Basement Window Well Drain

When there is water outside of a basement window, it will leak into the basement - after all, they aren't submarine windows! So we need to fix them.

Besides the obvious - fix the gutters, re-grade if possible, and extend the downspouts - if you don't do something else the window will likely leak again in the future. So the best thing to do is install a drain from the window well to the perimeter drainage system around your basement that leads to the sump pump.

A simple system called a WellDuct, a vertical extension of the WaterGuard System, drains water from the window well before the window leaks in the event that water rises in the well.

A drain hole is drilled through your basement wall just under the windowsill. If the wall is a block wall, the hole is lined with a section of pipe. Then a grate is installed on the outside over the hole. The WellDuct conduit itself is installed on the inside of your basement wall.

If water rises to threaten the window, it goes through the grate, through the wall, down the WellDuct, through your inside drain system, and to the sump pump. Simple. It's a good idea to cover the grate with clean stone outside to keep leaves from plugging it - unless you have a SunHouse (keep reading).