. A hydro-flush is less expensive than full replacement on a large lot. We provide a written flat-rate quote and include the camera footage behind our recommendation.

Homeowners, inspectors and contractors all use different names for the same pipe. A perimeter drain, a foundation perimeter drain, a perimeter footing drain and weeping tile are the same thing: the perforated pipe that runs around the outside of the footing, sits in drain rock, and carries groundwater to a sump or a storm connection before it can reach the basement. An exterior perimeter drain is that system. An interior basement perimeter drain, sometimes sold as a drainage channel, is a different product cut into the slab inside, and it manages water that has already got in rather than keeping it out.

That distinction matters when you are comparing quotes, because the two jobs are not interchangeable and the interior version is often the cheaper answer to a different question. A clogged perimeter drain is normally silt or fine roots and responds to flushing. A collapsed one does not, and no amount of jetting will fix it.

A perimeter drain inspection is worth doing before you agree to any excavation. We camera the system through the available cleanouts or catch basins, record the footage, and walk you through it. What we are looking for is whether the pipe still holds its grade, whether the perforations are silted over, whether roots have entered at the joints, and whether any section has crushed or separated.

Two honest limits. Some older Vancouver homes have no usable access point, in which case we may have to dig a small test pit to get a camera in. And a camera cannot see the drain rock or the filter fabric around the pipe, so a system that looks clear on video can still drain poorly if the surrounding gravel has silted up. We tell you when the footage is inconclusive rather than guessing at a scope of work.