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French Drain Basement in Stony Brook, NY 11790

Interior French Drain vs. Exterior French Drain: What’s the Difference and Which Should You Choose for Your Stony Brook, NY Home

For years, the homeowners of Suffolk County have been relying on Foundation Crack Repair to keep their basements safe and dry. As a leading Stony Brook, NY French drain basement installer, we have the knowledge, skill, and expertise that you can count on to provide exceptional results. When our team of fully licensed and insured experts is on the job, you can have confidence knowing that the foundation of your New York home is in the most capable hands.

Interior French Drain vs. Exterior French Drain: Which to Choose for Your Stony Brook, NY Home

Finding a leak in your basement is a major downer, but even worse is discovering that it’s completely flooded out. The damage can range from mild to severe, and no matter the extent, can cause a major headache. Storm surges, heavy rains, cracks in the walls, pipe bursts, water heater leaks; there are so many reasons why a basement can flood. Fortunately, there’s a way that you can subvert the expenses, hassles, and headaches that can be associated with water damage. How? By installing a Stony Brook, NY French drain basement system.

What is a French drain basement system? What benefits does it provide? To find the answers to these questions and more, keep on reading.

What is a French drain system?

As the name suggests, a Stony Brook, NY French drain basement system is a type of drainage system for a basement. While there are several types of basement drains, the French drain system is one of the most widely used and recommended among experts in Suffolk County.

Introduced decades ago, the French drain system is a trench that’s filled with rocks and gravel. The rocks and gravel filter sediment and dirt out of the water. A perforated hollow pipe may also be placed along the bottom of the trench to collect and channel the water away from the basement. The coarsest grains of rock and gravel is situated in the center of the trench, while the finer grains line the outer layer. Arranging the gravel and rock in this way prevents the drain from clogging.

There are two different types of French basement drain systems: an interior French drain and an exterior French drain. The primary difference between the two types is where they are placed; however, both are relatively similar in terms of function, and both are highly effective.

What is an interior French drain?

An interior French drain is installed within the basement along the perimeter of the interior walls of the foundation. In existing basements, concrete is removed down to the footing of the house, a layer of stone is laid, and a perforated pipe is placed along the top of the stone. Any water on the floor joint of the basement wall will be collected in the drain, and a pump will remove the water that has been collected out of the house.

Benefits of an interior French drain

Interior French drain systems offer specific benefits over the exterior French drain. These benefits include the following:

What is an exterior French drain?

Exterior French drains are similar to interior French drains; however, as the name suggests, rather than being installed along the interior perimeter of the basement walls, it’s installed along the exterior perimeter of the foundation. This drainage system consists of a flexible, perforated drain pipe, which is buried in a trench along the bottom of the foundation footing of your Suffolk County foundation. Again, gravel and rocks are installed around the pipe, and landscaping fiber may also be installed, which will filter out the sediment and dirt from the water.

As water pools around the exterior walls of your home’s foundation, it will filter into the pipes of the exterior French drain system. A sump pump or gravity can be used to drain the water away from the trench. In order to use gravity, there must be a relatively steep incline in your property, otherwise, it will not drain efficiently. Exterior French basement drains are a popular choice for newly constructed homes in Suffolk County.

Interior French Drain System in Stony Brook, NY

Benefits of an exterior French drain

Some of the most notable benefits of an exterior French drain system include the following:

Which Stony Brook, NY French drain basement system should you choose?

As you can see from the information presented above, it’s easy to understand why the French drain basement system is popular among Suffolk County homeowners. If you want to prevent your basement from being flooded out by rainwater, storm surges, pipe bursts, water heater drips, or any other cause, then installing a French drain basement system is an excellent choice. But which one should you choose: the exterior or the interior French drain? Honestly, it depends on several factors; whether you’re building your house or your house is already constructed, your budget, and how quickly you want to have the job completed, for example.

The crew at Foundation Crack Repair, a leading Stony Brook, NY French drain basement system installer can help you determine which option will best suit your unique needs. Our recommendations will be based on key factors, such as your property and how much you’re looking to spend, and once the decision has been made, we’ll schedule a start date, will get started working on installing your basement drain system, and will have the job completed as quickly as possible.

Contact Foundation Crack Repair for Your Stony Brook, NY French Drain Basement System Needs

To learn more about the differences between and benefits of an exterior and interior French drain, and to find out which system will best protect your Suffolk County property from moisture damage, get in touch with us today! Call 631-410-3388 or submit an online contact form through our website and we’ll set up a complimentary consultation at your earliest convenience.


Some information about Stony Brook, NY

Stony Brook is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. Begun in the colonial era as an agricultural enclave, the hamlet experienced growth first as a resort town and then to its current state as one of Long Island’s major tourist towns and centers of education. Despite being referred to as a village by residents and tourists alike, Stony Brook has never been legally incorporated by the state. The population was 13,740 at the 2010 census.

Stony Brook was first settled in the late 17th century. It was originally known by the native name Wopowog and then as Stoney Brook, with both names likely referring to the interconnected bodies of water at the hamlet’s western edge. It began as a satellite community of adjacent Setauket, New York, the Town of Brookhaven’s first settlement, and its land was included in the initial 1655 purchase from the native Setalcott tribe.

The Three Village Inn, housed in the c.1751 Richard Hallock home

A gristmill was built in 1699 on the water body now known as the Mill Pond. The current structure, which replaced the original in 1751, ground grain into the 1940s and has since been repurposed for public tours. For religious services and education, the hamlet’s original residents had to attend institutions in the neighboring communities of Setauket and St. James. In the latter half of the 18th century, activity began to shift from the mill area north toward the harbor as new residences, a number of which still stand, were constructed.

Stony Brook was a remote area through the 18th century aside for a modest amount of commerce near the mill at the intersection of Main Street and Harbor Road. The community’s development was stalled by its poorly accessible harbor relative to nearby Setauket and Port Jefferson. In the 1840s, local painter William Sidney Mount led a call for the harbor’s dredging. This was completed twice, but after the harbor filled in both times the effort was abandoned. Lacking the resources of its neighboring harbor settlements, Stony Brook based its economy on agriculture and the cordwood industry.

Learn more about Stony Brook.

Map of Stony Brook, NY


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