# Drainage Pro — full content

# Buy the house. Not the drainage bill.

https://drainagepro.ca/services/pre-purchase-drainage-inspection

The most expensive thing wrong with a house is usually buried, and your home inspector can't see it — a home inspection is visual only. We put a camera in the drains before you remove subjects, and you get the footage and a written report. Walk away, renegotiate, or buy knowing what's under it. Either way, you decide with the facts instead of after the first November.

## Houses worth a closer look

- **Damp, staining or white deposits on a basement wall.** Or a moisture note in the home inspector's report. Water is already reaching the wall; the question is why.
- **Downspouts redirected above ground.** When downspouts have been disconnected from the underground line and sent across the yard, the line below is often blocked or broken.
- **A house built before 1970.** It's likely still on its original clay or concrete drainage, which may be at or past the end of its service life.
- **A finished or tenanted basement.** A drainage failure damages walls and flooring before it shows. A water event means a lengthy repair with a restoration company, a costly rebuild, and interrupted rental income.
- **A past water event or insurance claim.** Check the Property Disclosure Statement. If water got in once, find out whether the cause was fixed.
- **An estate sale, or a seller with no drainage history.** No records means no one knows the system's condition, including the seller.

If even one of these applies, [book the drainage inspection](/book-inspection#pre-purchase) before you commit to the purchase.

## The cost of finding out after you own it

On an older home the drainage is the single most expensive thing a home inspection can't see. A drainage inspection doesn't change what's in the ground. It tells you what's there before the cost is yours.

- **Drainage inspection.** Under $1,000. This is the inspection.
- **Sectional replacement, one side.** From around $20,000.
- **Full perimeter replacement.** Can reach six figures.
- **Full replacement plus restoration.** Well into six figures.

Indicative only. Every house is different. Insurance may cover the water damage; the drainage repair that caused it is usually on the owner.

### With the report in hand, you have three options before subject removal.

- **Walk away.** The footage shows a system at the end of its life and you'd rather not take it on.
- **Renegotiate.** A written record of what the camera found, to put in front of the seller.
- **Buy with the repair budgeted.** Go ahead knowing what's coming and roughly when, instead of finding out in November.

Without the inspection there's one option: buy and find out later. [Book the drainage inspection](/book-inspection#pre-purchase) for under $1,000, a fraction of a percent of the worst case.

## What a home inspection can't see

[Consumer Protection BC](https://www.consumerprotectionbc.ca/consumer-help/consumer-information-home-inspection/) describes a BC home inspection as visual only, and says the inspector should not give repair estimates. The perimeter drain is buried beside the footing, out of sight. That's not a fault in the inspector's work; a visual inspection is the job. A pre-purchase drainage inspection answers the question it leaves open.

| Issue | Home inspection | Drainage inspection |
|---|---|---|
| What it looks at | What can be seen and checked at the surface | The buried drains on camera, and the grading around the house |
| Damp or white mineral deposits on a basement wall | Noted, and flagged for expert advice where the inspector thinks it's needed | Whether the drain and grading outside that wall carry water away |
| The perimeter drain | Buried, so a visual inspection can't see inside it | Recorded camera footage showing cracks, roots, sags and collapses |
| Repair estimates | Inspectors should not give them | Written repair budget guidance based on what we found |

Book both before you commit to the purchase. They answer different questions, and a drainage inspection is not a substitute for a home inspection.

## What the inspection covers

At Drainage Pro, we diagnose before we excavate. We start at the surface: how the ground is graded around the house, and where every downspout sends its water. Then we run an HD camera through the accessible drain lines and record it. You get the footage, photos and a written summary, so you can see the condition of the pipe for yourself. Our guide explains [what a perimeter drain is and how it works](/resources/what-is-a-perimeter-drain).

We don't dig or repair anything during the inspection, so the findings stand on their own.

- **Grading & surface water.** Which way the ground slopes around the house, and where water collects against the foundation.
- **Downspouts.** Where each one discharges, and whether it's connected, disconnected or broken below grade.
- **Perimeter drains.** An HD [camera inspection](/services/camera-pipe-inspections) of the pipe beside the footing, showing its apparent material and age, roots, sags, breaks and collapses.
- **Sewer line.** A camera run from any accessible cleanout or access point.
- **Storm lines & catch basins.** Checked for sediment, blockages, and where they actually connect.
- **Foundation walls.** Signs of water pressure at the exterior wall, such as efflorescence, damp patches, cracks and failing parge coat.

## What a pre-purchase inspection can find

What the camera can show a buyer:

1. **Original pipe at the end of its service life.** Clay or concrete tile, or early plastic, laid when the house was built. Clay is brittle and can crack or shift at its joints. Concrete tile can soften and crumble. Soft corrugated plastic can deform and silt up. On camera: the pipe material, and cracked, displaced or crumbling joints. What it means: this usually points to replacement. See [clay, concrete, Big-O and PVC compared](/resources/clay-big-o-pvc-drain-tile-compared).
2. **Silt or roots in pipe that's still sound.** Fine sediment or roots reduce the pipe's capacity, but the wall is intact. On camera: a layer of silt along the pipe floor, or fine roots at a joint. What it means: often a flush rather than a replacement.
3. **A sag, an offset joint or a collapse.** Ground movement or settled bedding has changed the pipe's line or shape. On camera: standing water in a dip, a step at a joint, or the pipe narrowing or closed off. What it means: cleaning won't fix it. A sag or collapse generally means opening the ground. A single break or offset joint can sometimes be repaired in one spot.
4. **No access, or no known outlet.** There's nothing to enter the line from, or nobody can say where it discharges. That's not a pipe defect, but a buyer should price it in. What we do: where the camera can't get in, we locate the line from the surface instead, and the report states which runs we couldn't reach.

In older homes, most inspections find at least one of the above. If the drainage is sound, the report says so.

## Why older North Shore and Vancouver homes need a closer look

Many older homes in North Vancouver, West Vancouver and Vancouver's established neighbourhoods still run on original clay tile or early plastic drainage. Pipe of that age can crack, shift or silt up without any sign inside the house.

The current BC Building Code requires the bottom of every exterior foundation wall to be drained, unless that can be shown to be unnecessary, by tile or pipe around the outside of the foundation or by a layer of gravel or crushed rock ([BC Building Code 2024, Article 9.14.2.1](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/construction-industry/building-codes-and-standards/revisions-and-mo/bcbc_2024_web_version_revision2.pdf)). A working drain relieves the pressure of groundwater on the wall. When it fails, water builds up against the foundation.

The City of North Vancouver reviews a new perimeter drain on site, while the system is still visible for inspection. Its [perimeter drainage inspection guide](https://www.cnv.org/-/media/City-of-North-Vancouver/Documents/Building-Inspection-Guides/PSP-Residential-SFD-Duplex-Perimeter-Drainage-Inspection-Guide.ashx) names bedding, pipe slope, pipe size, depth and high point cleanouts among the typical items reviewed. A buyer comes along once the trench is backfilled, and only a camera can look inside the pipe.

Water is also seasonal. At the Environment Canada station N Vancouver 2nd Narrows, the 1981–2010 [climate normals](https://api.weather.gc.ca/collections/climate-normals/items?CLIMATE_IDENTIFIER=1105666&NORMAL_ID=56&f=json) for total precipitation are 293.36 mm in November and 53.20 mm in July. A viewing in a dry month shows the lot with the ground at its driest.

---

# Stop guessing at a pipe you cannot see.

https://drainagepro.ca/services/camera-pipe-inspections

Before anyone on the North Shore or in Vancouver quotes you a dig, see the pipe. We run a camera through your perimeter drain, sewer or storm line, mark every fault at the surface, and hand you the footage and a written summary with what it needs — whether or not we do the work. Any digging goes only where the camera says.

## When to put a camera in the line

Guessing at a drain is expensive. A camera inspection shows what the pipe is made of, what condition it's in, and whether it needs cleaning, repair or replacement. Here's when it's worth putting one in.

- **Slow or gurgling drains.** Or backups that come back after the drain is cleared.
- **Water in the basement.** Water after heavy rain, damp foundation walls, a musty smell that won't clear, or a sump pump, if you have one, running more than it used to.
- **Buying a home.** Our [pre-purchase drainage inspection](/services/pre-purchase-drainage-inspection) fits the camera work in before subject removal.
- **An insurance claim.** We find what section of the drainage failed and why, document it on video, and help you through the claim.
- **Renovating a basement.** Check the drains before the drywall goes up.
- **Know before it costs you.** Find a failing drain while it's a planned repair, not a flooded basement.

## What a camera finds, and what each one means

Before you decide anything about a drain, you need to know what the pipe is made of and what condition it is in. A drain camera inspection shows both on video. In older homes, perimeter drains are often clay or cement tile, and both wear out in predictable ways. Some problems can be cleared. Others need a repair. And when an old system has several problems along its length, it needs replacing.

1. **Silt and sediment.** Fine soil works in through joints and perforations and settles along the bottom of the pipe, so the pipe carries less water even though it isn't damaged. On camera: a layer of silt along the bottom. What you'll notice: gurgling drains, and water slow to drain away after rain. In plastic pipe with cleanouts, this is usually cleared with a flush. Flushing clay or cement tile is not recommended, because it can do more harm than good.
2. **Roots at a joint.** Fine roots find a joint, thicken, and catch whatever moves past. On camera: roots hanging into the pipe. What you'll notice: a cedar or laurel hedge close to the wall. In plastic pipe, roots caught early can often be cleared with a cut and a flush. Flushing clay or cement tile is not recommended. Left alone, roots can crack or displace the pipe.
3. **A sag or a separated joint.** Over time, ground settlement can cause sections within the piping to drop and create low points, or pull sections apart at the joints. A low point holds water and silts up again no matter how often it is cleared. A separated joint lets soil into the pipe. On camera: standing water in one section, or a step or gap where two sections meet. What you'll notice: the same run keeps blocking after it's cleared, silt keeps coming back in one area, or the lawn along one wall dips. Both mean digging, so the pipe can be re-bedded, reconnected and properly supported. With the grade restored, water flows through instead of sitting in the pipe.
4. **Collapse.** Over time, clay and cement tile can become brittle and crack, with small sections breaking off. When this happens, the pipe loses its structural integrity and can cave in. Soft corrugated plastic can flatten under the weight of the soil. On camera: the view ends where the pipe closes. What you'll notice: water at the foundation on one side, storm after storm. Water can't get past, so it backs up against the foundation. No amount of flushing rebuilds a crushed pipe.
5. **End of life.** Most older systems don't have just one of these problems. They have several along the same run. At that point, fixing one spot at a time costs more than it solves. We replace the system with a two-pipe drain, and we restore and protect the foundation wall while it's exposed, because the wall matters as much as the drain.

## How the visit runs

At Drainage Pro, the camera comes first: we diagnose before we excavate. A visit goes like this.

1. **Find the way in.** We access the underground drainage system through whatever is available: gutter downspout connections, cleanouts, a catch basin, or all three.
2. **Run the camera.** We feed it through the drain while it records, noting the pipe material, bends, where the drain terminates, and anything else we find. You're welcome to watch the monitor with us.
3. **Note the problems.** In most cases a locator on the camera head lets us mark each problem area at the surface, so a repair can be priced and staged without exploratory digging.
4. **Review the footage with you.** We go through the recording together and point out what we found: silt, roots, sags, separated joints, and where the pipe changes material and why.
5. **Write it up.** You get the video, a written summary of our findings, and costed recommendations to flush, repair or replace.

## Evidence you own, and can act on

The footage and findings are yours to keep, whether or not we do the repair.

- **Recorded footage.** Every run we put the camera through.
- **Fault locations.** Marked at the surface, so nobody has to dig to find them.
- **Flagged defects, joints and material transitions.** The footage shows where one pipe material meets another.
- **Repair recommendations.** Sized to what is wrong, not to a worst case.
- **Stills, distances and a site plan.** The written findings include stills of each fault with its distance and depth, a site plan of faults, cleanouts and the outlet, and a list of the runs we could not reach.

If the findings point to a repair, the same footage feeds the scope: [perimeter drainage repair](/services/perimeter-drainage) for the foundation drain, [sewer line repair](/services/sewer-lines) for the sewer lateral, and [drain cleaning and hydro jetting](/services/drain-cleaning-hydro-jetting) for silt or roots in sound pipe.

## Why North Shore rain makes the camera matter

Precipitation climbs through the autumn and peaks in November, and July and August are the driest months. That is the pattern in Environment and Climate Change Canada's 1981–2010 normals at both [Vancouver International Airport](https://api.weather.gc.ca/collections/climate-normals/items?CLIMATE_IDENTIFIER=1108447&NORMAL_ID=56&f=html) and [the Sonora Dr station on the District of North Vancouver's slope](https://api.weather.gc.ca/collections/climate-normals/items?CLIMATE_IDENTIFIER=110N6FF&NORMAL_ID=56&f=html), 183 m above sea level. The slope station averages about 2,356 mm a year, snow included as water, against about 1,189 mm at the airport.

A working perimeter drain relieves hydrostatic pressure at the foundation.

## What the building code and the City expect

[Article 9.14.2.1 of the BC Building Code](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/construction-industry/building-codes-and-standards/revisions-and-mo/bcbc_2024_web_version_revision2.pdf) calls for the bottom of an exterior foundation wall to be drained, by tile or pipe around the outside or by a layer of gravel or crushed rock, unless that can be shown to be unnecessary. Article 9.14.5.1 says foundation drains must discharge to a sewer, drainage ditch or dry well. The camera shows whether yours is still doing that job.

The City of North Vancouver reviews new perimeter drains on site. Its [inspection guide](https://www.cnv.org/-/media/City-of-North-Vancouver/Documents/Building-Inspection-Guides/PSP-Residential-SFD-Duplex-Perimeter-Drainage-Inspection-Guide.ashx) lists bedding, pipe slope, depth and cleanouts, including high point cleanouts, among the items typically reviewed, and says the system is to be visible for inspection. After backfill, a camera is how anyone sees inside it again. Older houses can still have original clay tile, which is brittle (our guide to [clay, Big-O and PVC drain tile](/resources/clay-big-o-pvc-drain-tile-compared) shows how each looks on camera), and some have no cleanout at all.

---

# Find the path before anyone digs.

https://drainagepro.ca/services/basement-leak-detection

Water shows up at the lowest point it can reach, rarely where it got in. So we don't start with the wet spot — we check the grade, the window wells, the foundation, the perimeter drain and the plumbing until we've found the actual way in. You get written findings with photos and video, and a straight answer: what it is, what fixes it, and whether it's something your insurer needs to hear about.

## Signs worth a look

Any of these is worth a look before anyone touches a wall:

- A wet floor or wall, damp or cold foundation walls, or standing water
- Efflorescence, the white mineral deposit on concrete, which shows water has moved through but not which way
- Peeling paint, bubbling drywall, mould or a musty smell that will not clear
- Water that shows up after heavy rain
- Visible foundation cracks, even with no water near them yet
- A sump pump that runs more than it used to
- Humidity that stays above 50% between rains, even with a dehumidifier running. A basic hygrometer will show it
- A crawl space or storage room that never dries between rains

Not sure the signs point to drainage at all? Our guide on [signs your perimeter drains are failing](/resources/signs-your-perimeter-drains-are-failing) covers the pattern.

## Where water gets in

Water shows up at the lowest point it can reach, which is rarely where it entered. A stain at the foot of a basement wall can start in the yard, at a window well, at the drain beside the footing, in the wall or in a pipe inside the house. Each calls for a different repair, so we trace the path first. Four routes from outside:

1. **Surface water at the wall.** The ground has settled back toward the house, a downspout empties at the base of the wall, or a patio sheds into the gap beside the foundation. The drain below may be sound and simply overloaded. We look for ground that falls toward the wall and a downspout that ends beside it. The tell: water within minutes of heavy rain that dries out quickly.
2. **A window well with nowhere to drain.** The well drain was never connected, or it joins a perimeter drain that has since failed, so the well fills and water finds the window frame. A wet gravel floor or a drain that does not take water shows it. The tell: water at one window only, and gravel that stays wet long after the rain stops.
3. **A failed perimeter drain.** The pipe beside the footing is silted up, root-filled or collapsed, so groundwater builds up against the foundation and works through the wall. The camera shows silt, roots or a section that has closed off. The tell: water that arrives after sustained rain rather than at once, and is worst on one side of the house. Fixing it is [perimeter drainage repair](/services/perimeter-drainage).
4. **Groundwater pressure at the wall.** When groundwater rises above the underside of the slab, it can push up through the seam where the floor meets the wall. Seepage along the floor edge with no staining higher up points to the seam. Walls and floors under groundwater pressure come under Articles 9.13.1.1 and 9.16.3.2 of the [BC Building Code 2024](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/construction-industry/building-codes-and-standards/revisions-and-mo/bcbc_2024_web_version_revision2.pdf). A crack lets water straight through the concrete. A damp line along a visible crack points to the crack, which is [foundation crack repair](/services/foundation-crack-repair).

If water is coming in now, call or text (604) 210-3892.

## The order we rule causes out

A leak that appears every November after the first hard rain points somewhere different than one that shows up whatever the weather. At Drainage Pro we diagnose before we excavate, so the visit starts with your history and follows the water.

1. We talk through the symptoms, the timing and the history of the problem with you.
2. We walk the outside and check the grading and the drainage around the house.
3. We run a camera through the accessible drain lines. How that works is on our [drain camera inspection](/services/camera-pipe-inspections) page.
4. We check the inside for moisture and cracks.
5. You get written findings with photos and video, a clear recommendation and practical options. On average, a comprehensive visit takes between 1.5 and 2 hours.

## Insurance and a wet basement

Whether a wet basement is covered usually comes down to one question: what caused it. Water that worked in slowly through the ground over many rains is treated very differently from a pipe that let go on a Tuesday. The adjuster needs the cause before anything else moves, and so do you.

That is the part we do. Insurers and restoration companies across Metro Vancouver call us to determine causation: we trace the water, camera the drain lines, and write up what failed and why, with photos and video. The report is written to be read by an adjuster, not just by you.

We also help you through the claim. Most drainage and foundation water damage is not covered, and we'll tell you early if yours is likely to fall on that side of the line. If it is covered, we'll tell you what the adjuster will ask for and what to send. If part of it is covered and part isn't, we'll explain where the line sits so there are no surprises later.

If the answer is a drainage or foundation repair, we do that too. Same company, same photo record, start to finish.

If a claim is already open, bring us in before the first repair quote and before anything is torn out — once the evidence is gone, the cause is a guess. The Insurance Bureau of Canada's [guidance on flood and water damage](https://www.ibc.ca/stay-protected/protect-your-property/flood-and-water) covers the general rules; we cover your house. Call or text (604) 210-3892 and tell us the claim is open.

## When it turns out not to be drainage

It could be a crack in the foundation wall, a broken irrigation line or a split in the water service between the street and the house. All three look exactly like a drainage leak from inside, and the last two put water into the ground beside the foundation every day, rain or shine. The tell is a wet spot that doesn't track the weather — a leak that is just as bad in August as in November is usually one of these. A service line leak can also show up as a wet patch of lawn that never dries, a soft spot in the driveway, or a water meter that keeps turning with everything in the house shut off.

In municipalities with metered water, West Vancouver among them, a split service line costs three times over: the property damage, the repair, and a sizeable bill from the municipality for months of metered water dumped straight into the ground. It can run a long time before anyone connects the wet wall to the water bill.

If you have an issue, we have a solution. Whether it's drainage related, failed waterproofing on a foundation wall, unknown water ingress or a high water bill, we can help.

## When the water comes from inside the house

Not every wet basement starts outside. A supply line in a wall, a leaking hot water tank or a laundry drain can wet a floor, and condensation can form where warm air meets cold concrete in a closed-up summer. A sewer backup shows as water at the lowest drain rather than as damp walls, and that one is a [sewer line repair](/services/sewer-lines) question.

The tells are a wet area near plumbing rather than along the foundation, water that is warm, and a leak that is worst in July. Our inspections are led by a Red Seal plumber, so the plumbing gets checked in the same visit instead of by a second trade.

## Newer homes that leak early

A house under ten years old shouldn't have a wet basement. When it does, the drain usually isn't worn out — it was installed wrong, buried wrong, or left with the grading and downspouts working against it. We check what happened after the drain went in:

- Grading that has settled, or was never sloped away from the house
- Downspouts connected wrongly, or ending at the wall
- Window wells with no working drain
- Clay or native soil used as backfill instead of drain rock
- A drain pipe crushed or knocked out of alignment during backfill
- Damp proofing or waterproofing that was skipped or applied thin

If the house is still under its new-home warranty, contact the warranty provider first. BC Housing explains [home warranty insurance for new homes](https://www.bchousing.org/licensing-consumer-services/new-homes/home-warranty-insurance-new-homes). If the provider says it isn't a defect, our written findings and camera footage give you something to put in front of them.

## What happens after we find the cause

The repair follows the cause. It might be [perimeter drain replacement](/services/perimeter-drainage), [foundation waterproofing](/services/foundation-waterproofing), [foundation crack repair](/services/foundation-crack-repair), [sump pump replacement](/services/sump-pumps), or a combination. We arrange permits and inspections where required.

We work across [North Vancouver](/locations/north-vancouver), [West Vancouver](/locations/west-vancouver), [Vancouver](/locations/vancouver) and [Burnaby](/locations/burnaby). [Start with an inspection](/book-inspection) and we'll trace it.

---

# See your drainage before the depreciation report guesses at it

https://drainagepro.ca/services/strata-drainage-assessment

A whole-site camera assessment for strata councils and property managers: every reachable run rated by section, with the footage behind it, in a report council can vote on.

## The cost of guessing on drainage

A pipe at footing depth is out of sight. Unless someone has put a camera in it, its rating rests on age and visible symptoms. A unit reports water and it is treated as a one-off. If more follow, the reserve may already be committed elsewhere, and the next step is a special levy nobody budgeted for.

A strata drainage assessment replaces the guess with a condition rating for every run the camera can reach, backed by footage. Sometimes the news is good. Either way, council has evidence to budget from.

### Any one of these has a simple explanation. Two or more together means you are already guessing.

- A depreciation report coming up for renewal, with drainage carried on age alone
- A unit reporting water that is being treated as a one-off
- A damp parkade wall or a slow catch basin
- Nobody on council can say when the drainage was last put on camera, or whether it ever was
- A drainage quote heading to a special levy vote with no footage behind it
- Original drain tile under some wings and newer pipe under others, after additions or repairs

New to the topic? Start with [what a perimeter drain is and how it works](/resources/what-is-a-perimeter-drain).

## The whole site, not just the buildings

At Drainage Pro we diagnose before we excavate. For a strata site, that means the shared drainage of the whole property, including sewer piping, waterproofing condition at and below grade, and each system's age, material and remaining service life. Four ways it fails, and what each one shows:

1. **A failed section of a building's perimeter drain.** A run silts up, fills with roots, crushes or collapses, so water builds up against the foundation wall instead of leaving. On camera: a bore that is closed or broken partway along the run.
2. **Catch basins and storm lines full of silt.** A basin's sump sits below its outlet. Once the sump has filled, grit and leaves pass into the storm line. We check each catch basin's sump condition and silt depth. On camera: sediment along the bottom of the line. On the surface: ponding on the paving, or water at a parkade ramp after rain.
3. **Sump pumps and discharge lines that cannot keep up.** A pump past its working life, a stuck float or a failed check valve means the pit cannot keep up. We test sump pump switches and check valves. It shows as a pump that does not start, or one that short-cycles under test.
4. **Parkade and trench drains working harder than they were built for.** Resurfacing, additions and landscaping changes can send more water to drains sized for the original site. It shows as silt in the trench drain channel and slow drains at the foot of a ramp.

### What council gets back

- A condition rating for every run the camera can reach
- Footage and photographs behind every rating
- Catch basins and sump pumps tested, not assumed
- Repair priorities with budget ranges
- Estimated replacement timelines, run by run
- Findings presented at your council meeting or AGM on request

Runs we cannot enter are listed as unverified, not rated as sound.

## Who the report is written for

### Strata councils

Ratings by section, the footage behind them, and a plain list of what was not verified. Evidence to put in front of owners.

### Property managers

One assessment for the whole site, one coordinated attendance, resident notices through you.

### Depreciation report authors

Condition data per run, each rating tied to footage or an on-site observation. Raw footage on request.

Every BC strata with five or more lots must [obtain a depreciation report on a five-year cycle](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/strata-housing/operating-a-strata/repairs-and-maintenance/depreciation-reports/depreciation-report-requirements), and council can no longer vote to defer it. Only the professions the province lists may prepare it, and the author's evaluation rests on what can be seen on site.

Buried drainage is the one component the author cannot see. We put a camera in it and supply what the report needs: footage, a condition rating for each run, and an estimated replacement timeline. We are not the report's author and do not prepare it; we coordinate directly with whoever does, whether that is your depreciation report provider, engineer or building envelope consultant.

## Phasing the work against the budget

Runs are rated so the most urgent work goes first and the rest can be planned. That lets council carry drainage as a planned component instead of a surprise. Owners asked to approve spending should see the evidence, not a summary of it.

- **Replace now.** Closed or collapsed runs, and any run with water against the wall. Usually one side of a building first.
- **Plan for.** Runs of the same era as the failed ones, still passing water. Budget them for the next cycle.
- **Monitor.** Runs that are sound on camera. Re-inspect at the next depreciation report.

If a run can wait, we'll tell you. If it can't, we'll tell you that too. And when the whole site is the same age, we'll say plainly that phasing means paying to open the same ground twice — before council votes, not after.

## What moves the scope

- How many buildings, and how much perimeter, storm and parkade drainage the site has
- How many lines already have accessible cleanouts, and how many need locating from the surface
- Whether waterproofing condition and sump systems are included alongside the drain lines
- Building age, complaint history and any surviving drawings
- Access and parking on site

## What happens when you call

1. **Scoping call.** We talk with council or the property manager about the buildings' history, known problem areas and your reporting deadline. Scope and price come back in writing before anyone attends.
2. **Site walk and camera work.** One coordinated attendance. We run an [HD drain camera](/services/camera-pipe-inspections) through every accessible line, photographing and filming as we go. Resident notices go through your property manager.
3. **The report, and the meeting.** Ratings by section, footage, priorities and budget ranges. On request we present it at your council meeting or AGM.

After the report, council can scope a repair from the same findings, in [perimeter drainage](/services/perimeter-drainage), [sump pump](/services/sump-pumps) or [sewer line](/services/sewer-lines) work. [Catch basin cleaning](/services/catch-basin-cleaning) is also available on its own.

---

# Stay ahead of your drainage. It's the only thing keeping you dry.

https://drainagepro.ca/services/perimeter-drainage

Most perimeter drainage systems fail because of complications with age. By the sixty-year mark a system has taken decades of ground movement, soil shift, sediment and root intrusion, and is no longer moving water the way it was built to. Water finds its way in — sometimes slowly, sometimes all at once. We camera the system first, show you the footage, and replace what's failed to a standard we back for up to ten years.

## Signs the drainage is already failing

These are the symptoms that something is wrong underground. One on its own may have another explanation; several together, on an older house, usually mean the perimeter drain is failing.

- Chalky white residue (efflorescence) or damp shadows on the inside of the basement wall.
- A musty smell that arrives with the first heavy rain and fades in summer.
- A floor drain that backs up in heavy rain.
- Water pooling against the foundation instead of moving away from it.
- A downspout that gurgles, backs up or overflows at its base in a storm.
- Settling soil, or a dip in the lawn that follows one side of the house.
- A sump pump that cycles far more often than it used to.
- Cleanouts holding standing water between storms.

If water is getting in and the cause is unknown, start with [basement leak detection](/services/basement-leak-detection). The guide to [signs of failing perimeter drains](/resources/signs-your-perimeter-drains-are-failing) covers each one in depth.

## Four ways a perimeter drain stops working

Different failures can produce the same symptoms. The camera tells them apart, which is why we diagnose before we excavate.

1. **Collapsed or separated pipe.** Clay tile is brittle: soil movement can crack a section or pull a joint open, and the line drops out of alignment. Corrugated Big-O pipe deforms or crushes under soil load instead. On camera, the bore narrows or steps sideways and the camera head will not pass.
2. **Root intrusion.** Roots follow moisture into open joints and perforations, then grow inside and catch silt. Cutting them out restores the bore but leaves the opening. On camera, a fine mat of roots fills the pipe, thickest at a joint.
3. **Silt and bellies.** Where the filter fabric has failed or was never installed, fine soil washes into the rock and the pipe. A section that has settled into a low spot, a belly, holds water and silt. On camera, there is standing water in a dry spell and silt along the bottom of the pipe.
4. **Catch basin and outflow line.** The runs end at a catch basin on your property, or on older homes go straight to the storm connection or sump. A buried catch basin, one filled with debris, or a crushed or separated outflow line backs up every run at once. That can look like a failed system when the perimeter drainage itself is fine. On camera, the pipe runs clean to a basin full of mud or silt, or to standing water that never draws down.

Every situation is different, and a drain camera inspection as part of routine maintenance can catch any of these before they cause damage or become an insurance claim.

## Older homes with original drain tile

What's beside your footing depends on when the house was built. From 1907 until the late 1970s it was clay or concrete tile, manufactured locally in Haney, BC. Corrugated Big-O plastic pipe took over through the 1980s and into the 1990s, when rigid perforated PVC was introduced. PVC remains the piping of choice for proper perimeter drainage.

| Pipe | How it was built | How it fails |
|---|---|---|
| Clay or concrete tile | Short rigid sections with open joints | Brittle. Cracks and offsets as the soil moves; roots and silt get in at the joints |
| Corrugated Big-O | Black polyethylene with a ribbed wall | Soft. Deforms or crushes under soil load; silt settles in the ribs and is hard to clean out |
| Rigid perforated PVC | Smooth-walled pipe joined with fittings | Holds its shape and can be camera-inspected and flushed. How it was laid matters as much as the pipe |

We install two-pipe perimeter drainage systems in rigid perforated and solid pipe, never corrugated.

Every run of original drain tile went in at the same time, in the same material, so the runs that still work are as old as the one that failed, and original clay or concrete tile may be at or past the end of its service life. A spot repair there fixes today's failure and may only defer the next one. Where some runs are newer pipe, replacing one side can be the right answer, and the camera footage of those runs shows whether it is. Our [clay, Big-O and PVC drain tile comparison](/resources/clay-big-o-pvc-drain-tile-compared) shows how to tell them apart.

Most older homes run roof water and groundwater through the same pipe, so in a storm the downspouts load the line meant to keep the footing dry. A full perimeter drain replacement separates them: solid pipe carries the roof leaders, perforated pipe collects at the footing, and each takes its own water to the catch basin. That is the two-pipe system, and it is the standard we install.

The trench also exposes the foundation wall, and we treat the wall as part of the drainage job. It is power washed, cracked or spalled mortar is parged and restored, and the wall is damp-proofed, with a [foundation waterproofing](/services/foundation-waterproofing) membrane where the footage, the soil or the grade calls for it. The wall is open once; doing it then costs far less than opening it again.

## Drain tile and weeping tile repair

Perimeter drain, drain tile and weeping tile are names for the same thing: the perforated pipe at the footing that keeps groundwater off the foundation.

Most calls for drain tile repair come from one symptom in one place: a damp corner, a single downspout that backs up, a dip in the lawn along one wall. That pattern usually means one failed point, not a failed system, and it is the case the drain camera was built for. The camera goes in through existing access — a downspout connection, a cleanout or the catch basin — and records the distance to each defect from a known point. A locator marks that point on the surface, so the excavation is limited to the failed length rather than the whole wall. We do not open new access points to inspect; that is excavation, and it is quoted as such. The repair is photographed from open trench to backfill.

What the camera finds in the rest of the run decides whether a spot repair is the right call. Four repairs, below, explains how.

## Four repairs, and what triggers each

The camera shows what has failed today. The material and age of the other runs show how much life they have left. The scope is written against both.

- **Spot repair.** For one failed point in a run that is otherwise sound. We dig at the located defect, cut out the failed length, splice in new pipe and restore the rock and fabric around it.
- **One side.** For the first side to fail on a house where the rest of the perimeter is the same age. New pipe goes along that wall and ties into the existing runs at both corners, built so the next section can connect to it when its turn comes. The footage of the other runs shows how much time they have.
- **Full renewal.** For original pipe, or failures in several places. A new system goes around the footprint, with a new tie-in to the storm connection or a sump, the foundation wall restored and waterproofed, and the site restored once.
- **Hydro flush.** For newer pipe that is intact and still holds its fall, where silt is the only problem. Not for clay or concrete tile. A flush clears silt but cannot lift a belly back to grade, so a sag means digging. The run is flushed out through the cleanouts with no digging.

Workmanship warranty, in writing: 10 years on full renewals, 5 years on one-side replacements and 2 years on spot repairs. The exact terms are in your contract.

The scope is in writing before work starts. Access and reinstatement — lawn, driveway, deck, retaining wall, mature planting — are usually the biggest variable, and excavation and site restoration can be scoped as a separate phase. If not every run can be done at once, we tell you which one is closest to failing.

After the work, keep gutters and downspouts clear, keep the cleanouts accessible, and book a [drain camera inspection](/services/camera-pipe-inspections) when a symptom comes back.

## Permits, inspections and the outlet

Foundation drains go to the storm sewer or a sump, not the sanitary line, and the municipality owns the connection from the property line out. We arrange permits and inspections where required and confirm what applies at your address before work starts; requirements differ by municipality, and so do the rules for where the water may go.

Under [Article 9.14.5.1 of the BC Building Code 2024](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/construction-industry/building-codes-and-standards/revisions-and-mo/bcbc_2024_web_version_revision2.pdf), foundation drains discharge to a sewer, a drainage ditch or a dry well, and every municipality we work in keeps foundation and roof water out of its sanitary system. Burnaby's [Sewer Connection Bylaw](https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/4247CC.pdf), the District of North Vancouver's [Sewer Bylaw 6656](https://docs.dnv.org/documents/Bylaw%206656.pdf), West Vancouver's [Sewerage and Drainage Regulation Bylaw 5263](https://westvancouver.ca/sites/default/files/media/documents/5263%20SEWERAGE%20AND%20DRAINAGE%20REGULATION%20BYLAW%205263%202023%20%28CONSOLIDATED%20UP%20TO%20AMENDMENT%20BYLAW%205284%2C%202023%29.pdf) and the City of Vancouver's Sewer and Watercourse By-law 8093 all say so; in Vancouver, where many streets still have a combined main, the storm and sanitary lines are still kept separate on the property side. The District also limits what groundwater may enter its storm sewer and reserves the municipal side of a connection for its own crews. Whether a like-for-like repair engages those rules is for the municipality to say, so we confirm before we quote.

At the outlet, Burnaby's [foundation and surface drainage installation guide](https://www.burnaby.ca/sites/default/files/acquiadam/2021-08/Foundation-and-Surface-Drainage-Installation-Informational-Guide.pdf) shows roof water and foundation drainage as two separate pipe systems — the two-pipe layout we install. Where the footing sits too low to reach the storm connection by gravity, the drain runs to a sump instead, and our [sump pumps](/services/sump-pumps) page picks up from there.

## Why the wet season finds the weak runs

October to January are the four wettest months on the North Shore, and July to September the three driest. Environment and Climate Change Canada's 1981–2010 normals for the [Sonora Drive station in the District of North Vancouver](https://api.weather.gc.ca/collections/climate-normals/items?CLIMATE_IDENTIFIER=110N6FF&NORMAL_ID=56&f=html) and [Vancouver International Airport](https://api.weather.gc.ca/collections/climate-normals/items?CLIMATE_IDENTIFIER=1108447&NORMAL_ID=56&f=html) both show it, and Sonora, higher on the slope, records far more than the airport.

A run that is partly silted, sagging or overloaded, or draining to a buried or silted catch basin, can cope through a dry summer when little water reaches it. Then the fall rain settles in, groundwater rises around the footing, the system is back under pressure, and the weak run shows itself: damp patches come back, the sump starts cycling, a downspout overflows.

## Insurance and a worn-out drain

Before you count on a claim, it helps to know how insurers see an old drain. Most policies treat a worn-out drain as maintenance rather than a sudden event, and home insurance is written for sudden and accidental loss. The drainage repair itself is usually not covered. With some insurers, though, the access to reach the failure and the backfill afterward are, and knowing which parts of the job to document separately makes the difference.

What a claim turns on is causation: what failed, where, and whether the damage inside came from it. That is the question we get called in to answer. The camera footage, photos and written findings document the cause, and we help you navigate the claim — what to send, who to send it to, and what the adjuster will ask for. If the repair goes ahead, the same record follows the job from open trench to backfill.

---

# How the sewer line failed decides how it gets fixed.

https://drainagepro.ca/services/sewer-lines

Your sewer line is the private pipe from your house to the city connection, and when it fails there are only three honest fixes — clear it, replace a section, or replace the run. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. We camera the line first, show you the footage, and quote the one fix it actually needs.

## Signs your sewer line may be failing

A failing sewer line usually gives warning, and the warning is easy to blame on something else: a slow sink, a wet patch, a smell. Any one of these is reason to camera the line before it becomes a backup.

- Sewage backing up at the lowest drain in the house — a basement floor drain, shower or toilet.
- Several fixtures on different floors slow at the same time. One slow drain is a fixture problem. All of them is the line.
- Blockages that keep coming back to the same spot. Cleaning clears it; the defect that caught it is still there.
- A strip of lawn that's greener than the rest, along the line's run to the street. Leaking sewage is fertilizer.
- A dip or sinkhole in the yard over the line. Ground washing into a broken pipe.
- A sewage smell around a cleanout or in the yard.

### Buying an older house?

The sewer line is buried, so you cannot judge it by looking. A camera run before you remove subjects gives you something concrete to negotiate with. See our [pre-purchase drainage inspection](/services/pre-purchase-drainage-inspection).

## Four ways a sewer line fails

Whether your sewer line needs a spot repair or a full replacement depends on how it has failed. A camera inspection shows us what is happening underground — and what will actually fix it.

1. **Roots at a joint**\
   Roots enter through small gaps at pipe joints. They widen the opening, catch debris, and eventually obstruct the line.\
   **On camera:** Roots coming through a joint, with continuous pipe on either side.\
   **Fix:** [Drain cleaning](/services/drain-cleaning-hydro-jetting) clears the roots, but it cannot seal the opening. A spot repair replaces the failed joint section and closes the entry point.
2. **A belly that holds waste**\
   A settled section has lost its proper grade and no longer drains completely. Water and solids remain in the low spot, causing recurring blockages.\
   **On camera:** Standing water in a sagged section between otherwise sound pipe.\
   **Fix:** The affected section must be excavated and relaid at the correct grade. A liner follows the existing sag, so it cannot fix a belly.
3. **An offset or separated joint**\
   Ground movement can shift one pipe length out of line with the next, or pull the joint apart. Waste catches on the step, while roots and groundwater enter through the gap.\
   **On camera:** A visible step, gap, or separation at a joint.\
   **Fix:** An isolated joint can usually be spot-repaired. If several joints have moved, replacing the affected run is often the better long-term solution.
4. **Collapse or structural failure**\
   Clay pipe can crack or crush under load. Asbestos-cement pipe can crack, fracture, and lose its structural integrity over time.\
   **On camera:** The pipe is broken, severely restricted, or closed, and the camera cannot pass.\
   **Fix:** Replace the failed section. If damage is widespread, replace the full run.

## What your sewer line is likely made of

Your home's age is a useful clue, not a guarantee. A camera inspection identifies the pipe material and its condition.

| Era | Typical material | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Before 1950 | Clay, some cast iron | Clay comes in short lengths with a joint every metre or so; roots and offsets happen at the joints. Cast iron rusts and scales from the inside. |
| 1950s–1960s | Asbestos cement, clay | Brittle. It cracks under load and the inside wears away over time; sections crumble rather than bend. Removal is handled as an asbestos-containing material. |
| 1970s | Mixed: clay, early ABS | Depends on the builder. The camera settles it. |
| 1980s on | ABS | Smooth-walled with glued joints, so roots have few ways in. Failures are usually a crack or a crushed section from load. Under a driveway or other heavy load the line should be CSA-rated ABS DWV, not thin-wall sewer pipe. |

## One camera run, then one of three outcomes

- **Clear it.** Roots or a blockage in pipe that is otherwise in good shape. We clear the line with an auger and run the camera again to confirm it's open. If the roots came in through a broken joint they will grow back, and the video tells you how long you have before the next step.
- **Replace the bad section.** One stretch of the line has failed — a root-broken joint, a joint that's shifted, a sag, a crushed length — and the rest is sound. We dig down over that section, replace it with new pipe sloped properly toward the street, and connect it to the good pipe at each end.
- **Replace the whole line.** The pipe has failed in several places. New sewer line from the house to the property line, with an access point at the surface so it can be cleaned or inspected at a later date.

We camera the full line before we quote and mark where each problem is and how deep. You keep the video and written findings whether or not we do the repair, and photos of the open trench and new pipe if we do.

## Why two quotes for the same problem can differ

- **Depth.** The variable people underestimate. A lateral at 2 m is a different job from one at 1 m: shoring, more digging, more time.
- **How much of the run failed.** One bad joint is a spot repair. Several, or a belly, means more of the run comes out.
- **What's on top of it.** Lawn is easy. Driveway, patio, deck or a mature tree over the line is not.
- **Which side of the property line.** Past it is usually the municipality's pipe, not a private repair.
- **Permits and inspections.** Each municipality has its own. We arrange them where required.
- **Putting the ground back.** Lawn, concrete and pavers are quoted as their own phase so you can see that cost on its own.

Scope and price in writing before work starts, including what happens if we find more than the camera showed.

## Which part of the sewer line is yours

The sewer line from your house to the property line is yours. From the property line to the main is the municipality's, and only their crews or contractors work on it. Most homeowners find this out when the line fails and the city says the problem is on their side.

Every municipality we work in sets it the same way, with small differences in where the handover point sits: District of North Vancouver ([Sewer Bylaw 6656](https://docs.dnv.org/documents/Bylaw%206656.pdf)), City of North Vancouver ([Bylaw 6746](https://www.cnv.org/-/media/city-of-north-vancouver/documents/bylaws/consolidated/6746-c.pdf)), West Vancouver ([Bylaw 5263](https://westvancouver.ca/sites/default/files/media/documents/5263%20SEWERAGE%20AND%20DRAINAGE%20REGULATION%20BYLAW%205263%202023%20%28CONSOLIDATED%20UP%20TO%20AMENDMENT%20BYLAW%205284%2C%202023%29.pdf) — the handover is at the inspection chamber if there is one), Burnaby ([Sewer Connection Bylaw 1961](https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/4247CC.pdf)) and Vancouver (see our [Vancouver drainage page](/locations/vancouver)).

We confirm where your line ends before we quote.

## What can and cannot go into the sewer line

Your sewer line is for sewage only. Gutter downspouts, the foundation drains around your house and the sump pump are supposed to run to the storm drain, not the sewer. On older homes they are sometimes connected to the sewer anyway — the municipality calls this a cross-connection — and they now have to be separated. A sewer line that only backs up during heavy rain is often carrying rainwater it was never meant to.

When the camera finds a downspout or foundation drain tied into the sewer, we'll show you and quote the separation. See [perimeter drainage repair](/services/perimeter-drainage) and [sump pump installation and repair](/services/sump-pumps) for the systems that carry rainwater where it should go.

One camera run tells you what failed, where, and how deep. You keep the video either way.

---

# Sometimes a drain just needs clearing. The camera tells us when it doesn't.

https://drainagepro.ca/services/drain-cleaning-hydro-jetting

A sewer line gets drain cleaning: an auger for roots, paper or something that shouldn't be down there. A perimeter drain gets hydro jetting: high-pressure water that pushes out silt, leaves and sediment. The camera shows which your line needs, whether the pipe can take it, and when it's past cleaning and needs a repair. You get the footage and the answer, whether or not we do the work.

## Signs the line needs more than a plunger

A single slow sink is the fixture. Two or more of these at once, or the same one coming back, is the line — and what's blocking it decides the fix.

### Perimeter drain

- A perimeter drain carrying less water than it should after heavy rain
- Water backing up into a basement floor drain, or a damp line along the base of the wall
- A catch basin or downspout that overflows in a storm
- Mature trees near the line's run, or a house past sixty years with the original tile

### Sewer line

- More than one fixture draining slowly at the same time
- Gurgling from a floor drain or toilet when the washing machine empties
- A smell at a cleanout or floor drain that doesn't clear
- The same blockage coming back in the same place

## Four things we find in a blocked line

Each clears differently, and one doesn't clear at all. The camera tells us which before anyone quotes.

1. **Roots at an open joint.** <span class="line-tag">Sewer</span> An auger cuts them and restores flow for a season or three — often the right call. The gap that let them in is still there, so we tell you when it's time to fix the joint instead. On camera: a root mat at a joint.
2. **Paper, wipes or something that shouldn't be there.** <span class="line-tag">Sewer</span> Drain cleaning clears it. If it keeps coming back, something in the pipe is catching it. On camera: a lip at an offset joint, or a low spot where paper settles and builds.
3. **Silt, leaves and sediment.** <span class="line-tag line-tag-red">Perimeter drain</span> Hydro jetting pushes it out — on pipe that can take the pressure. On old clay or brittle cement tile we don't jet: the pressure can do more harm than the silt. On camera: sediment banked along the bottom of an otherwise sound pipe.
4. **A damaged section — belly, offset or collapse.** <span class="line-tag">Either</span> Not a cleaning job at any pressure. A belly needs re-grading, which means opening the ground. A break or offset is repaired where the camera found it. On camera: a joint that's shifted out of line, a section that's come apart, or a pipe that's crushed flat. [Sewer line repair](/services/sewer-lines) covers the private sewer pipe, and [perimeter drainage repair](/services/perimeter-drainage) covers the footing drain.

## What happens after the camera

Three honest outcomes. We tell you which one you're in and what it's warranted for.

| Outcome | When | Warranty |
|---|---|---|
| **Clear it**<br>auger or jet | Blockage in sound pipe | Service call. No term on cleaning — what's still in the pipe can block it again. |
| **Sectional replacement** | One failed joint, belly or break on a sound run | **5 years** on perimeter drainage<br>**2 years** on sewer |
| **Full replacement** | Clay, cement tile or Big-O past cleaning, or multiple defects | **Up to 10 years** on perimeter drainage<br>**2 years** on sewer |

*We don't line sewers or install trenchless systems. It isn't accurate and it doesn't hold on this pipe.*

> **Scope and price in writing before work starts.** You see the footage, you see the quote, you decide. If the honest answer is "clear it and check again in two years," that's the quote.

## Hydro jetting, for perimeter drains

We don't jet sewers — an auger is the right tool for what blocks them. Jetting is for perimeter drains: high-pressure water through a nozzle that scours the inside wall of the pipe and pushes silt, leaves and fine roots out of the run, where an auger only bores a hole through the middle. On sound pipe it's the best clean there is.

On old clay or brittle cement tile it's a risk — the pressure can do more harm than the silt. So the camera goes first, and if a flush won't fix what's wrong we tell you before we start, and show you on camera what will. See [perimeter drain repair](/services/perimeter-drainage).

## Why older perimeter drains block

Most homes we serve were built with clay or cement tile, or soft corrugated Big-O. Clay and cement joints open and let roots in; Big-O deforms and holds silt in its ribs. Once shifted, both are past cleaning, and neither should be flushed at pressure. See [our guide to clay, Big-O and PVC drain tile](/resources/clay-big-o-pvc-drain-tile-compared).

Sewer lines fail differently — roots at joints, a sag that holds water, or a partial collapse on aged pipe — and [sewer line repair](/services/sewer-lines) covers them.

> **October to April is when a partly blocked drain shows itself.** Get it looked at before the rain, not during the claim.

---

# A failing pump should be a service call, not an insurance claim.

https://drainagepro.ca/services/sump-pumps

A pump has one job and about ten years to do it. Past that, a single pump that still passes a load test is a flood waiting for the next storm, and a replacement is cheaper insurance than a claim. We load-test what you've got, tell you straight whether it has time left, and service or replace storm sumps and sewage ejectors before they get to decide for you.

## Which pump do you have?

- **Storm sump pump** Most are exterior installations, set in a concrete chamber, and serve the perimeter drainage system when the discharge sits too low to reach the storm connection by gravity. A single pump or a duplex pump system operates when it rains or when groundwater rises, moving clear water to the municipal storm system. [Jump to storm sump pumps](#storm-sump-pumps)
- **Sewage ejector or grinder pump** Most are interior installations, serving a lower-level washroom or kitchen that drains below the existing sewer line. The pump sits in a sealed, vented basin and runs when a fixture is used, moving waste into the sanitary line above. [Jump to sewage ejector pumps](#sewage-ejector-pumps)

**Not sure?** If it runs during rain, it is a storm sump. If it runs when you flush, it is a sewage ejector. Some houses have both. Have a question? Call or text [(604) 210-3892](tel:+16042103892).

## Signs your pump needs attention

A pump usually warns before it fails. Some signs are the same on any pump; a few point to one system or the other.

### Any pump

- Humming, grinding or rattling, but no water moving
- A breaker that trips when it starts
- Not starting when the level rises
- A clunk and an immediate restart after it shuts off
- A high-water alarm sounding
- Not checked in years, or age unknown

### Storm sump

- Running far more often than it used to, or cycling in dry weather
- Water standing high in the chamber between storms
- Water pooling around the chamber lid, or surfacing nearby after rain

### Sewage ejector

- Gurgling at the lowest fixture
- Slow drain or backing up at the washroom or kitchen it serves
- Odour at the basin lid, or running long after a flush

> **No alarm?** Every pump system should have a high-level alarm. A pump fails silently; the alarm is what turns a flood into a service call. Most insurers expect a pump system to have one, and some ask about it when a claim is filed.

## Four reasons a pump stops working

Replace the pump without checking the rest of the system and the same failure comes back. On any pump, storm or sewage, the fault is in one of four places.

1. **The pump.** Worn bearings, a seized motor, a failed capacitor — or an impeller jammed on grit in a storm chamber, or on something that should never have been flushed in an ejector. Age counts too: a pump typically lasts 8 to 12 years, and past that it is running on borrowed time.
2. **The check valve.** When it fails, every lift falls straight back into the chamber or basin. The pump re-pumps the same water and wears out early.
3. **The float or switch.** Hung up on the wall, the cord or the discharge pipe, so the pump never gets the signal to start, or never gets the signal to stop.
4. **The discharge.** A storm line that is blocked, frozen, broken or draining back toward the footing; an ejector line with a failed vent or a sealed lid that leaks. Either way the pump moves the same water twice, or cannot move it at all.

And one that is not a fault at all. An extended power outage stops a healthy pump as surely as a dead one, and outages come with the same storms that fill the chamber. That is what battery backup is for.

## Storm sump pumps

- **If it's working harder every year, look upstream** A pump taking more water than it used to is often reporting a drainage problem upstream. When a chamber is filling faster than it should, we camera the [perimeter drain](/services/perimeter-drainage) as part of the diagnosis. A failing drain may need sectional repair; a bigger pump just moves the same problem faster, and a sump is not a substitute for a failed perimeter drain. Roof water should reach the storm connection by gravity on its own run — every litre kept out of the chamber is a litre the pump never has to lift.
- **Replace on age, not on failure** Past 8 to 12 years, a pump that still passes under load is not a pump to keep. On a single-pump system we schedule the replacement: a new pump is cheaper insurance than a claim that can mean lost rental income, a restoration and higher insurance premiums. On a duplex system, where the second pump is the insurance, an older pump that passes can stay a while longer.

**Permits and municipal rules.** Each municipality has its own rules on where pumped storm water can go and whether a permit or an engineer's letter is needed; Burnaby, for example, [requires a registered professional to design a pumped perimeter system](https://www.burnaby.ca/sites/default/files/acquiadam/2021-08/Foundation-and-Surface-Drainage-Installation-Informational-Guide.pdf). We confirm what applies at your address and arrange permits and inspections where required.

**Have a concern?** Text or call [(604) 210-3892](tel:+16042103892) — a two-minute conversation usually sorts it.

## Sewage ejector pumps

- **What's different about an ejector** An ejector lifts waste, not clear water, so its failures are its own. The basin must stay sealed and vented, or sewer gas gets into the room. The check valve matters more, because what falls back is sewage. And when it fails, the washroom, kitchen or laundry it serves is out of use until it is fixed. We check the pump, the valve, the float and the vent, and tell you what you'll likely need. The same 8-to-12-year rule applies — on a single pump past that age, we schedule the replacement.
- **What never goes down the drain** Most ejector failures start in the toilet. Wipes of any kind, including "flushable" ones, floss, cotton, paper towel, grease and kitty litter wrap the impeller or bind the float. An ejector is not a garburator; a grinder pump chews more but still clogs on the same things. If a pump has jammed once, the fix is as much what goes down the drain as what we replace.

**Have a concern?** Text or call [(604) 210-3892](tel:+16042103892) — a two-minute conversation usually sorts it.

## What you'll likely need

Most calls end as one of the first two. Scope and price in writing before any work starts.

- **Service and keep the pump** The symptom comes and goes. The chamber or basin is cleaned out, the float, check valve and alarm are checked, and the pump is tested under load. If it passes, it stays.
- **Replace the pump** The pump has reached the end of its life and the rest of the system is sound. We size the new pump to the measured inflow and lift, and fit it to the existing chamber or basin.
- **New chamber or basin** There is no pump system, or the one there cannot be worked with. A new chamber or basin is set, interior or exterior, with pump, check valve and a discharge line — to the municipal storm system for a storm sump, to the sanitary line for an ejector.

**What moves the price:** a new chamber or basin against a swap into an existing one; one pump or a duplex; battery backup and an alarm; how far the discharge runs and the digging that takes; and whether the inflow — a failing perimeter drain, roof water — is the real problem. Engineering and permits where the municipality asks for them.

---

**[Built Better warranty](/built-better-warranty), in writing.** The term depends on the scope of the work, and the exact terms are in your contract.

## Backup power, alarms and a second line of defence

The [wettest months on the North Shore](https://api.weather.gc.ca/collections/climate-normals/items?CLIMATE_IDENTIFIER=110N6FF&NORMAL_ID=56&f=html) and [across Greater Vancouver](https://api.weather.gc.ca/collections/climate-normals/items?CLIMATE_IDENTIFIER=1108447&NORMAL_ID=56&f=html) are October through January, and those are the storms that take the power out. A pump on mains power alone stops at the moment it is needed most. Four things keep a pump system working, or at least tell you when it is not.

- **A high-level alarm** Every pump system should have one. It is a float set above the pump's switch; if the level reaches it, the pump has failed or cannot keep up, and the alarm sounds inside the house. Most insurers expect a pump system to have one. It is the cheapest item on this page and the one that turns a flood into a service call.
- **Backup power: battery or generator** A battery backup is an inverter and a deep-cycle battery beside the pump. When the mains drop, the pump keeps running for hours. It is the right answer for most houses: no fuel, nothing to remember. A standby generator is the better choice where outages run long or one is already there. We fit battery backup on any pump serving a finished lower level; on a sewage ejector, it also keeps the washroom usable through an outage.
- **A second pump: duplex redundancy** A duplex system is two pumps in the same chamber, usually set to alternate so both wear evenly. If one fails, the other carries on. If the inflow exceeds what one pump can move, both run together. It is standard on exterior storm chambers where a failure would mean water at the foundation, and worth having on any system where the pump runs daily.
- **Water sensors** For interior installations only. Where a pump fails and no high-level alarm or backup power is present, spill-over water triggers a notification to your phone while you are out or away, so you can act quickly: stop using the fixtures that trigger the pump, and get the problem rectified. A moisture sensor like Eve Water Guard lies on the floor beside the pump chamber. It does not stop the water, but it tells you about it. Time is money when water is spilling into your home.

---

# The ground is only open once. Don't close it on a bare wall.

https://drainagepro.ca/services/foundation-waterproofing

When we replace a perimeter drain, the foundation wall gets restored and waterproofed before the trench is closed. The excavation is the expensive part of the job, and it's already paid for. Waterproofing done now costs a fraction of waterproofing done later, because later means digging the same hole twice.

## One excavation. Both problems solved.

The hole is the expensive part of a drainage job. Once it's open, the wall is right there, bare, and cheaper to do properly than it will ever be again. Skip it and the next time that wall needs attention, you pay for the excavation twice.

- **The wall is done before the trench closes.** Cleaned, repaired and waterproofed from the footing to above grade, in the same job as the drain. One crew, one scope, one invoice.
- **No second dig.** Waterproofing on its own means re-excavating a wall you already paid to expose. Doing it now costs a fraction of doing it later.
- **Covered up to 10 years.** A full exterior system installed with a full perimeter drain replacement is covered under our [Built Better Warranty](/built-better-warranty). Terms are on that page.
- **Photos of what's now underground.** We photograph the wall at every stage. You get the set, so you know what's behind the backfill without ever digging again.
- **Permits and inspections handled.** Arranged where the municipality requires them, as part of the drainage scope.
- **Clear to finish the basement.** Once the surface is restored, you can landscape, pour a patio or finish the room on the other side of that wall.

## What's on your wall now

Most North Shore and Greater Vancouver foundations from the 1970s and 80s got a sprayed dampproofing coat. It was the cheaper application then, and it resists soil moisture, but it was never built to hold back water pushing against the wall, which is what a hillside lot or a failed drain delivers every fall.

Over the decades that coat breaks down. Once it has, water finds its way through stress cracks that were once covered with dampproofing and through the forming rod imperfections left in the concrete, both now less protected and prone to water ingress. [Today's code](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/construction-industry/building-codes-and-standards/revisions-and-mo/bcbc_2024_web_version_revision2.pdf) requires a waterproofing membrane where water pressure builds against the wall. When the trench is open, the first question is which of the two your wall has. The answer is almost always the old coat.

- **Dampproofing coat.** Sprayed on. Resists moisture. Fails under water pressure. What most older walls have.
- **Waterproofing membrane.** Bonded sheet or liquid, continuous footing to above grade. Holds back water. What the wall gets from us.

## What we do to the wall, and what we don't skip

A membrane rarely fails as a material. It fails at the preparation, the edges, the protection over it and the backfill against it. None of that can be seen once the trench is closed, which is why every step gets photographed.

1. **Power wash and inspect.** Old coatings and soil come off so we can see the concrete. A membrane only bonds to a clean, sound wall.
2. **Restore and parge.** Honeycombed concrete, voids, forming rod imperfections and cracks are repaired with structural mortar, and the wall is parged to a smooth, sound face before anything goes over it.
3. **Waterproof, footing to grade.** Continuous across every joint and corner. The two places water finds first are the footing and the top edge, so the membrane ends past both.
4. **Dimple board.** Backfill against a bare membrane tears it. The board protects it and gives water a clear path down to the new drain.
5. **Free-draining backfill.** Wet native soil put back against the wall holds water there. Washed rock goes in instead, and the grade is set to shed water away from the house.
6. **Yard reinstatement.** Backfill and rough grade are in the drainage contract. Lawn, concrete, pavers and planting are quoted separately as Phase 2, so you see that cost on its own.

## Worth doing on its own when

Most of our waterproofing goes on while a drain is being replaced. These are the three cases where the excavation is worth it for the wall alone.

- **Water is coming through the wall face.** Damp patches or white bloom across the wall after rain, not at one crack or along the floor joint.
- **You're finishing the room behind it.** Once the drywall is up, the outside is the only side left to fix. Do it before, not after.
- **An inspection flagged it.** A [pre-purchase drainage inspection](/services/pre-purchase-drainage-inspection) or home inspection that found moisture at the foundation.

## When the outside of the wall can't be reached

A shared property line, a deck or patio against the wall, or a row house with no side yard can rule out digging down to the footing. There is no direct replacement for exterior waterproofing, but circumstances sometimes call for a different approach. When that's the case and water is still getting in, [interior basement waterproofing](/services/basement-waterproofing) is a potential option. It seals the pores of the concrete from the inside, forming a barrier on the inside face of the wall instead of the outside.

---

# Don't seal a wet basement until you know why it's wet.

https://drainagepro.ca/services/basement-waterproofing

On an older North Shore or Vancouver home, a wet basement is usually the perimeter drain, not the wall, and some need no waterproofing at all. The first step is a written assessment: where the water gets in, when, and what will stop it. You keep it, whoever does the work.

## Where the water shows up tells you what's wrong

Match what you're seeing to one of these. Each has its own fix, and three of the four aren't interior waterproofing.

- **Up through the floor and wall joint.** Groundwater under pressure reaches the seam where the slab meets the wall. A wet line along the base of a wall, often worst after the rain has stopped.<br>**Usually means:** the perimeter drain has failed. Camera first.
- **Through a crack or a penetration.** Water follows one path through the wall: a crack, a form-tie hole or a pipe sleeve that was never sealed. Water at one point, dry wall either side.<br>**Usually means:** [foundation crack repair](/services/foundation-crack-repair).
- **Through the wall face itself.** Moisture moves through the concrete. Damp shadows and white mineral bloom on the wall, little or no water on the floor.<br>**Usually means:** the old dampproofing coat has broken down. Exterior waterproofing if the wall can be reached; sealing from inside if it can't.
- **Over the top.** Surface water that never went underground: a window well that doesn't drain, a downspout discharging at the wall, ground sloping back toward the house. Water arrives during the storm, not after.<br>**Usually means:** a surface fix, not waterproofing. We'll tell you.

## Most wet basements aren't a waterproofing job

Sealing the inside of a wall doesn't stop water building up outside it. When the perimeter drain has failed, groundwater sits against the foundation and builds hydraulic pressure, and that pressure pushes water through whatever is weakest: a crack, a cold joint, or an older basement slab that's thin and porous enough for water to come up through it. Sealing the inside face just moves the water to the next weak point. Homes built before the early 1990s often have clay or first-generation cement drain tile, so on an older house the drain is the first suspect. If it has failed, [perimeter drainage repair](/services/perimeter-drainage) comes before any interior work.

The same goes for a downspout dumping at the wall or a window well that holds water. Those get fixed first, and they are not a waterproofing scope. If that's all it is, we'll say so. Left alone, a basement that takes water every fall becomes a mould problem, and that costs more to fix than the drain did.

## Tell us these four things

Write them down the next time it rains and send them with the address. We'll reply with what it's most likely to be and what the next step would cost, before anyone comes out.

- **Timing.** Does the water arrive during the storm, or after the rain has stopped?
- **Spread.** One spot, one wall, or every wall?
- **Floor.** Is the floor wet away from the walls, or only along the edge?
- **Downspouts.** Where do they discharge, and does any of them back up in heavy rain?

[Text us what you're seeing](sms:+16042103892) at (604) 210-3892. Photos help.

> **The next step: a written assessment.** It's a paid service, and you keep the findings. A visit to establish where the water gets in and when, with the camera on the perimeter drain if the drain is in question. You get the findings in writing and the video if we ran one, and both are yours whoever does the work. If the fix is a downspout and a shovel, the assessment says so and that's the end of it.

## When sealing from inside is the right call

There is no direct replacement for [exterior foundation waterproofing](/services/foundation-waterproofing), but circumstances sometimes call for a different approach. A shared property line, a deck or patio against the wall, or a finished yard can rule out digging down to the footing. When that's the case and the drain is working, interior waterproofing is a potential option.

We use Xypex crystalline waterproofing. It seals the pores of the concrete itself, forming a barrier on the inside face of the wall. The surface is cleaned and acid etched first to open the pores of the concrete so it penetrates. It works as a complement to drainage that's doing its job outside, not as a substitute for it. Where the drain can't reach the storm connection by gravity, a [sump pump](/services/sump-pumps) lifts the water out.

---

# The direction of the crack is the diagnosis.

https://drainagepro.ca/services/foundation-crack-repair

Foundation crack repair in Vancouver and the North Shore seals a leaking crack in a poured concrete or block wall by low-pressure injection along its full depth. We classify the crack first, then choose polyurethane or epoxy. We refer horizontal, stair-step, bowing or still-opening cracks to a structural engineer before injecting them.

## Four kinds of crack, four different causes

Concrete shrinks slightly as it cures, so thin vertical cracks are common and often cosmetic. A crack that lets water in and a crack that signals movement can look alike in a dim basement. Direction, width and whether the crack is still moving tell them apart, and we classify the crack on all three before we choose a method.

1. **Shrinkage cracking.** The wall lost moisture as it cured. It is common, usually not structural, and a direct path for water. On the wall it runs vertical or close to it, hairline, often below a window or at a form tie.
2. **Settlement cracking.** One part of the footing has dropped relative to another. Particularly dry seasons, or fast-growing trees drawing water out of the soil, can shrink clay soil under a footing and cause settling. On the wall it runs diagonally from the corner of a window or door, wider at one end. Settlement may stop once the ground does, and a crack that is still opening follows the engineer rule below.
3. **Lateral load cracking.** Saturated soil pushes the wall inward. This kind tends to get worse rather than settle down. On the wall it runs horizontal, around mid-height, sometimes with an inward bow. It follows the engineer rule below.
4. **Cold joints and tie holes.** These are not cracks at all. A pour seam or a rusted form tie leaves a path through the wall that leaks like a crack. On the wall, a cold joint is a straight, clean horizontal seam and a tie hole is a neat round rust stain weeping at one spot. A seam is straight and even with no bow in the wall, unlike lateral cracking.

## Signs the crack is doing more than sitting there

A single hairline crack on a dry wall is not an emergency. If you see any of the signs below, [send us a photo of the crack](/contact) with a coin or a tape measure in the frame, and tell us whether it is wet.

- **Seepage.** Water at the crack during or after rain.
- **Damp or mineral bloom.** A damp shadow or white mineral deposit tracking down one line.
- **One wet spot.** Water arriving at a single point on the floor rather than along the whole wall.
- **Width.** A crack wide enough to take a coin or a business card, or wider at one end.
- **Reopening.** A crack that has come back through an earlier surface patch.
- **Fresh dust.** Concrete dust or flakes on the floor below the crack.
- **Horizontal or stair-step.** A horizontal crack, or stair-stepping in block or mortar. See the engineer rule below.
- **Movement.** Doors or windows above sticking on the same side of the house, or a crack that keeps getting longer or wider. See the engineer rule below.

## Four repairs, matched to the cause

The repair follows the cause and what the crack is doing, not a default method.

- **Monitor and seal.** A stable hairline crack that is not leaking is measured and recorded, the face sealed against incidental moisture, and checked again later.
- **Polyurethane injection.** For a crack that is actively leaking, with no structural concern. Ports go on the crack line and a flexible resin is injected under low pressure along its full depth.
- **Epoxy injection.** For a wall where the aim is to restore strength across the crack, not only to stop water. The resin cures rigid and bonds the concrete back together.
- **Exterior repair.** When the wall is already exposed for drain or waterproofing work, the crack is repaired from the outside and the membrane goes over it. See [foundation waterproofing](/services/foundation-waterproofing) and [perimeter drainage](/services/perimeter-drainage).

## What moves the scope

These decide the scope of a crack repair. Scope and price in writing before work starts. The timeline is set in the written scope.

- How many cracks there are, and how long each one is.
- Whether the crack is leaking, which points to polyurethane, or the wall needs its strength restored, which points to epoxy.
- Access: inside a finished or unfinished basement, or a wall already exposed outside.
- Whether the perimeter drain needs a [camera inspection](/services/camera-pipe-inspections) to rule out a drainage cause.
- Surface finishing, from a parge to matching paint or drywall.
- Whether the crack pattern calls for an engineer before any repair.

## Knowing when to stop: cracks that need an engineer

Some cracks should not be injected. A resin seal over a wall that is still moving can split again. Four patterns stop us: a horizontal crack, stair-stepping through block or mortar, a wall with a measurable inward bow, and any crack that is still opening.

We refer horizontal, stair-step, bowing or still-opening cracks to a structural engineer before injecting them. We tell you in writing when a crack needs an engineer instead of injection. We measure a crack that shows signs of movement and check it again before repairing it.

Movement is a [structural foundation repair](/services/foundation-repair) question, not a sealing one.

## Polyurethane or epoxy: which a crack needs

Polyurethane stays flexible once cured and expands to fill the crack. It is usually the better choice for an active leak, or for a crack that may move slightly with the seasons. Epoxy cures rigid and bonds the concrete across the crack, so it is used when the aim is to restore strength and not only to stop water. Epoxy injected into a wet crack usually fails.

Some walls take both: epoxy for strength in one place and polyurethane for a leak in another. We recommend a resin after inspecting the crack in person.

## Repairing a crack from outside when the wall is already open

Injection from inside needs no digging. When the wall is already exposed for a perimeter drain replacement or exterior waterproofing, we repair the crack from the outside as part of that work, and the membrane goes over it.

The [BC Building Code 2024, Article 9.13.3.3](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/construction-industry/building-codes-and-standards/revisions-and-mo/bcbc_2024_web_version_revision2.pdf) calls for holes and recesses in a concrete wall to be sealed before it is waterproofed. A rusted tie hole is one of them.

## Why cracks leak in a wet winter

In Environment and Climate Change Canada's 1981 to 2010 climate normals, October, November, December and January are the four wettest months by precipitation at both the [N Vancouver Sonora Dr station](https://api.weather.gc.ca/collections/climate-normals/items?CLIMATE_IDENTIFIER=110N6FF&NORMAL_ID=56&f=html) and the [Vancouver Int'l A station](https://api.weather.gc.ca/collections/climate-normals/items?CLIMATE_IDENTIFIER=1108447&NORMAL_ID=56&f=html). Wet soil pushes on a foundation wall, and a crack gives that water a way through.

The ground moves too. Clay soil swells as it gets wet and shrinks as it dries, and [Note A-9.4.4.4(1) in the BC Building Code 2024](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/construction-industry/building-codes-and-standards/revisions-and-mo/bcbc_2024_web_version_revision2.pdf) names cracked foundation walls as one result of a particularly wet season.

Then there is the drain beside the crack. A perimeter drain sits outside the wall beside the footing and carries groundwater away before it builds up. A working drain relieves the water pressure behind a crack. When it stops working, water can build up against the wall, and a crack that stayed dry can start to leak. Sealing the crack closes one path, but water still pressed against the wall can look for another. A leaking crack is a reason to look at the drain, and [basement leak detection](/services/basement-leak-detection) traces water to its source before anyone repairs a wall.

If you are not sure whether a crack is cosmetic, [book an inspection](/book-inspection). We diagnose before we excavate, and at Drainage Pro that starts with classifying the crack before we recommend anything.

---

# Structural repair starts with an engineer, not a quote.

https://drainagepro.ca/services/foundation-repair

Structural foundation repair in Vancouver and the North Shore is for a foundation that has moved: settling, a bowing wall, heave or failing concrete. We plan structural repairs with a structural or geotechnical engineer. The engineer sets the method, from monitoring alone to reinforcement or underpinning. Wet soil can be a cause, so drainage and grade are checked too.

## Four kinds of structural movement

An engineer designs a structural repair against the loads on the building and the soil under it. What can be said first is which of four kinds of movement a house is probably showing, and whether it has stopped. Only measurement over time answers that.

1. **Lateral load and wall deflection.** Saturated soil, frost or the weight of a driveway can push a basement wall inward. It is usually progressive rather than sudden. You may see horizontal cracking around mid-height, and a straightedge held to the wall shows a gap at the middle.
2. **Differential settlement.** Part of the footing has dropped relative to the rest, often over fill or where the soil has dried and shrunk. It often stops on its own. You may see diagonal cracks running from the corners of doors and windows, doors binding on one side of the house, floors out of level and gaps opening between the foundation and the framing.
3. **Heave.** The ground pushes up. Clay takes on water, or water freezes in frost-susceptible soil under a footing. You may see a slab lifted or cracked in the middle and interior doors binding at the top.
4. **Material failure.** Unreinforced block, rubble or badly deteriorated concrete can lose capacity whatever the soil is doing. You may see displacement at a mortar joint, crumbling mortar or aggregate coming away by hand.

## Signs worth a look

Any one of these is worth having looked at. Several together are a stronger reason.

- Doors and windows that stick or will not latch.
- Diagonal or stair-step cracks in a block or brick wall.
- A basement wall that is visibly bowing or leaning.
- Gaps opening between the foundation and the framing above it.
- Sloping floors.
- A crack that keeps widening after a previous repair.

If a wall has moved suddenly, or you can see daylight through a crack, call or text (604) 210-3892. A crack with no sign of movement is a different question, covered under [foundation crack repair](/services/foundation-crack-repair).

## What to record before anyone assesses it

What decides the repair is whether the movement has stopped. That takes time to answer, so it helps to write things down now. When you have them, [send Drainage Pro the photographs and your notes](/contact).

- Hold a straightedge or a taut string against the wall and note the gap at mid-height.
- Photograph every crack with a tape measure or a coin in frame, and date the photos.
- Note which doors and windows bind, and whether at the top or down one side.
- Put a ball or a level on an upstairs floor and note which way it runs.
- Note anything that changed outside: a tree removed or planted, a driveway added, drainage altered.
- Find out whether the house sits on fill, and whether a neighbour has had the same problem.

## Why the engineer comes first

We plan structural repairs with a structural or geotechnical engineer. Piers, anchors and reinforcement are sized to the loads on the building and the soil under it, and both change from lot to lot. The engineer designs the remedy, and the repair is built to that design.

The assessment keeps the method matched to the soil and load conditions your house actually has. It also produces documentation you may need if you are refinancing, insuring or selling.

## Four outcomes an engineer may specify

Each of these answers a different amount of movement, and the assessment decides which one fits.

- **Assessment and monitoring.** Where the movement is small or not yet proven, an engineer assesses the foundation, with readings taken over time to see whether anything is still moving. Sometimes the answer is that it has stopped.
- **Reinforcement.** A modest bow in a wall that has stopped moving can be held with carbon fibre straps or steel reinforcement. They hold the wall where it is. They do not bring it back.
- **Wall anchors or tiebacks.** A significant bow, or a wall that is still moving, may call for anchors set into firm soil beyond the moving zone to resist the load.
- **Underpinning or piers.** Active differential settlement may call for helical or push piers taken to load-bearing soil beneath the footing, with the footing bracketed to them. The footing may also be extended down to stable soil.

Where a section of wall has moved beyond what reinforcement can hold, the engineer may specify replacing it.

## What moves the scope

Two foundations with the same crack pattern can call for very different work. These factors decide it.

- The method the engineer specifies.
- How many locations along the foundation need work, and how accessible each one is.
- The engineer's assessment, and any monitoring period before a method is chosen.
- Whether drainage or waterproofing work is sequenced with the structural repair.
- The permit and inspections the work triggers.
- Interior or exterior finishing afterward.

Scope and price in writing before work starts. The timeline is set in the written scope.

## How water in the soil moves a foundation

Soil is what a foundation rests on, and moisture changes how soil behaves. Article 9.4.4.4 of the [BC Building Code 2024](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/construction-industry/building-codes-and-standards/revisions-and-mo/bcbc_2024_web_version_revision2.pdf) says that where soil movement from changes in moisture content, freezing or chemical-microbiological oxidation is known to occur to the extent that it will damage a building, measures must be taken to prevent it or reduce its effects. Its explanatory note says clay soils are the most prone to swelling and shrinking with moisture. Particularly wet seasons can heave foundations and floors or crack foundation walls. Particularly dry seasons, or water drawn down by fast-growing trees, can cause settling. Frost heave happens when water in frost-susceptible soil, such as clay and silt, freezes under the footings.

The same Article says the potential for slope instability is evaluated from site-specific material properties and taken into account in the design of the structure and its foundations. On a sloping lot, that matters.

In this region the wet months matter too. Environment and Climate Change Canada's 1981 to 2010 normals list November, January, December and October as the wettest months at both [Vancouver International Airport](https://api.weather.gc.ca/collections/climate-normals/items?CLIMATE_IDENTIFIER=1108447&NORMAL_ID=56&f=html) and [North Vancouver Sonora Drive](https://api.weather.gc.ca/collections/climate-normals/items?CLIMATE_IDENTIFIER=110N6FF&NORMAL_ID=56&f=html).

Much of the North Shore sits on glacial till and rock, while parts of Vancouver and Burnaby have softer clay and silt. When a perimeter drain has failed, water can build up in the soil beside the footing instead of draining away, and ground that slopes toward the house can do the same. We assess the drainage and grade beside the foundation as part of a structural assessment. A [drain camera inspection](/services/camera-pipe-inspections) shows whether the perimeter drain has failed, and [perimeter drainage repair](/services/perimeter-drainage) deals with it if so.

## Sequencing structural work with drainage and waterproofing

A house that has moved may have water problems as well, so more than one kind of work can be on the table. The structure is stabilized before drainage and waterproofing work goes on. A membrane or sealant laid over a wall that is still moving can split again, and a leak that is really a symptom of movement is easy to misread. Once the structure is stable, [foundation waterproofing](/services/foundation-waterproofing) and drainage work can be done where the ground is already open, which saves opening it twice.

## After the repair: records and monitoring

Post-repair monitoring is there to confirm the fix is holding. The records are the engineer's documents, and a lender, insurer or buyer may ask for them if you refinance, insure or sell the house. We arrange permits and inspections where required. The requirements differ by municipality.

Our workmanship warranty runs up to 10 years and is provided in writing. The term depends on the scope of the repair, and the exact terms are in your contract.

---

# Maintenance is only worth buying for the parts still worth maintaining.

https://drainagepro.ca/services/strata-maintenance-programs

A strata maintenance program puts a strata corporation's shared drainage on one schedule: catch basins, trench drains, sump pumps, and the perimeter and storm runs still worth maintaining. We scope it from a condition assessment, run it through one point of contact, and write up each year in a record council can use for budgets and the depreciation report.

## What maintenance can and cannot buy you

Maintenance does not save a pipe that is already failing. A run with separated joints or a settled bed will need repair, and flushing it on a schedule changes little. What a program protects is the rest of the site: the basins, drains, pumps and runs that rate as sound today and stay sound if the silt and roots are kept down. These are the failures a scheduled visit is built to catch.

1. **Catch basins fill through the autumn.** Leaves and grit settle in the sump below the outlet until it is full. A full sump stops trapping and passes sediment into the storm line. On the visit, each chamber is measured before it is emptied. On camera, sediment shows in the outlet run.
2. **Trench and ramp drains silt up.** Grit carried in on tires collects in the channels at ramps and parkade entries until water ponds instead of draining. On the visit, debris fills the channel; on camera, sediment lines the outlet pipe.
3. **Sound runs silt up and draw roots.** Silt left in a run holds water, and roots follow the water into the joints. A run that rated sound can start to fail early. On camera, silt lies along the pipe floor and roots show at the joints.
4. **Sump pumps fail untested.** A float sticks or a pump wears out between storms, and nobody finds out until the next heavy rain. On the visit, the pump and float are checked, the system is tested under load and the discharge line is inspected.

Runs rated for repair are named in the program agreement and left off the maintenance schedule. Council still has to budget for them, as repair projects with their own dates.

## Signs a strata site is ready for a program

None of these means the drainage has failed. Each one means nobody is tracking it.

- A parkade ramp or entry that ponds after an ordinary rain.
- A drainage contract that lists visits but not which runs are worth maintaining.
- Units reporting water more than once, or complaints that move around the site.
- No record of when the catch basins were last emptied or the trench drains last cleared.
- A sump pump that has never been tested under load.

## Priced on the scope the assessment justifies

Two complexes of the same age and size can need different programs, because their condition ratings and catchments differ. The scope, and so the price, follows from a short list of facts about the site:

- The number of buildings and how the site is laid out.
- How many chambers there are: catch basins, trench and ramp drains, sumps.
- How many runs the assessment rates as worth maintaining, and how many are already on the repair list.
- Cleanout access, and whether any lines need locating first.
- Whether the site holds a recent drainage assessment, or the program starts with a [strata drainage assessment](/services/strata-drainage-assessment).
- Parking, notices to residents, and any work outside normal hours.

Council gets the scope and price in writing before work starts.

## Strata drainage, council duties and the depreciation report

Under the [Strata Property Act](https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/98043_05), a strata corporation must repair and maintain its common property and common assets. Its bylaws can make owners responsible for some limited common property, but drainage shared by the whole site usually stays with the corporation.

The province adds a second duty: a [depreciation report](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/strata-housing/operating-a-strata/repairs-and-maintenance/depreciation-reports/depreciation-report-requirements) on a fixed cycle. How drainage evidence feeds that report is set out on our [strata drainage assessment](/services/strata-drainage-assessment) page. A buried pipe is hard to judge by eye, so between reports a yearly drainage record gives whoever prepares the next one dated, measured condition to work from. We supply the drainage data; we do not prepare the report.

The [BC Building Code 2024](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/construction-industry/building-codes-and-standards/revisions-and-mo/bcbc_2024_web_version_revision2.pdf), Article 9.14.6.4, calls for a catch basin wherever runoff from a driveway is likely to collect or run into a garage. On a townhouse site with a shared driveway, those basins are usually common property, so keeping them working falls to council.

The City of Burnaby's [foundation and surface drainage guide](https://www.burnaby.ca/sites/default/files/acquiadam/2021-08/Foundation-and-Surface-Drainage-Installation-Informational-Guide.pdf) is written for Burnaby, but its two-pipe layout names the parts a program looks after on a house or townhouse site. Across North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Vancouver and Burnaby, the pipe under one complex can be older clay tile, early-generation plastic drain tile or modern PVC, sometimes more than one of them.

## Scoped from the assessment, not from a template

A program covers the parts of the site the condition ratings say are worth looking after. Depending on the site, a year includes some or all of these:

- Catch basins measured and emptied, by hand or with a vacuum truck depending on how much has built up. How a basin clean is done is on our [catch basin cleaning](/services/catch-basin-cleaning) page.
- Trench and ramp drains cleared before the wet months.
- Sump pumps tested under load, with the float and the discharge line checked. More on [sump pumps](/services/sump-pumps).
- A camera pass on the runs rated worth maintaining, using the same equipment as a [drain camera inspection](/services/camera-pipe-inspections).
- Flushing where the footage shows a run needs it, by [hydro jetting](/services/drain-cleaning-hydro-jetting) matched to the pipe.
- One point of contact for the site, and one written record a year.

A program year can include checking downspout connections, keeping the cleanout inventory current and walking surface water where units have complained.

Excavation is scoped and quoted as a separate project, not covered by the program. So are the runs on the repair list. Before council signs any program proposal, ours included, ask which runs it leaves out and why.

## What council receives, and a document you can hand to an owner

Councils turn over and managers change, so the record is written for council. The yearly program record belongs to the strata corporation. A program year runs in five steps:

1. **Scope from the assessment.** The condition ratings decide which runs and chambers go on the schedule.
2. **Set the calendar.** The year's visits are planned around the buildings, ahead of leaf drop and the wet months.
3. **Attend and measure.** Chambers are measured and emptied, pumps tested and runs filmed.
4. **Write the yearly record.** What was done, what changed since last year, and what is still on the repair list, in plain language.
5. **Present it.** On request, we take the record to a council meeting or the AGM and answer owners' questions.

Each year's record sits beside the last, so council can answer an owner who asks why the drainage line in the budget is what it is.

Already on a program with someone else? Send us the agreement and last year's report, and we will tell you whether the scope matches the site's condition.

A program is scheduled work, not an emergency service. If water is coming in now, call or text (604) 210-3892. To start a program, [send us the site details](/contact): the building count, roughly how many chambers, and whether council holds a drainage assessment or a depreciation report. Drainage Pro scopes the year from there.

---

# One pass gives you a condition. A series gives you a rate.

https://drainagepro.ca/services/annual-drain-camera-inspections

An annual drain camera inspection films your drain runs once a year and keeps the footage, so each pass is compared with the one before. The series shows what a single visit cannot: how fast silt builds, whether roots come back, whether a sag is deepening. It suits original tile, nearby trees, past repairs and finished basements.

## The second pass is worth more than the first

One inspection tells you what a pipe looks like today. It cannot tell you how fast it is changing, and the rate is what you can plan around. Set this year's footage beside last year's and the same findings answer a better question: is it getting worse, and how quickly?

1. **Silt building along the pipe floor.** Fine sediment settles in a run until it starts to hold water. The camera shows a layer of silt along the bottom of the pipe. The series shows whether it is building slowly or fast, and fast build-up can point to something upstream feeding it.
2. **Roots coming back at a joint.** Roots get in through joints and grow back after a cut. The camera shows roots at the joint. The series shows whether they return, which separates a trimming job from a joint repair.
3. **A sag that keeps settling.** A section that has sagged holds standing water, and the sag can deepen as the bedding under it settles. The camera shows a belly with water lying in it. The series shows whether it is stable or getting worse.
4. **A crack or past repair that may not hold.** Hairline cracks, offset joints and spot repairs either stay as they are or open up. The camera films the crack, offset or repaired joint, and the next pass looks at it again.

A series also answers two plain questions a single visit cannot: did last year's repair hold, and what is new since the last pass? A record turns "keep an eye on it" into a date.

## Reasons to start a record

These are reasons to start tracking a line, not symptoms of a failure. If water is already getting in, or you recognize the [signs of failing perimeter drains](/resources/signs-your-perimeter-drains-are-failing), start with [a one-off drain camera inspection](/services/camera-pipe-inspections) instead.

- Original clay or concrete drain tile that you plan to keep in service.
- A run with a known sag or a repaired section.
- Mature trees near the foundation, such as cedar, laurel, poplar or big-leaf maple.
- A finished basement or a suite below grade, where being wrong costs more.
- A backup or slow floor drain that cleared on its own.
- A repair last year that you want checked, or a plan to sell.

## Annual suits some houses, not all

The interval should come from what the pipe is made of and what grows near it, not from the calendar. We set it after the first pass shows what we are working with.

A yearly pass earns its place where original clay or concrete tile is being kept in service, where a run has a known sag or repair, where trees grow close to the walls, or where water would reach a finished space below grade. Newer pipe with good fall and working cleanouts can go longer between passes, and so can a line that keeps coming back clean.

What else moves the scope:

- How many runs can be reached, and how many cleanouts the property has.
- Whether there is a baseline yet. The first pass establishes the access points and what is in each run; later passes repeat it.
- Whether earlier footage exists. Usable footage from a previous inspection by another company can serve as the baseline.
- What the record turns up. Flushing is recommended only when the record shows a run needs it, and is quoted separately. Repairs are scoped on their own too.
- Runs with no access point, which cannot be filmed until one is added.

On a strata site, the same idea runs across the whole property as part of a strata maintenance program.

## Why the pass happens before the wet months

Environment and Climate Change Canada's 1981–2010 normals for [Vancouver International Airport](https://api.weather.gc.ca/collections/climate-normals/items?CLIMATE_IDENTIFIER=1108447&NORMAL_ID=56&f=html) show precipitation climbing through the autumn to a peak in November, with July and August the driest months. Higher up the North Shore, the [N Vanc Sonora Dr station](https://api.weather.gc.ca/collections/climate-normals/items?CLIMATE_IDENTIFIER=110N6FF&NORMAL_ID=56&f=html) follows the same pattern and records far more precipitation over the year. More water moving through a pipe can carry more silt into it.

A pass in late summer or early autumn shows each run before the wet months load it, and leaves time to flush or repair before the heaviest rain. Many older homes in [North Vancouver](/locations/north-vancouver), [West Vancouver](/locations/west-vancouver) and [Vancouver](/locations/vancouver) were built when clay and cement drain tile was the standard material, and those systems benefit most from a record.

The camera goes in at a cleanout. On the two-pipe layout in the City of Burnaby's [foundation and surface drainage guide](https://www.burnaby.ca/sites/default/files/acquiadam/2021-08/Foundation-and-Surface-Drainage-Installation-Informational-Guide.pdf), cleanouts sit at the upstream corner of the drain tile. Knowing where they are, and keeping them clear of new paving and planting, is what keeps a run in the record.

## A file that means something to someone who has never met us

The record is meant to outlast any one visit. If you sell, change contractors or hand the house on, it should still make sense to someone reading it cold.

Each annual pass comes with the footage, measured silt depths compared with the previous pass, and a written note of what changed. Findings are located by distance from a named access point, so anyone can go back to the same spot. You keep the footage and the written findings whether or not we do the repair.

Over several passes the file shows a rate: how fast silt builds in each run, whether roots return after a cut, and whether a repaired joint is holding. The next decision then rests on a measurement instead of a guess.

## What a record cannot do

- **It cannot predict a sudden failure.** Tracking condition lowers the odds of a surprise. It does not remove them.
- **It cannot cover runs it cannot enter.** A run with no access point stays unverified, however clean the rest of the record looks.
- **It does not replace a look at the surface.** Water at a foundation can come from grading, downspouts or window wells rather than the drain. [Basement leak detection](/services/basement-leak-detection) traces that kind of source.

## Same runs, same order, and most years the answer is nothing

1. **A date you confirm.** We confirm each year's pass with you before booking it.
2. **The same pass.** Each annual pass films the same runs from the same access points in the same order.
3. **This year beside last year.** The new footage is set beside the previous pass, run by run.
4. **A written note.** Most years the answer is nothing: the note says no action is needed and confirms the next pass. When something has changed, the note says what and where, and whether it calls for [drain cleaning and hydro jetting](/services/drain-cleaning-hydro-jetting) or a [perimeter drainage repair](/services/perimeter-drainage).

To start a record, [book the baseline inspection](/book-inspection). Drainage Pro films the accessible runs and sets the starting point that later passes are compared against.

---

# A basin only works while it still has room underneath.

https://drainagepro.ca/services/catch-basin-cleaning

Catch basin cleaning empties the sump below the outlet pipe, the space that traps leaves, grit and silt before they reach your drain line, and checks the outlet pipe. A full sump usually gives no warning at the surface. We clean basins on houses and on strata parking areas and parkades in Vancouver and on the North Shore.

## The failure that produces no symptom

A catch basin takes surface water from a driveway, a yard or a parking area and passes it to the storm line. A [perimeter drain](/resources/what-is-a-perimeter-drain) is a different system. It sits outside the foundation wall beside the footing and carries groundwater away so it cannot build up against the foundation.

Below the outlet pipe, a basin has a sump: a space built to catch leaves, grit and silt before they reach the line. It works only while the sump has room. Once the sediment reaches the outlet, the basin stops trapping and the debris goes on into the drain line. Usually nothing changes at the surface, which is why this failure gets missed. We lift the grate and, where there is access, run a [camera check of the outlet](/services/camera-pipe-inspections). Then we look for four conditions.

1. **Sump filled to the outlet.** The space below the outlet is full, so the basin passes material on instead of trapping it. We see sediment at or above the bottom of the outlet pipe and no clear water beneath it.
2. **Material in the outlet pipe.** A sump that has overtopped pushes solids into the outlet. The camera shows sediment lying in the pipe beyond the chamber. The basin keeps draining slowly after the sump is emptied, because the pipe needs jetting, not more vacuuming.
3. **Raised or cracked frame, or a settled chamber.** The frame sits above the paving, or the paving beside it has settled so it falls away from the grate, and water runs past the basin instead of into it. Or the chamber itself cracks or settles. A wet patch beside a dry basin, cracked concrete or a rocking grate are the tells. This is repair work. We report it, and it is not part of the clean.
4. **Roots at the outlet connection.** Roots find the joint where the basin meets the line. The camera shows them at the joint, and the basin may back up in moderate rain, not only in heavy rain.

## Signs your catch basins need cleaning

A full sump usually gives no warning of its own. These can, and each is worth a look.

- **Standing water after a normal rain.** Ponding in a parking area or driveway, not just after a downpour.
- **Overflow at the grate.** The basin spills over instead of draining down.
- **A sour or stagnant smell.** Noticeable near a basin or an area drain.
- **Sediment or leaf litter near the rim.** Built up close to the grate.
- **A parkade drain that backs up.** Watch for it during wash-down.
- **Ponding over a leaf-matted grate.** It clears as soon as someone rakes it. Worth clearing, but it says nothing about the sump below.
- **No record of the last clean.** Nobody knows when the basins were last emptied.

If water is coming in now, call or text (604) 210-3892.

## Priced by the basin

The scope comes from the site, not from a flat rate. Six things move it.

- **How many basins there are.** If you do not know how many basins you have, we walk the site and count them before quoting.
- **How full each one is.** A fuller sump means more to remove.
- **How easily each basin can be reached.** Tight or blocked access changes how the work is set up.
- **Whether the outlet needs a camera check or only a flush.** The camera shows whether debris has already reached the line.
- **Parkade or trench drains in the scope.** Those are scoped alongside the basins.
- **What the clean turns up.** Jetting the outlet run and frame or grate repairs are quoted separately from the basin clean.

Tell us how many basins there are and we will price it. [Send a basin count and photos](/contact), or [book an inspection](/book-inspection) if you want us on site first. The scope and price are in writing before work starts.

## Set by what washes in, not by the calendar

A sump fills with whatever washes into it. Leaf cover, grit from vehicles on a ramp, bare ground beside the paving and construction nearby can all fill it faster. A newer paved site with no trees overhead fills it slowly. On a treed North Shore lot, a sump can fill in a single season, and once it is full the debris goes straight through into the drain line.

Rain sets the timing. Environment and Climate Change Canada's [1981 to 2010 normals for the N Vancouver 2nd Narrows station](https://api.weather.gc.ca/collections/climate-normals/items?CLIMATE_IDENTIFIER=1105666&NORMAL_ID=56&f=html) show precipitation rising through the autumn to a peak in November. On most properties that makes late summer or early fall the time to clean, before the leaves come down and the heavy rain starts. Some owners book a clean every year ahead of the fall and winter rain. On a heavily treed site, a second visit once the leaves are down can be worthwhile.

Two rules are worth knowing. Where runoff from a driveway is likely to accumulate or enter a garage, the BC Building Code requires a catch basin ([Article 9.14.6.4](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/construction-industry/building-codes-and-standards/revisions-and-mo/bcbc_2024_web_version_revision2.pdf)). And in the City of North Vancouver, the City maintains storm sewers on public property up to the property line, owners are responsible for the infrastructure from the property line into the property, and the City [does not make repairs on private property](https://www.cnv.org/-/media/City-of-North-Vancouver/Documents/Water-Sewer-Drainage/Water-Sewer-And-Drainage-Claims.pdf). Other municipalities set their own rules.

We work in [North Vancouver](/locations/north-vancouver), [West Vancouver](/locations/west-vancouver), [Vancouver](/locations/vancouver) and [Burnaby](/locations/burnaby).

## How we clean a catch basin

We vacuum the sump clear, flush the basin and check the outlet pipe with a camera where there is access. You then know whether debris has already reached the line, instead of guessing. If the basin is cracked or settled, or the grate has failed, we tell you what it needs.

### What a basin clean does not include

Three jobs sit outside it. Clearing the outlet run with a jetter is [drain cleaning and hydro jetting](/services/drain-cleaning-hydro-jetting) work, aimed at the pipe rather than the chamber. A broken frame or grate is repair work, so we report it and quote it on its own. A silted storm line is a separate job.

## Out of the sump and off the property

We haul the debris away rather than leaving it on site, because material from a driveway or parking area can carry oil. Where it goes, and why it is lifted out rather than flushed down the line, is covered under [vacuum truck services](/services/vacuum-truck-services).

When you compare quotes, three questions are worth asking any contractor. Does the quote say how many basins it covers? Is the outlet checked on camera or only flushed? Where does the material go?

## A record per basin for strata councils

We keep a dated record per basin: what was found, photos where there is structural damage, and confirmation that the outlet was flushed and checked. A council can hand that record to a depreciation report preparer.

Drainage Pro cleans basins as a standalone visit or folded into a scheduled program. If the site has never had a baseline check, a [strata drainage assessment](/services/strata-drainage-assessment) is the place to start, before any schedule is set.

---

# A bulk removal tool, and only that.

https://drainagepro.ca/services/vacuum-truck-services

A vacuum truck lifts loose water and solids out of catch basin sumps, flooded pits and silted storm lines, and hauls the material away instead of pushing it further down the system. It is the right tool on strata sites and homes where a chamber has filled. It does not fix a collapsed pipe or cut roots.

## Jobs that need a tank, not a pump

Pumps move water. Grit, leaves and silt mixed with water need suction, and suction works from the surface. A vacuum truck draws the mix up a hose into its debris tank and takes it away, without anyone climbing into the chamber. These are the jobs it suits.

1. **Catch basin sumps full to the outlet.** The everyday job. The sump has filled, and debris is passing into the line. On the visit, the sump holds more built-up grit than can be lifted out by hand. How a basin is cleaned and recorded is covered under [catch basin cleaning](/services/catch-basin-cleaning).
2. **A flooded sump or pit after a pump stops.** Standing water with debris in it. Emptying it lets the pump, float and discharge be checked in a dry pit instead of guessed at. On the visit, the float sits under water and the pump runs without moving water, or does not run at all. More on [sump pumps](/services/sump-pumps).
3. **Silted storm lines.** Silt along a run can slow several basins on the same line. Jetting loosens it and the vacuum holds it, so the material comes out instead of moving to the next low point. On camera, sediment lies along the pipe floor.
4. **Sediment after construction or landscaping.** Exposed ground washes fines into basins and lines, and everything downstream can slow at once. Bulk removal takes it out of the system before it travels further.

It is work for strata councils and property managers with parkade sumps, ramps and shared driveways, and for homeowners with a full sump or basin. Strata sites can book it on a schedule, alongside basin cleaning and sump checks, within a strata maintenance program.

## When to call for a vacuum truck

- A sump, pit or basin full of water and debris after a pump failure.
- Several basins on the same run all draining slowly.
- Sediment washing into basins after construction or landscaping on or next to the property.
- Material that should not be washed into the storm system, such as grit from a parking area that may carry oil.

If water is coming in now, call or text (604) 210-3892.

## The questions we ask before a truck is booked

A vacuum truck job turns on access: how far the hose has to run, and how deep the chamber goes. Before a truck is booked, we want to know:

- What needs emptying, and roughly how much.
- Where a truck can legally stand, and how far the hose has to run from there to the chamber.
- How deep the chamber is, if anyone knows.
- Overhead clearance and ramps on the way in. A loaded truck usually works from outside a parkade and runs hose in.
- Gates, bollards, curbs and landscaping between the truck and the lid.
- Who holds the keys to locked lids, and whether they will be on site.
- Whether jetting is part of the scope, which needs a water source.
- What drains into the chamber. Runoff from parking areas and roads can carry oil.
- Whether residents need notice because parking stalls will be blocked.
- Whether a camera look should come first, so the truck is not booked for a problem it cannot fix.

Tell us what is full and how far the hose has to go, and we can say whether a truck is the right tool.

## Where the material goes

The material leaves in the truck's tank, and nothing is left on site. Pushing it further down the line only moves the problem to the next low point, or to the next property.

That matters here. In the City of North Vancouver, the [Stream and Drainage System Protection Bylaw](https://www.cnv.org/home-property/water-sewer-drainage/drainage) prohibits pollutants such as oil, paint, sediment and concrete from entering the drainage system. Lifting the material out, rather than flushing it along the pipe, is the point of the job.

Working from the surface also keeps people out of the chamber. [WorkSafeBC's confined space rules](https://www.worksafebc.com/en/law-policy/occupational-health-safety/searchable-ohs-regulation/ohs-regulation/part-09-confined-spaces) define a confined space by its features, such as restricted entry and exit and not being designed for continuous occupancy, not by its depth. A hose lowered from the surface means nobody has to go in.

Timing follows the rain. Sumps and basins are best emptied before the wet months. The City of Burnaby's [drainage installation guide](https://www.burnaby.ca/sites/default/files/acquiadam/2021-08/Foundation-and-Surface-Drainage-Installation-Informational-Guide.pdf) shows the drain tile and roof leader lines of a two-pipe layout meeting at a storm sump with an outlet to the storm sewer. That sump is one of the chambers a truck empties.

## What a vacuum truck will not fix

- **A collapsed or bellied pipe.** Suction lifts what is loose. It cannot rebuild a caved-in section or bring a sag back into line. The line needs a [camera inspection](/services/camera-pipe-inspections) to show the fault, then a repair such as [perimeter drainage repair](/services/perimeter-drainage) or [sewer line repair](/services/sewer-lines).
- **Roots in a joint.** Roots anchored in the pipe wall will not come out under suction. They need cutting and jetting, then a camera check of the joint underneath.
- **Clean water with nothing in it.** A pump is the right tool. A vacuum truck earns its place when there is sediment or debris to lift out.

## Vacuum and jetting on the same visit

Jetting and suction do two halves of one job. A jetter cuts and moves material along the pipe; the vacuum takes it out of the system and away. On a silted storm line or a basin outlet, the jetter loosens what has settled and the hose catches it at the chamber, so it does not settle straight back in. For jetting on its own, see [drain cleaning and hydro jetting](/services/drain-cleaning-hydro-jetting).

At Drainage Pro, we scope the job and run the camera where the line needs a look first. The truck is the tool for the part that has to be lifted out.

---

# Every basement here is downhill from something.

https://drainagepro.ca/locations/north-vancouver

Drainage Pro is a drainage contractor based in North Vancouver. We diagnose with a camera before we excavate, then repair or replace perimeter drains, trace basement leaks and waterproof foundations. Slope runoff from the properties uphill, and two municipalities with separate permit processes, shape drainage work here.

## What actually fails in North Vancouver homes

Many North Vancouver homes were built before the 1970s, when clay or cement drain tile was standard. That tile went in as short lengths with open joints, and decades of silt, roots and moving ground have worked on it since. When a system has failed, [perimeter drainage](/services/perimeter-drainage) repair or replacement is the fix, and a [drain camera inspection](/services/camera-pipe-inspections) tells us which one. If you are not sure what is around your foundation, our guide to [clay, Big-O and PVC drain tile](/resources/clay-big-o-pvc-drain-tile-compared) helps you work out which you have.

Here are four ways a system fails on this side of the inlet, and what the camera shows for each.

1. **Collapsed clay or cement tile.** Open joints let silt in, slope movement pulls the line out of true, and eventually a length drops out. On camera: an offset or dropped joint, then a run that ends where the camera head will not pass.
2. **Root intrusion.** Cedar and big-leaf maple roots force their way into open joints. Jetting clears the roots but does not close the joint. On camera: a fine root mat filling the bore, thickest at a joint.
3. **Slope loading.** Runoff from the lots above reaches your foundation faster than an undersized system can carry it. On camera: often sound, clean pipe that backs up under a hose test. The problem is capacity, not damage.
4. **A sump that cannot keep up.** A [sump pump](/services/sump-pumps) sized for a different house, wired to a shared circuit, or idle since the last owner left. On camera: the inlet and discharge lines, filmed from their cleanouts, show whether water reaches the pit and leaves it freely. On site, we check the pump itself under load. It hums, trips the breaker, runs without the level dropping, or cycles in dry weather because the discharge returns the water.

## Signs your North Vancouver drainage is already failing

On a lot with higher ground above it, two signs deserve a closer look:

- A mossy strip of side yard where water sits long after the rain stops
- Water running onto the lot from higher ground in heavy rain

The general signs of a failing system, from a damp basement wall to a sump that runs more often, are listed with our [perimeter drainage repair](/services/perimeter-drainage) service. [Basement leak detection](/services/basement-leak-detection) traces the entry point first, so the repair goes where the water actually gets in.

## North Vancouver is two municipalities

The City of North Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver each run their own permit desk and bylaws. Which one your address falls under changes the paperwork, not the drainage problem.

In the District, a [drainage permit](https://www.dnv.org/business-development/drainage-permit) is needed to install or repair storm or sanitary sewers, sumps and rock pits, catch basins and pump systems. It is issued before work starts, and most permitted work is inspected. The plumbing permit is a separate permit that covers roof drains, floor drains and fixtures.

The City asks for a [Stormwater Management Plan](https://www.cnv.org/home-property/water-sewer-drainage/drainage) on every new development, single-family homes included, and an Erosion and Sediment Control Plan for developments that disturb soil. Whether a drain replacement on an existing house counts as development is a question we put to the City rather than assume.

Permits and inspections are arranged where required. We confirm with the City or the District which permit applies to your job.

## Building on a slope: what the District asks for

Many District neighbourhoods are on or near steep slopes at the base of the mountains. [The District asks owners](https://www.dnv.org/community-environment/living-close-to-steep-terrain) to direct water away from slopes, to connect to the municipal storm system, to discharge only to approved outlets such as storm drains and street gutters, and to fix leaks in drainage systems. It also notes that heavy fall and winter rain raises landslide potential when soils are saturated or poorly drained, which is why where the water goes matters as much as how much of it there is.

Water coming off the mountainside does not stop at the property line above yours. A lot below carries its own roof and yard plus whatever arrives from above. A Slope Hazard Development Permit Area covers mapped steep land in the District, and building on or altering land inside it may need a permit. We confirm a property's status before we scope work.

Three things move the scope here: how steep the lot is and where its water can go, whether the City or the District issues the permits, and whether the system can run by gravity or needs a pump. A pump brings its own rules in the District, an approved engineered design and a covenant registered on title, so we decide on a pump from what the camera and the site show, not by default. Scope and price in writing before work starts.

## Buying an older North Vancouver home

A subject-removal clause leaves little room for guessing. If you are buying a house from the 1970s or earlier, in Pemberton Heights, Norgate or anywhere else in North Vancouver, a [pre-purchase drainage inspection](/services/pre-purchase-drainage-inspection) puts a camera inside the buried pipe, which a walk-through cannot do.

Our guide, [why a home inspection tells you almost nothing about what's underground](/resources/drainage-inspection-before-buying-a-home-vancouver), covers what to ask for before subjects come off.

## Working through the wet season

Most of the year's precipitation falls between October and March. At the N Vancouver 2nd Narrows station, inside the District, Environment and Climate Change Canada's 1981–2010 normals put the year at 1,831 mm, with November the wettest month at 293 mm and July the driest at 53 mm. Higher on the slope, the N Vanc Sonora Dr station records 2,356 mm.

These figures count rain and snow together, which is why we say precipitation. They are normals, averages over the 1981–2010 period, not a forecast for this winter.

We work through the wet season. A system that is carrying water shows where it fails, and it is in a heavy storm that a marginal one gives out. If you would rather have the answer before the next storm than after it, [book an inspection](/book-inspection) or call or text (604) 210-3892.

## Based in North Vancouver

Drainage Pro is based in North Vancouver, serving the North Shore and Greater Vancouver. At home that means two sets of municipal rules, steep ground and older drainage, and we plan the work around all three. Our four cities are North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Vancouver and Burnaby.

---

# Here the water runs along the rock, not through the soil.

https://drainagepro.ca/locations/west-vancouver

Drainage Pro is a drainage contractor serving West Vancouver, based in North Vancouver. We diagnose before we excavate, then repair or replace perimeter drains, trace basement leaks and waterproof foundations. Rock lots and steep grades shape the trench, and creek setbacks decide what can be dug and where the water may go.

## What actually fails in West Vancouver

Many West Vancouver homes date from the 1950s through the 1980s. The older ones were built in the era of clay and cement drain tile. On West Vancouver properties upgraded in the 1970s and 1980s, early plastic drain systems were often installed with poor bedding and minimal slope. The terrain then adds its own ways for a drain to fail, and each one looks different on camera. Our [perimeter drain repair and replacement](/services/perimeter-drainage) starts by finding out which one you have.

1. **Tile laid flat on rock.** Where the rock shelf set the depth of the trench, long runs were laid level, and a level pipe collects silt. On camera: water standing along the run in a dry week, with silt sitting above the bottom of the pipe.
2. **Water that arrives fast.** Where the soil over the rock is thin, it holds little water, so runoff from the lot above reaches the wall faster than the original tile was sized for. On camera: often sound, clean pipe that still backs up when water is run through it. The problem is capacity, not damage.
3. **Roots following the same shelf.** Mature trees root along the rock surface, which is also where the pipe sits. Roots enter at the joints and fill the bore. On camera: a fine root mat packing the pipe, thickest at a joint. [Drain cleaning and hydro jetting](/services/drain-cleaning-hydro-jetting) can clear it, and the camera shows whether the pipe underneath is still sound.
4. **An outlet that has silted or washed out.** Past the sump, the water has to reach a storm sewer, a drainage ditch, a stream, the ocean (indirectly) or an approved dry well, and when that outlet fails, sound pipe still backs up. On camera: sound pipe holding water back, with silt or debris where the camera reaches the discharge end, or no outlet found at all.

## Signs your West Vancouver drainage is already failing

Any one of these can have a simple explanation. Two or three together, on a lot that steps down a hillside, usually mean the pipe is the problem. Our guide to the [signs your perimeter drains are failing](/resources/signs-your-perimeter-drains-are-failing) covers the general picture.

- Water at the lower-level wall after heavy rain that clears again once the rain stops
- Seepage or a wet streak running out of a rock cut behind the house
- White chalky residue or damp shadows on the inside of the lower-level wall
- A retaining wall that weeps along its base or has started to lean
- A driveway or patio slab lifting, cracking or settling at one end
- A downspout that gurgles, backs up or overflows at the base during a storm
- A roadside ditch or outfall that has silted in, or one you cannot find at all
- Moss and standing water in a side yard that never dries out

## Rock is part of the job here

On rock lots, surface water runs across the ground and concentrates where the rock directs it, often at a foundation wall. Rock also changes three things: how the trench is dug, how much fall the pipe can have toward its outlet, and what the written scope says. The District's own drain-tile rules allow pipe laid on bedrock, so rock is expected here.

What moves the scope on a hillside lot is plain. How deep the rock sits and how far it runs along the wall. Whether the machine can reach the trench. How much fall is available to the outlet. Which mature trees and retaining walls stand in the way, and whether a creek setback applies. We check depth to rock and machine access before we scope a job. Where the ground is uncertain, the written scope says so before work starts. Yard reinstatement included.

## Creeks, ravines and setbacks

West Vancouver is one municipality, so there is a single District to deal with. It still adds steps that a lot without a creek never sees. Not every creek is on the District's map, so we look at the lot as well. In the Existing Neighbourhoods, [any development within 15 metres of the top of bank of a watercourse needs an Environmental Development Permit](https://westvancouver.ca/climate-environment/natural-environment-and-hazard-development-permit-areas/environmental-development-permits). The District counts disturbing soil and developing a drainage system as development, and the permit has to be approved before you apply for a building permit.

In the Upper Lands, generally north of Highway 1, the strip along a creek bank or wetland edge has to stay undeveloped. Trees within a stream corridor are protected, and pruning or removing one takes a District tree permit. If equipment or spoil occupies the boulevard, sidewalk, road or lane, the District also requires a Street Occupancy Permit. We check the District's watercourse mapping before we scope a job. Permits and inspections arranged where required.

## Where your drainage ends up

The District's drain-tile rules are specific about the far end of the pipe. Each drain tile system drains to a concrete storm sump, with the tile ends entering it separately. Roof and deck drains are kept out of the tile and sent to the storm system.

Those rules matter when you buy or renovate a hillside house. A roof drain tied into the tile, or a line that ends at a ditch nobody has looked at, does not show itself until a storm tests it. A [drain camera inspection](/services/camera-pipe-inspections) is the way to check before a storm does. We follow the drain on camera to its outlet and check that the outlet is clear.

## Diagnose before you dig on a West Vancouver lot

On a hillside lot, a wrong guess means opening the wrong stretch of trench beside rock, trees or a creek setback. The camera goes in first, and the written scope flags rock and creek constraints before anyone digs. A wet lower-level room is not always a drain problem, and [basement leak detection](/services/basement-leak-detection) is how we find out which it is before anyone opens a wall.

Buying on the North Shore? A [pre-purchase drainage inspection](/services/pre-purchase-drainage-inspection) puts the condition of the drain in writing before you remove subjects. Drainage Pro is based in North Vancouver, serving the North Shore and Greater Vancouver, and West Vancouver is one of the four cities we work in.

## How the wet season tests a drain

The precipitation chart on this page shows the 1981–2010 normals from the N Vancouver Wharves station, 3.7 km from West Vancouver Municipal Hall. It is the nearest Environment and Climate Change Canada station with a published 1981–2010 precipitation normal, and it sits across the boundary in the District of North Vancouver, so read it as a regional guide, not a West Vancouver gauge. At that station the six wettest months run from October to March, with November the wettest and July the driest.

A marginal system on a rock lot or beside a creek tends to show its limits in that stretch. The dry months are the time to find out. [Book an inspection](/book-inspection) before a storm forces the question.

---

# Your perimeter drain may still empty into the sewer.

https://drainagepro.ca/locations/vancouver

Drainage Pro is a drainage contractor in Vancouver, based in North Vancouver. We start with a camera, then repair or replace perimeter drains, work on your side of the sewer connection and waterproof foundations. In older parts of the city a house may drain to a combined sewer, a sanitary line or a rock pit. We find out which first.

## What actually fails in Vancouver

Four ways Vancouver drainage fails, and what the camera shows for each.

1. **Drains tied into the sewer.** The City names roof and foundation drains that are improperly connected to a property's sanitary sewer line as a source of extra water in the sewer. When that pipe fills in a storm, water can come back the wrong way. On camera, the drain line followed from a cleanout runs into the house sewer or a combined lateral instead of a separate storm connection.
2. **A silted rock pit.** Many Vancouver homes from the 1920s through the 1940s were built with a rock pit because there was no storm main to connect to, and many were never tied into the storm lines that came later. Once silt fills the rock, the pit stops taking water. On camera, water stands in the line back from the pit and silt lies on the pipe floor near it.
3. **Soil washing into the pipe.** Fine sand and silt enter through an open or offset joint and settle along the pipe floor until the line can no longer carry a storm's flow. On camera, soil trickles in at the joint and silt builds up behind it.
4. **Buried under later work.** Patios, parking pads and additions can be built over a drain. The pipe may be fine, but reaching it is the problem. On camera, the line runs under a slab or an addition, and there may be no cleanout left to reach it from.

## Sewer separation, and the half of it that is yours

A combined sewer carries rainwater and sewage in one pipe, and a heavy storm can overwhelm it. A separated system splits them: catch basins, foundation drains and roof leaders go to the storm sewer, and sewage goes to the treatment plant. The City is [replacing combined systems with separated ones](https://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/separating-sewage-from-rainwater.aspx), working toward the Province of BC's goal of ending sewage overflows by 2050.

As the City separates the street, properties need separated systems too. The City says private connections are typically separated as properties redevelop or carry out major renovations, and it lists a few other cases, so ask it about your address.

Your part is the line on your property, up to the City's connection. Whoever does the work gets the City permit first, and the City inspects when it is done. The City sets this out in [renewing and upgrading your sewer connection](https://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/renewing-and-upgrading-your-sewer-connection.aspx). We put a camera in your line first, so [sewer line repair on your side of the connection](/services/sewer-lines) is scoped from what is actually there.

## Does your house drain to the storm sewer, the sanitary sewer or a rock pit?

Where the water goes decides the job. A perimeter drain tied into the storm sewer needs a different repair from one draining to a rock pit or into the sanitary line, and nothing at the surface tells you which you have. A [camera inspection](/services/camera-pipe-inspections) follows the line from a cleanout and shows where it ends up.

Three other things move the scope: whether the pipe has collapsed or is only silted, whether the run can be reached or sits under a patio or an addition, and how much room the lot leaves to dig.

If you are buying an older Vancouver house, the same question is worth asking in a [pre-purchase drainage inspection](/services/pre-purchase-drainage-inspection), before you commit.

## Signs your Vancouver drainage is already failing

Any one of these can have a simple explanation. Two or three together, in a house whose drains have never been replaced, usually mean the pipe is the problem.

- A sewer smell in the basement that only shows up during heavy rain
- A straight dip or trough in the lawn running along one side of the house
- The floor drain or laundry standpipe backing up when the street is running with water
- White chalky bloom or damp shadows on the inside of the basement wall
- A downspout that gurgles or surges back out at the base in a downpour
- Patio slabs, a walkway or a parking pad settling unevenly near the foundation
- A musty smell in the suite through the wet season
- Standing water in a narrow side yard that never fully dries out

A wet wall or a damp suite can also come from the wall itself, and [basement leak detection](/services/basement-leak-detection) traces it to its source. A single slow drain can be a blockage rather than a failed pipe, and [drain cleaning](/services/drain-cleaning-hydro-jetting) deals with that.

## Vancouver Specials and narrow lots

The Vancouver Special is a house type with its lower floor at or near ground level, so it has no conventional basement. If that floor has been finished as living space, water at the footing reaches a bedroom or a suite instead of a storage room, and a failing perimeter drain matters more.

On a narrow lot the house sits close to its neighbours, so a trench may have to route around a shared fence, a lane or a neighbouring foundation. Access can set the scope as much as the pipe does. [Perimeter drain replacement](/services/perimeter-drainage) follows the camera, because we diagnose before we excavate. New to the terms? Here is [what a perimeter drain is](/resources/what-is-a-perimeter-drain).

## Permits for drain and connection work

Installing, changing or upgrading any part of a plumbing system in Vancouver needs a [plumbing permit](https://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/plumbing-permit.aspx). Clearing a stoppage or repairing a leak does not. The City inspects permitted work before it finalizes the permit.

A new connection to City sewer and water needs a [sewer and water connection permit](https://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/sewer-and-water-connection-permits.aspx). For a single detached house, with or without a laneway house and suite, or for a duplex, that is one combined application.

We arrange permits and inspections where required, and we confirm with the City which permit applies to your job. Trees have their own rule. Removing a private tree 20 cm or more across at 1.4 m above the ground needs a separate City permit.

## Precipitation through the wet season

We use the Environment and Climate Change Canada 1981–2010 normals from VANCOUVER INT'L A, the airport station in Richmond, 8.9 km from City Hall. It is a regional guide, not a reading for your street. Precipitation there totals 1,189 mm a year, counting snow as water. The wettest month is November (188.89 mm) and the driest is July (35.58 mm). October through March each top 100 mm, while June through September stay at 54 mm or under.

A failing drain shows itself when the ground is wet. If you have seen any of the signs above, [book an inspection](/book-inspection) with Drainage Pro, or call or text (604) 210-3892.

---

# Here the water doesn't run off. It rises.

https://drainagepro.ca/locations/burnaby

Drainage Pro is a drainage contractor working across Burnaby, based in North Vancouver. We start with a camera, then repair perimeter drains, add sump systems where gravity can't reach the storm main, and hydro jet slow lines. On Burnaby's low ground the water comes up from below, so the fix depends on whether the house can drain by gravity.

## One city, three drainage problems

Burnaby is not one drainage problem. It is three, and which one you have depends on where the house sits.

The north ridges run from Capitol Hill and Burnaby Heights up toward Burnaby Mountain. On the north ridges, rain sits on compact till and reaches the foundation sideways. The second zone is the lake basin around Still Creek, Burnaby Lake and Deer Lake, and the third is the low ground along the Fraser. In the lake basin and along the Fraser, the water table sits high under the slab.

Ridge water arrives from the side. Low-ground water arrives from below. A wet basement on Capitol Hill and one near Deer Lake need different repairs.

The houses add a layer. Burnaby mixes post-war bungalows, 1970s and 1980s builds, and new infill, often on the same street. Two neighbours can have different pipes in the same wet ground.

## What actually fails in Burnaby

Four ways a Burnaby drainage system fails, and what shows on camera.

1. **Water perched on hardpan.** On the ridges, compact till will not take water down. It spreads along the hardpan and reaches the wall sideways. The fix is how the water is collected, not the pipe. On camera: the pipe can look sound and carry little water while the wall above it is wet.
2. **Corrugated pipe packed with silt.** Early corrugated plastic systems from the 1970s and 1980s were often installed quickly and bedded poorly. Where the pipe has no filter sock, silt works in and the ribs hold it. On camera: corrugations full of fines, silt above the invert and a bore that has gone oval.
3. **No fall to the storm main.** A system set too low to reach the main by gravity has nowhere to send its water. The City's own sump guide describes this case. On camera: water standing along the run in dry weather. Levels, not the camera, confirm there is no fall.
4. **A rising water table, not a leak.** On low ground, water comes up under the slab instead of running past the wall, so [perimeter drain repair](/services/perimeter-drainage) alone cannot fix it. On camera: sound perimeter pipe. On site: an existing sump pit that fills from below and a pump that cycles through a wet spell.

## When gravity isn't available

Some Burnaby buildings have storm and subsurface drainage at an elevation where pumping becomes necessary, and the City sets its own standards for those pumps. The [storm sump pump guide](https://www.burnaby.ca/sites/default/files/acquiadam/2021-08/Storm-Sump-Pump-Informational-Guide.pdf) is plain about it. Each application needs a letter under the seal of a professional engineer, who designs the pump and pit and inspects them at the end. Roof and driveway water connects through a separate gravity sump. The pump gets its own electrical circuit.

Where perimeter drainage needs pumping, rainwater leaders stay on gravity. That makes the first question on a low lot a question of levels. We take elevations before writing the scope, so you know whether gravity drainage is possible. We arrange the engineer's design and inspection for a pumped storm sump. [Sump pumps](/services/sump-pumps) are the second half of that answer.

Two other things move the scope. A drain buried under later concrete, a patio or an addition has to be reached before it can be repaired. And where water comes up through the floor, [basement waterproofing](/services/basement-waterproofing) belongs in the plan. Scope and price in writing before work starts.

## Signs your Burnaby drainage is already failing

One of these on its own can have a simple explanation. Two or three together usually mean the pipe has stopped doing its job.

- A sump that used to run now and then and now cycles through a wet week
- A damp band along the bottom of the basement wall, just above the slab
- A backyard that stays spongy long after the rain has stopped, on ground that looks level
- White chalky bloom on the concrete behind a basement finish, or bubbling paint
- A downspout that gurgles and pushes water back up at the base during heavy rain
- A driveway or patio slab cracked and dropped along one edge of the house
- A musty smell in the lower suite through the wet season

Our guide to [signs your perimeter drains are failing](/resources/signs-your-perimeter-drains-are-failing) explains what a damp wall, white bloom and a musty smell usually mean. If the water is coming in at one spot, [basement leak detection](/services/basement-leak-detection) traces it to its source.

## Slow, not collapsed: when cleaning is the right call

A slow pipe is not a failed pipe. Silt, fine roots and old sediment can choke a sound line, and [drain cleaning and hydro jetting](/services/drain-cleaning-hydro-jetting) clears that without opening the ground. For drain cleaning in Burnaby, that is the first thing to rule in or out.

A collapsed section, a separated joint or a belly that holds water is different. Cleaning can clear the build-up there for a while, but the fault stays and the line slows again. We run a camera before and after every jetting visit, so you see the pipe and not just our word that it is clear. [Camera inspection](/services/camera-pipe-inspections) is also how a failing system gets flagged before you pay for cleaning that will not fix it.

Cleaning water has to go somewhere too. Burnaby's Watercourse Bylaw prohibits sediment-laden water from reaching streams, ditches, drains and storm sewers.

## Permits, creeks and sediment

Changing any part of a plumbing system in a single or duplex dwelling needs a [Plumbing Gas Permit](https://www.burnaby.ca/services-and-payments/development-permits-construction/residential-trade-permits), which can be applied for online through the City's My Permits Portal. Replacing on-site services at an existing home, which covers storm lines, rainwater leaders, sumps and catch basins, needs a plumbing permit under the City's [on-site services bulletin](https://www.burnaby.ca/sites/default/files/acquiadam/2021-08/Plumbing-Permit-for-On-Site-Services-for-Single-and-Two-Family-Dwellings-Bulletin.pdf), taken out before any sewer connection permit. We confirm with the City which permit applies to your job, and we arrange permits and inspections where required.

Creeks add a second layer. Single and two-family sites do not need an Erosion and Sediment Control permit, but they must follow the City's best management practices for residential sites. If the lot holds a stream or sits within 30 m of its top of bank, the Streamside Protection permit area can apply, and grading or services work inside it needs a development permit unless an exemption applies. Whether a perimeter drain replacement around an existing house is exempt is a question for the City.

## The wet season

Environment and Climate Change Canada's 1981–2010 normals put annual precipitation at about 2,010 mm at the Burnaby Simon Fraser U station. It sits on Burnaby Mountain at 365.8 m, so it reads the hillside, not the low ground. October to March are the six wettest months, with November the wettest. July and August are the driest.

We work through the wet season. [Book an inspection](/book-inspection) when the first sign shows, not after the storm that proves it. If water is coming in now, call or text (604) 210-3892. Drainage Pro is based in North Vancouver, serving the North Shore and Greater Vancouver.

---

# Clay, concrete, Big-O or PVC: what is around your foundation?

https://drainagepro.ca/resources/clay-big-o-pvc-drain-tile-compared

Homes built between 1907 and the late 1970s usually have clay or concrete drain tile, homes from the 1980s and into the 1990s often have corrugated Big-O pipe, and anything installed since the 1990s is typically rigid PVC. The material tells you how old the system is, how it likely fails, and whether repair or replacement makes sense.

## How to tell which generation of drain tile you have

This guide compares the three drain tile (also called drainage tile) materials found under Greater Vancouver homes. For a primer on what the whole system does, see [what a perimeter drain is and how it works](/resources/what-is-a-perimeter-drain).

### Start with your home's build year

Homes built from 1907 until the late 1970s usually have clay or concrete drain tile. Homes from the 1980s and into the 1990s were commonly fitted with corrugated black plastic pipe, sold under the trade name Big-O, until rigid perforated PVC was introduced. Homes built since then almost always have rigid PVC.

Build year is a starting point, not proof. Renovations, additions and partial repairs mean a house can have more than one system underground, or a newer pipe tied into an older run.

### What a camera inspection shows

A camera inspection shows the material directly. Clay and concrete sections look like short, dull-coloured pipe lengths with a visible gap at each joint. Big-O looks black and ribbed on the inside, closer to corrugated cardboard in profile than a smooth pipe. PVC is smooth, white or grey, with fitted joints instead of open gaps.

### What you can see at cleanouts and sumps

A cleanout or sump pit sometimes exposes a section of pipe, and the material, colour and joint style are visible by eye. If it looks clay-coloured and jointed, or black and ribbed, book a [camera pipe inspection](/services/camera-pipe-inspections) to check the rest of the run before assuming it all matches.

## Clay and concrete tile (1907 to the late 1970s)

Clay and concrete drain tile is the oldest system still found under North Shore and Vancouver homes. It was installed in short, butt-jointed sections laid end to end around the footing, with a small gap left at each joint.

That gap is by design, not a defect. Older drain tile relied on open joints to let groundwater weep into the pipe, which is where the term weeping tile comes from (our guide to [weeping tile, perimeter drain and French drain terms](/resources/weeping-tile-vs-perimeter-drain-vs-french-drain) sorts out the other names). The same gap that lets water in also lets in fine roots, soil and sediment over time.

Common failures include root intrusion at the joints, sediment build-up that narrows the pipe, and cracked or offset sections from decades of soil movement; clay is brittle enough to crack with little warning.

Clay and concrete tile has an expected service life of 50 to 60 years. A home built in 1965 with its original system is now past that mark. Age alone does not mean total failure, but it does mean the system should be camera-inspected rather than assumed sound.

## Corrugated polyethylene, or "Big-O" (1980s into the 1990s)

Big-O is the trade name for corrugated black polyethylene drain pipe, and it became the standard choice through the 1980s and into the 1990s because it was cheaper and faster to install than rigid clay sections.

The same ribbed wall that made it flexible also traps sediment and fine debris in the corrugations, which is harder to flush out than a smooth-walled pipe. Older installations often used a fabric filter sock around the pipe, and that sock can clog or fail with age.

Corrugated pipe is also softer than clay or PVC. Under the weight of decades of backfill and soil movement, sections can deform, flatten or crush, especially where compaction was poor at installation. A deformed section restricts flow even if it has not fully collapsed.

On camera, Big-O is easy to identify: black, ribbed and slightly flexible-looking on screen, with sediment often sitting visibly in the low points between the ribs.

## Rigid perforated PVC (1990s to present)

Rigid perforated PVC, what most people mean by a modern PVC perimeter drain, has been the standard drain tile material since the 1990s. The pipe is smooth-walled inside and out, with holes sized to let groundwater in while resisting the sediment build-up that troubles older systems.

Sections join with fittings rather than open butt joints, and PVC resists root intrusion far better than clay or Big-O, which is one reason it is the modern standard.

PVC also holds its shape under load, which means it stays cleaner and is easier to flush with [hydro jetting](/services/drain-cleaning-hydro-jetting) equipment when maintenance is needed. Under the BC Building Code's [drainage requirements](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/construction-industry/building-codes-and-standards/revisions-and-mo/bcbc_2024_web_version_revision2.pdf) (Articles 9.14.3.1, 9.14.3.2 and 9.14.5.1), foundation drain pipe must be at least 100 mm in diameter and must drain to a sewer, ditch or dry well, and plastic pipe is explicitly recognized as an acceptable material alongside clay and concrete.

Installed correctly, with the right slope, drain rock, filter fabric and accessible cleanouts, a PVC system stays serviceable for decades rather than being a one-time install you forget about.

## Comparing the three systems at a glance

| Era | Material | Joints | Typical failures | Camera clues | Expected life | Repairability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 to the late 1970s | Clay or concrete tile | Butt-jointed, open gaps | Root intrusion, cracking, offset joints, sediment | Dull, short segmented sections with visible gaps | 50 to 60 years | Repairable early; usually cheaper to replace once failures multiply |
| 1980s into the 1990s | Corrugated polyethylene (Big-O) | Continuous corrugated pipe with fittings at bends | Sediment trapped in ribs, deformation, crushing, filter sock failure | Black, ribbed interior with sediment sitting in the corrugations | Depends on installation and soil | Repairable; ribbed wall limits cleaning |
| 1990s to present | Rigid perforated PVC | Joined with fittings, no open butt joints | Rare when installed correctly | Smooth white or grey wall with clean joints | Decades, designed for long-term service | Easiest to repair, clean and camera-inspect |

Joint style and wall texture predict how a system fails and how it can be serviced; a camera inspection turns that pattern into an answer for your house.

## Can old systems be repaired instead of replaced?

Sometimes. A single cracked section, a localized root intrusion or an isolated blockage in an otherwise sound system can often be repaired without touching the rest of the run. [Drain tile repair](/services/perimeter-drainage) fits when the failure is contained and the surrounding pipe tests clean on camera.

Replacement becomes the more economical choice once a system has multiple failure points. Repairing one section at a time on a system already near 50 to 60 years old often means returning to fix the next section within a few years. At that point, a full [perimeter drainage](/services/perimeter-drainage) replacement resets the clock instead of chasing repeated repairs.

The camera footage is what makes this a decision rather than a guess. If you are already seeing [signs your perimeter drains are failing](/resources/signs-your-perimeter-drains-are-failing), one bad joint in an otherwise intact system points toward a repair, while sediment, root intrusion and deformation at several points signal replacement.

## What replacement with PVC involves

Replacing an old clay or Big-O system with rigid PVC means excavating along the foundation, removing the old pipe and, where the wall needs it, addressing the waterproofing membrane while the trench is already open.

The new pipe is laid on compacted soil, wrapped in washed drain rock and filter fabric to keep soil out long-term, and fitted with cleanouts so future inspections and flushing do not require digging. Backfill, compaction and landscape reinstatement finish the job. For typical cost factors, see our guide to [perimeter drain replacement cost in Vancouver](/resources/perimeter-drain-replacement-cost-vancouver).

A full replacement carries our 10-year workmanship warranty, a sectional replacement 5 years and a spot repair 2 years, all in writing. The exact terms are in your contract.

## When to have your drain tile camera-inspected

A camera inspection is the only reliable way to confirm which system you have, since the clues at a cleanout or sump only show one point in a much longer run.

Book a [camera pipe inspection](/services/camera-pipe-inspections) if your home was built before 1990 and has never been inspected, if you notice early warning signs such as a musty basement smell or damp foundation walls, or if you are buying and want to know what is underground before removing subjects.

For homes in [North Vancouver](/locations/north-vancouver), a camera inspection is usually the fastest way to settle the question. [Book an inspection](/book-inspection) whenever you are ready to find out.

---

# Why a home inspection tells you almost nothing about what's underground

https://drainagepro.ca/resources/drainage-inspection-before-buying-a-home-vancouver

A standard home inspection cannot evaluate what is buried around your foundation. Underground drains need a camera and locating equipment most home inspectors do not carry. A dedicated drainage inspection checks the perimeter and storm lines before you remove subjects, so you know the real condition of the property, not just what is visible above ground.

## What a standard home inspection covers, and what it cannot

A general home inspection is a visual, non-invasive review of the things an inspector can see and reach: the roof, attic, electrical panel, plumbing fixtures, furnace, windows, and the visible parts of the foundation. It is a valuable, broad check of the home's condition above ground and at the surface.

What it does not cover is what is buried. Perimeter drains, footing drains and storm connections sit underground, beside the footing and under the landscaping; for a primer on the system itself, see [what a perimeter drain is and how it works](/resources/what-is-a-perimeter-drain). Evaluating them requires a drain camera and, often, underground utility locating equipment that a general home inspector does not carry as standard kit.

That gap matters because drainage is one of the most expensive systems to replace if it has failed, and it is completely invisible from a walkthrough. A home can pass a standard inspection with no comments on drainage and still have a collapsed clay tile system a short distance under the lawn.

This is not a shortcoming in a general inspector's work. Standard home inspections are visual and non-invasive by design, and digging or running a camera through someone else's property before you own it falls outside that scope. Drainage needs a specialist for the same reason a roof inspection sometimes calls in a roofer: the general inspection tells you where to look closer, not the final word on what is underground.

## What a drainage inspection actually includes

A [pre-purchase drainage inspection](/services/pre-purchase-drainage-inspection) is built specifically to answer the question a general inspection cannot. It starts with a site walk-through and grading review, then moves underground.

HD [drain camera inspection](/services/camera-pipe-inspections) of the accessible perimeter and storm lines, and the sewer line where access allows, along with an evaluation of catch basins and storm drainage, forms the core of the visit. We add underground utility locating where we need to confirm exactly what runs where, plus foundation drainage and hydrostatic pressure observations.

You receive a written findings report with photographs and video, an assessment of the drainage system's age and material, and repair recommendations with realistic budget guidance.

## How it fits a subject-removal timeline

In the standard BC Contract of Purchase and Sale, the contract ends if a subject is not removed in writing by the subject-removal deadline, as the [British Columbia Real Estate Association's note on subject removal](https://www.bcrea.bc.ca/legally-speaking/subject-removal-497/) explains. That deadline does not move for drainage.

Book as soon as your offer is accepted. Most pre-purchase drainage inspections take one to two hours on site, depending on the size of the property and how accessible the drainage system is, but scheduling, the site visit and the written report all need to happen inside the subject period, and subject-removal timelines in this market are often tight.

The tighter the subject-removal window, the more it helps to have your realtor request the inspection on the day the offer is accepted, rather than waiting to see how the general home inspection turns out first.

## What the findings can mean for negotiation

A clean camera inspection is worth having in hand even when it changes nothing, because it lets you remove subjects with confidence instead of a guess. When the news is not clean, the report is what turns a vague worry into a specific, priced conversation.

A written report with photos and video showing root intrusion, collapsed sections or a drainage system past its expected service life gives you and your realtor something concrete to negotiate with: a price adjustment, a seller-paid repair before closing, or a holdback of funds in trust until the work is done.

Without that documentation, a drainage problem discovered after closing is entirely yours to fund, on your own timeline, with nothing left to negotiate.

## Red flags by home age and neighbourhood type

Older homes are the obvious flag. A home built before about 1970 likely still has its original clay or concrete drain tile, a system with a 50 to 60 year expected service life that is now at or past that mark in most cases. See our comparison of [clay, Big-O and PVC drain tile](/resources/clay-big-o-pvc-drain-tile-compared) for how to spot which one a home has.

Finished or recently finished basements deserve extra attention, not less. A basement that was refinished shortly before listing can hide water staining, efflorescence or a musty smell behind new drywall and flooring, and cosmetic work is sometimes done to cover a drainage problem rather than fix it.

Homes on sloped lots, common across the North Shore and parts of [Vancouver](/locations/vancouver), see more hydrostatic pressure against the uphill foundation wall than homes on flat ground. Combine any of these factors, an older home, a recently finished basement, or a sloped lot, and a drainage inspection moves from optional to close to essential.

Estate sales and long-held family homes carry their own flag. A property with one owner for thirty or forty years may never have had its drainage inspected at all, simply because nothing ever prompted it, which means the system's true condition is unknown rather than confirmed good.

## Realtor workflow: how to book and what to send us

Realtors can book Drainage Pro directly by phone or through [book an inspection](/book-inspection); the fastest bookings happen on the day subjects are written into an accepted offer. Send us the address, the subject-removal date, and access details such as a lockbox code or a scheduled showing window, and we will work backward from your deadline.

A copy of the property disclosure statement and any prior inspection or drainage reports, if the seller has them, helps us focus the camera run on anything already flagged. None of that is required to book, but it saves time on site.

A few other details speed things up: whether the crawl space and exterior access points are unlocked, where the cleanouts are if anyone knows, and any water intrusion the seller has already disclosed. We work with whatever access the showing schedule allows either way.

You get a written report with photos and video, plus a call to walk through the findings before you decide.

## What happens after you own the home

An inspection is a snapshot, not a warranty. A system that tests clean on closing day can still be old enough that it is worth planning for, and if new symptoms show up after you move in, our guide to [signs your perimeter drains are failing](/resources/signs-your-perimeter-drains-are-failing) explains what to watch for.

If we found issues during the pre-purchase inspection, drain tile repair or a full [perimeter drainage](/services/perimeter-drainage) replacement addresses them on your timeline rather than in an emergency. If everything tested clean, a camera pass in later years can show whether anything has changed; how often depends on the pipe, the trees near it and the house's history.

---

# How much does perimeter drain replacement cost in Vancouver?

https://drainagepro.ca/resources/perimeter-drain-replacement-cost-vancouver

Perimeter drain replacement cost varies too widely between homes to quote a single number honestly. It depends on the home's footprint, excavation depth, soil conditions, access, existing landscaping, and how much of the system has failed. Here is what actually moves the price and how a contractor should build a quote.

If you are not sure your drains have failed, our guide to [signs your perimeter drains are failing](/resources/signs-your-perimeter-drains-are-failing) can help you confirm it, and [what a perimeter drain is and how it works](/resources/what-is-a-perimeter-drain) covers what the system actually is. This guide is about what moves the price once you're ready to get quotes.

## What drives the price of perimeter drain replacement

Every quote is really an estimate of how much digging, hauling and rebuilding a specific lot requires, which is why two homes on the same street can land at very different numbers. These are the factors that move the price the most.

| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Footprint and lineal feet | More perimeter means more excavation, more pipe, more drain rock and more backfill |
| Excavation depth | A full basement costs more to expose than a crawlspace, and extra depth adds shoring and safety requirements |
| Soil and rock | Clay, hardpan or bedrock take longer to dig than sandy soil and may need different equipment |
| Access and equipment size | A narrow side yard or laneway lot often means smaller equipment, more hand digging, and more hours |
| Landscaping and hardscape | Decks, patios, retaining walls, mature trees and irrigation add removal and reinstatement costs on top of the drain itself |
| Existing system condition | A partial failure costs less to address than a system that has collapsed along its full length |
| Waterproofing add-ons | A new membrane while the wall is already exposed adds cost now but usually avoids reopening the trench later |
| Sump pumps | A lot that can't drain by gravity needs a [sump pump](/services/sump-pumps) and often a battery backup |
| Permits | Requirements and fees vary by municipality and by the scope of work |
| Season | Work goes ahead year-round, but wet-season soil conditions and site protection can add time |

## How a contractor builds a quote

A number without a camera inspection first is a guess. Before we write a scope, we run a [camera pipe inspection](/services/camera-pipe-inspections) through the accessible line to see the pipe's actual material, condition and any collapsed sections, rather than pricing blind off the home's age. That inspection turns into a written scope covering what's being replaced, how deep, what gets restored, and exactly what the [perimeter drainage](/services/perimeter-drainage) work does and doesn't include. A written scope is also what lets you compare two quotes fairly, since "perimeter drain replacement" can describe very different amounts of work depending on what's inside it.

## Partial repair vs. full replacement

Not every failing system needs to come out entirely. If the camera shows an isolated collapse or a single bad section on an otherwise sound system, a localized repair can fix the actual problem for less than a full dig. The economics flip once a system has failed in multiple places, or the material itself, old clay or crushed or deformed Big-O, is simply at the end of its life. Paying to reopen the same trench two or three more times over a few years usually costs more in total than doing the full perimeter once. The camera inspection is what tells you which situation you're in, not the home's age alone.

## What to check in any quote: membrane and reinstatement

Two items decide a lot of the difference between quotes for the same job, so check that both are included and priced. The first is a new [waterproofing membrane](/services/foundation-waterproofing) on the exposed wall. The wall is open once, and a membrane left out of the scope means reopening the trench to add it later. The second is reinstatement: putting a deck, a paved path or a retaining wall back properly takes real labour and materials. If either one is missing from the scope, you will be paying for it separately, or living with a rougher finish, once the trench closes.

## What a failed system costs if you wait

A drainage quote can look expensive next to doing nothing, until it's compared with what a failed system actually costs once it fails outright. Water that keeps finding its way past the foundation doesn't stay contained. It saturates a finished basement's framing and drywall, it feeds the mould that follows, and sustained hydrostatic pressure against the wall contributes to the kind of cracking and movement that turns into a [foundation repair](/services/foundation-repair) project instead of a drainage one. The repair you can plan for is almost always cheaper than the one you can't.

## Does insurance cover a failed perimeter drain?

Usually not, and that's worth knowing before assuming a claim will cover the gap. Standard home insurance in Canada is built around sudden, accidental events, and the [Insurance Bureau of Canada](https://www.ibc.ca/stay-protected/protect-your-property/flood-and-water) notes that ongoing or repeated damage is considered a long-term maintenance issue and may not be covered. A perimeter drain that has let water in gradually for years falls on the maintenance side of that line, a different question from a sudden sewer backup. Sewer backup cover is usually an optional add-on. It's another reason to address a failing system early rather than wait for a claim that likely won't come.

## Financing a drainage project

A full perimeter drain replacement is a real expense for most households, and financing it isn't a bad option just because insurance usually won't help. A home equity line of credit is one way homeowners finance this kind of work, since a fixed-scope project with a known end date suits a HELOC's structure better than it suits a credit card. Some contractors also arrange financing through a third-party lender, which is worth asking about while you're comparing quotes, because interest rates and terms vary between lenders about as much as quotes vary between contractors. Financing the work doesn't change what should happen first: a camera inspection and a written scope, so the number you're financing reflects your actual property instead of a rough guess.

## Pre-purchase inspections

If you're buying rather than fixing, a [pre-purchase drainage inspection](/services/pre-purchase-drainage-inspection) turns an unknown into a written scope before you own the problem. If the camera finds a failing system, you can weigh the cost of the work against the price of the house before subjects come off. If it finds a sound one, you remove subjects knowing what is underground.

## Typical price ranges: why we won't guess

Every published price range for perimeter drain replacement is really describing a different mix of the factors above, which is why the numbers you'll find vary so widely from one source to the next and rarely transfer between homes. Publishing a figure that fits some homes and badly misleads others isn't useful to you. What is useful is a camera inspection that measures the actual scope of your specific property, which is what turns into a written quote you can hold a contractor to.

## Questions to ask any contractor before you sign

A written scope protects you regardless of who does the work. Before you sign anything, ask what the camera inspection actually showed and whether you can see the footage, whether the job is a full replacement or a partial repair and why, whether landscaping and hardscape reinstatement is included or billed separately, whether a waterproofing membrane is included and what it covers, and who pulls the permit and whether that fee is already in the quote. Also ask for the workmanship warranty in writing, including what it excludes. At Drainage Pro it is 10 years on full replacements, 5 years on sectional replacements and 2 years on spot repairs, provided in writing. The exact terms are in your contract. Whoever you hire, get their equivalent in writing before the trench opens. We work on homes across [Vancouver](/locations/vancouver) and the North Shore. If you'd rather start with a camera than a guess, [book an inspection](/book-inspection) and get a scope built around your actual property.

---

# Signs your perimeter drains are failing

https://drainagepro.ca/resources/signs-your-perimeter-drains-are-failing

Perimeter drains rarely announce their own failure. The first evidence almost always shows up somewhere else, as a smell, a stain, a slow drain, or water where it shouldn't be. Here are eight signs to watch for, what each one usually means, and how to confirm the actual cause before you pay for a repair.

Perimeter drains fail quietly. There's no alarm, no obvious leak at first, just water finding a new path once the old one stops working. The signs almost always show up somewhere else in the house before anyone thinks to look underground, which is why the symptom often gets treated before the drain itself gets checked. If you want the basics on what that drain actually is first, our guide to [what a perimeter drain is and how it works](/resources/what-is-a-perimeter-drain) covers it.

## A musty smell in the basement

A persistent musty smell, the kind that lingers even after airing the room out, usually means moisture is getting into the space somewhere and has nowhere to evaporate to quickly. It can come from a slow perimeter drain failure, a crack, or simply poor ventilation, so smell alone doesn't tell you the cause. What it does tell you is that the humidity down there has been elevated for a while, long enough for that smell to set into drywall, carpet and framing. A [basement leak detection](/services/basement-leak-detection) visit finds the actual moisture source instead of guessing from the smell.

## Efflorescence on foundation walls

Efflorescence is the white, chalky mineral residue left behind once water that has moved through concrete evaporates on the inside surface. It brushes off easily and isn't mould, but its presence means water is actively finding its way through the wall, not that it once did. A little efflorescence on an older foundation isn't an emergency, but fresh or spreading deposits mean the pressure and moisture behind that wall are ongoing. It's worth confirming whether the drain outside is still doing its job before the same moisture starts affecting finishes or framing.

## Damp or wet interior foundation walls

A wall that feels cool and damp to the touch, or shows dark staining low down near the floor, is further along the same path as efflorescence. At this stage water isn't just passing through and evaporating, it's arriving faster than the wall can dry between rain events. This usually points to a perimeter drain that's partially blocked or has failed along a section, letting hydrostatic pressure build against that part of the wall. Left alone, damp walls are how finished basements lose drywall, flooring and trim to gradual water damage.

## Mould on foundation walls

Mould needs sustained moisture to establish itself, so its presence on a foundation wall means the dampness has been there long enough to matter, not just after one heavy storm. It tends to show up in corners, behind furniture, or wherever airflow is poorest, which can hide it for months. Because mould is a health concern as well as a structural one, this is a sign worth acting on rather than simply cleaning off the surface. Addressing the moisture source, usually with drainage repair alongside [foundation waterproofing](/services/foundation-waterproofing), is what stops it from coming back.

## Interior floor drains backing up

A floor drain that gurgles, backs up, or overflows slightly during heavy rain is often blamed on the sewer, but a struggling perimeter drain can cause the same symptom if it ties into the same line. Sediment, root intrusion, or a crushed section can all restrict flow enough that water backs up to the lowest point in the system, which is usually that floor drain. [Drain cleaning and hydro jetting](/services/drain-cleaning-hydro-jetting) can clear a blockage, but a camera inspection first confirms whether cleaning will actually fix it or whether the pipe itself has failed.

## Water pooling against the foundation or in window wells

Water that sits against the foundation instead of soaking in, or collects in a window well instead of draining out the bottom, means the drainage right at that spot isn't keeping up. Sometimes that's surface grading or a disconnected downspout, and sometimes it's the perimeter drain underneath that low spot no longer accepting water the way it should. Either way, standing water beside a foundation is exactly the condition a perimeter drain exists to prevent, and prolonged pooling increases the hydrostatic pressure pushing on the wall behind it.

## Cracks that leak

Foundation cracks are common and not automatically serious, but a crack that lets water through during rain is a different problem than one that's simply cosmetic. A leaking crack usually means the soil outside that wall stays saturated longer than it should, which points back to drainage rather than the crack being the root cause. Sealing the crack without addressing why the soil beside it won't drain tends to just move the water to the next weak point in the wall.

## Flooding during heavy November storms

If flooding or serious water intrusion only ever happens during the heaviest storms of the year, rather than with routine rain, that's often a system that's still working but undersized or partially compromised for peak flow. A partially blocked or crushed section might handle normal groundwater fine and still fall behind once a sustained heavy rain saturates the soil faster than the pipe can move it. This pattern is worth taking seriously precisely because it's intermittent. It tends to get worse, not better, as whatever is restricting the pipe continues to build up.

## What causes the failures

Most failures trace back to a small set of causes. Age is the most common: clay and concrete tile, laid from 1907 until the late 1970s, is often at or past its 50 to 60 year service life, with brittle pipe, offset joints and collapsed sections. Root intrusion works its way into joints looking for moisture and gradually blocks the pipe from the inside. Sediment builds up in corrugated Big-O pipe more than in smooth PVC, because its ribbed interior gives grit somewhere to settle. Ground movement on sloped North Shore lots can shift or crush sections over time, and clogged gutters or downspouts that discharge close to the foundation overload even a healthy drain with far more water than it was designed to handle.

## Confirm it, then decide: repair or replace

### How to confirm it

Guessing from symptoms alone leads to fixing the wrong thing. A [camera pipe inspection](/services/camera-pipe-inspections) runs a video camera through the accessible line and shows exactly what's happening: material, condition, blockages and any collapsed sections, on video you can see for yourself. That footage is what turns a list of symptoms into an actual diagnosis, and it's the only reliable way to tell whether the fix is a partial repair or a full replacement.

### Repair or replace

An isolated failure on an otherwise sound system is often a candidate for a targeted drain tile repair rather than a full dig. A system that's failed in multiple places, or that's still original clay, or crushed or deformed Big-O, nearing the end of its life, is usually more economical to replace once through [perimeter drainage](/services/perimeter-drainage) work than to keep repairing piecemeal. Our guide to [perimeter drain replacement cost](/resources/perimeter-drain-replacement-cost-vancouver) walks through what drives that decision financially. If you're in [West Vancouver](/locations/west-vancouver) or anywhere else on the North Shore and recognize two or more of these signs, [booking an inspection](/book-inspection) with Drainage Pro is the fastest way to find out which situation you're actually in.

---

# Weeping tile, perimeter drain or French drain: what's the difference?

https://drainagepro.ca/resources/weeping-tile-vs-perimeter-drain-vs-french-drain

Weeping tile and perimeter drain are the same foundation drainage system under different names. A French drain is a different, shallower system that manages surface or subsurface water in a trench, usually away from the house rather than around the footing. Knowing which one you actually have changes how you fix it.

## The short answer: how many systems are we actually talking about?

Perimeter drain, drain tile and weeping tile are names for the same pipe at the footing: a buried, perforated pipe around the foundation. The [BC Building Code](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/construction-industry/building-codes-and-standards/revisions-and-mo/bcbc_2024_web_version_revision2.pdf) calls it drain tile or pipe. Either name points at the same pipe, doing the same job.

A French drain is a different system. It is a gravel-filled trench with a perforated pipe at the bottom, built to intercept surface water or shallow groundwater somewhere in a yard or slope, and it is not necessarily connected to your foundation at all.

The confusion is understandable, since all three terms describe buried, perforated pipe surrounded by gravel, and listings, contractors and inspection reports use them inconsistently. What matters for your house is not the name but which system you actually have and what it is meant to protect.

## How each system works

A perimeter drain, or weeping tile, is a perforated pipe laid in gravel around the outside of the foundation footing, at or below basement floor level. For the full mechanics, see [what a perimeter drain is and how it works](/resources/what-is-a-perimeter-drain). Groundwater in the surrounding soil enters the pipe through its perforations and flows by gravity, or by sump pump where gravity is not practical, to a storm connection, ditch or dry well.

A French drain works on the same basic principle of gravel and perforated pipe, but it is built at whatever depth and location intercepts the water it is targeting, often much shallower than a footing. Surface water and near-surface groundwater move into the trench from above and the sides, not just along the pipe's length, and the trench carries it to a lower point where it can daylight or tie into a storm system.

The BC Building Code's [drainage section](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/construction-industry/building-codes-and-standards/revisions-and-mo/bcbc_2024_web_version_revision2.pdf) refers to the foundation pipe as drain tile or pipe, not weeping tile, which is why the two names can feel like a technical-versus-casual split even though they describe the same hardware.

## Where each one is installed

Perimeter drains run continuously around the entire foundation, following the footing line on the exterior side of the wall, or in some older interior retrofits, along the inside of the footing under the basement slab.

French drains go wherever surface water collects or moves: along the base of a retaining wall, across a sloped backyard, beside a driveway, or around a window well. A property can have a French drain and no drainage problem at the foundation at all, or a foundation problem with no French drain in sight.

Because the two systems solve different problems, a home can reasonably have both: a perimeter drain protecting the foundation and a separate French drain managing a wet corner of the yard.

## What each one protects against

A perimeter drain's job is to relieve hydrostatic pressure, the force groundwater puts on a foundation wall when it has nowhere else to go. Left unmanaged, that pressure pushes moisture through cracks, cold joints and porous concrete into the basement.

A French drain's job is to move water that is on or near the surface before it pools, saturates the ground, or runs toward a structure. It protects landscaping, hardscaping and retaining walls, and indirectly a foundation if the surface water it intercepts would otherwise have soaked into the soil beside the house.

Neither system waterproofs a wall by itself. [Waterproofing](/services/basement-waterproofing) is the membrane or coating on the wall itself; drainage of any kind is what keeps water from reaching that wall under pressure in the first place.

## Common misunderstandings

A French drain does not replace a failed perimeter drain. If your existing foundation drainage has collapsed, filled with sediment or rotted out, redirecting surface water somewhere else in the yard does nothing for the pipe that is supposed to relieve pressure at the footing. That requires repairing or replacing the [perimeter drainage](/services/perimeter-drainage) itself, whether through drain tile repair or a full replacement, not a trench somewhere else.

The other common mix-up is interior versus exterior weeping tile. An exterior system sits outside the foundation wall at the original footing, and is the system most homes are built with. An interior system is a retrofit: a channel cut along the inside edge of the basement slab, draining to a sump pump, installed when excavating outside is not practical. Both get called weeping tile in casual conversation, but they sit on opposite sides of the same wall.

If you are not sure which system a previous owner installed, a [basement leak detection](/services/basement-leak-detection) assessment identifies what is actually there before any repair is planned.

## Which one your Vancouver-area home actually needs

Start with what the water is actually doing. Water pooling on the surface, running off a slope, or collecting beside a driveway after rain is a surface-water problem, and a French drain or improved grading is usually the right tool.

A musty basement smell, damp foundation walls, efflorescence, or a sump pump that runs constantly during storms points to groundwater and hydrostatic pressure at the foundation, which is a perimeter drain problem rather than a surface one. If any of that sounds familiar, our guide to [signs your perimeter drains are failing](/resources/signs-your-perimeter-drains-are-failing) covers what else to watch for.

Homes on sloped lots in [Burnaby](/locations/burnaby) and across the North Shore often have both kinds of water to manage: surface runoff moving downhill toward the house, and groundwater pressing against the foundation from the saturated soil around it. Treating only one does not fix the other.

## How a camera inspection settles the question

Symptoms alone do not tell you which system is failing, or whether one exists at all. Some older homes never had a French drain installed even where the yard clearly needs one, and some past additions turn out to be a garden-bed drain with no connection to the foundation system whatsoever.

A [camera pipe inspection](/services/camera-pipe-inspections) run through the accessible drain lines shows the pipe material, condition and where it actually runs, which settles the question directly instead of guessing from symptoms at the surface. Drainage Pro runs a camera before recommending any repair, for exactly this reason.

If you want a second opinion on a quote that recommends French drain work for what sounds like a foundation drainage problem, or the reverse, [book an inspection](/book-inspection) and we will tell you what is actually down there before anyone starts digging.

## Weeping tile vs perimeter drain vs French drain at a glance

| | Weeping tile / perimeter drain | French drain |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Perforated pipe in gravel around the foundation footing | Perforated pipe in a gravel-filled trench, positioned to intercept water anywhere on a property |
| Depth and location | At or below the basement floor, following the whole foundation | Wherever surface or shallow water needs to be captured, often shallower |
| What it protects | The foundation wall, against hydrostatic pressure and groundwater | Yards, slopes, retaining walls and hardscaping, and sometimes the foundation indirectly |
| When it fails | Cracked, collapsed, root-filled or sediment-choked pipe under the house | Clogged gravel or pipe, or a trench never sized for the water it needs to move |
| Relative repair cost | Higher, since it usually requires excavation at the foundation | Lower, since it is typically a shorter, shallower trench away from the house |

Cost here is relative, not absolute. A perimeter drain repair almost always costs more than a French drain because it means excavating along the foundation, sometimes on more than one side of the house, while a French drain is typically a shorter trench somewhere in the yard. For what drives the cost, see our guide to [perimeter drain replacement cost in Vancouver](/resources/perimeter-drain-replacement-cost-vancouver). Either way, get a written, itemized quote and confirm on camera which system it actually addresses before you approve the work.

---

# What is a perimeter drain?

https://drainagepro.ca/resources/what-is-a-perimeter-drain

A perimeter drain is a perforated pipe buried around a foundation footing that collects groundwater and carries it away before it pushes against the wall. It sits at footing depth and drains to a storm connection or a sump. The BC Building Code requires the foundation to be drained, by pipe or a gravel layer, with one narrow exception.

If you already know your system has failed, our guide to [signs your perimeter drains are failing](/resources/signs-your-perimeter-drains-are-failing) covers what that looks like. This one starts further back: what the system is, what it's made of, and how it's supposed to work.

## What a perimeter drain is

A perimeter drain is a perforated pipe buried at the base of a home's foundation footing that collects groundwater before it can push against the foundation wall, then carries that water away to a storm connection, a sump, or another approved outlet. It runs the full perimeter of the foundation, which is where the name comes from. Builders also call it a footing drain or a foundation drain, and homeowners often say weeping tile for the same system, even though new systems haven't been laid in clay tile for decades. Whatever it's called, the job is the same: keep water moving away from the house instead of soaking into the ground beside it.

## The parts of a perimeter drainage system

A working system is more than a length of pipe in the ground. Each part does a specific job, and a weak link anywhere in the chain lets water find its way toward the basement instead of the storm sewer.

| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| Perforated pipe | Sits at footing level and collects groundwater through slotted or drilled holes along its length |
| Drain rock | Clean, crushed gravel around the pipe that lets water move freely without clogging with soil |
| Filter fabric | Wraps the rock to keep fine soil out while still letting water through |
| Membrane or dampproofing | A coating or sheet on the foundation wall that stops moisture from wicking through the concrete itself |
| Cleanouts | Capped access points at grade that let a camera or a hose reach the pipe without digging |
| Discharge point | Where the water actually goes: a municipal storm connection, a sump and pump, or gravity to a lower point on the lot |

Leave out one part, filter fabric especially, and the system silts in years before the pipe itself would have failed on its own.

## How deep should a perimeter drain be?

There isn't one right number. A perimeter drain sits at the footing, and the footing sits as deep as that home's foundation requires. The [BC Building Code 2024, Section 9.14 (Drainage)](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/construction-industry/building-codes-and-standards/revisions-and-mo/bcbc_2024_web_version_revision2.pdf) ties the drain to the structure rather than to a fixed measurement: the top of the pipe has to sit below the underside of the basement floor slab, and the pipe has to be covered on its top and sides with at least 150 mm of crushed stone (Article 9.14.3.3). The code's alternative to drain pipe, a layer of gravel or crushed rock, has its own dimensions: at least 125 mm below the footing and 300 mm past its outer edge (Article 9.14.4.2). A bungalow on a crawlspace and a three-storey home with a full basement end up with perimeter drains at very different depths on the same street, because their footings sit at different depths. That's also why depth alone tells you little about a system's condition; age, material and installation quality matter far more.

## Where does a perimeter drain drain to?

Gravity does most of the work when the lot allows it. Water collected at the footing flows through the pipe to a lower point, most often a connection to the municipal storm sewer, which the building code lists alongside a drainage ditch or a dry well as approved outlets. Where the lot is flat or the storm connection sits higher than the footing, the water drains instead into a sump pit, where a [sump pump](/services/sump-pumps) lifts it up and out. A dry well, sometimes called a rock pit, is only permitted where the natural groundwater level sits below the bottom of the well, and the code requires it to sit at least 5 m from the foundation so the water drains away from the house rather than back toward it.

## Perimeter drain vs. French drain vs. weeping tile

The terms get used interchangeably, which causes confusion. Perimeter drain, drain tile and weeping tile all describe one perforated pipe around the foundation. A French drain is a different system: a gravel-filled trench with a perforated pipe that redirects surface or shallow water, and it can sit anywhere on a property, not only against a foundation. It cannot stand in for the drain at the footing, and our guide to [weeping tile, perimeter drains and French drains](/resources/weeping-tile-vs-perimeter-drain-vs-french-drain) breaks down where each term is actually accurate.

## What a perimeter drain protects against

A working system keeps hydrostatic pressure from building against the foundation wall. When soil around a house saturates and has nowhere else to go, that water pushes on the wall, and enough pressure forces it through hairline cracks, cold joints or porous concrete. That's what shows up inside as efflorescence, the white mineral deposit left behind once water evaporates through the wall, often followed by mould wherever the moisture lingers. Left long enough, the same pressure and moisture cycle contributes to foundation movement and cracking, a far more expensive problem than the drain that was supposed to prevent it. Pairing a perimeter drain with [foundation waterproofing](/services/foundation-waterproofing) addresses both sides of the problem: drainage carries the water away, and the membrane stops what's left from wicking through the wall.

## Is a perimeter drain required by the BC Building Code?

Yes, with one narrow exception. Article 9.14.2.1 requires the bottom of every exterior foundation wall to be drained, either by drain tile or pipe or by a layer of gravel or crushed rock, "unless it can be shown to be unnecessary." The code also sets minimum pipe diameter, at 100 mm, and material standards, so an inspector can confirm a new installation meets the requirement before it's backfilled and disappears from view for decades.

## How long a perimeter drain lasts, by material

Material tells you more about a system's remaining life than age alone. Clay and concrete tile, used from 1907 until the late 1970s, relied on open joints between short pipe sections and typically reaches the end of its 50 to 60 year service life somewhere in that range. Corrugated plastic pipe, often called Big-O, replaced tile through the 1980s and into the 1990s; it's cheaper and faster to install, but its ribbed interior traps sediment and it can deform under load over time. Rigid, smooth-walled PVC has been the standard since the 1990s and holds up better against roots, sediment and crushing than either of its predecessors. If a camera inspection turns up an aging clay or Big-O system, [drain tile repair](/services/perimeter-drainage) covers both a partial fix and a full replacement, and our comparison of [clay, Big-O and PVC drain tile](/resources/clay-big-o-pvc-drain-tile-compared) goes through what to expect from each.

## Does your home have one, and when should you call someone about it?

Homes built under today's BC Building Code must have the foundation drained, by pipe or a gravel layer, unless it can be shown to be unnecessary. Older homes vary in what they have and what shape it is in. Visible cleanouts near the foundation, a permit history that mentions drain tile, or a home built or substantially renovated since the 1990s are all reasonable signs of a newer PVC system, but they're signs, not proof. The only way to know for certain, on any home, is to look. A [camera pipe inspection](/services/camera-pipe-inspections) feeds a video camera through the accessible line and shows the pipe's actual condition, material and any blockages, rather than guessing from the home's age. If you're seeing water where you shouldn't, or you want to know what's underground before you buy, [book an inspection](/book-inspection) and start with the camera instead of the shovel. Drainage Pro works on perimeter drains across [North Vancouver](/locations/north-vancouver) and the rest of the North Shore; our [perimeter drainage](/services/perimeter-drainage) page covers what a repair or replacement actually involves, and our guide to [perimeter drain replacement cost](/resources/perimeter-drain-replacement-cost-vancouver) explains what drives the price before you get quotes.