AKWADRAIN™  AMERDRAIN™

The Problem

An undrained or poorly-drained basement and crawl space can result in a multitude of problems ranging from structural failure of the wall itself to damage to building contents from high humidity levels.  Unprotected exterior waterproofing can be damaged, break down or even disintegrate over time. Damp walls can transmit interior heat into the surrounding soil.  Failure to provide proper drainage for an underground wall will always result in a build-up of hydrostatic pressure.  The load on an undrained wall is often double that on a properly drained wall. Without drainage, the wall would have to be built much stronger with the resultant increase in cost and weight.

Hydrostatic pressure is the driving force for seepage of water through the wall into the interior of the structure. In addition, high hydrostatic pressure often shortens the life of waterproofing materials.

The Solution

By installing a prefabricated drainage system using AMERDRAIN and AKWADRAIN products, basement wall drainage can be provided by filtering the water through the geotextile filter into the dimpled core and quickly drain down the wall to the collection system. This keeps the hydrostatic pressure off the wall and provides insurance for the waterproofing. In addition to providing a drainage system, because the AMERDRAIN Sheet Drain is impervious, it eliminates the need for protection board against the waterproofing, resulting in reduction of product costs.

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AMERDRAIN 200 Sheet Drain is designed primarily for vertical and horizontal applications at shallower depths where moderate compressive strength and flow capacity are adequate. This applies to residential basements and crawl space areas.  The core side of AMERDRAIN 200 is placed against the wall surface of the foundation, or other similar structure. AMERDRAIN 200 provides full-coverage protection to waterproofing materials.

AKWADRAIN Strip Drain is designed to replace perforated pipe and stone drainage systems in various applications including around the foundation of a home. It provides a significantly higher flow rate as well as increased ease of handling and installation. The product can be used alone or with other American Wick Drain products, depending on the application.

General Product Overview

American Wick Drain Corporation is America's largest full-line producer of prefabricated soil sheet and strip drain material. The company was established in 1982 to design, manufacture and market technically advanced materials for subsurface drainage applications. The objective was to combine geotextiles with specially designed drainage cores in order to offer new drainage materials having significant advantages over aggregate drains.
Our products consist of two major components:

Dimple Core

The dimpled core creates an air space for water to enter and travel to its collection system. It consists of a polymeric core with its own inherent strength to withstand compressive strengths from vertical applications of soil and/or stone backfill or vehicular traffic in horizontal applications. The core height ranges from 0.25 inches to relatively 0.5 inches. Compressive strengths range from 10,800 lbs/sq ft to 35,000 lbs/sq ft. In vertical applications, the dimpled core also acts as a protection board. Because the core is impervious, the AMERDRAIN Sheet Drain can replace the use of protection board against waterproofing. The flow capacity of the core ranges from 9 to 15 gal/min/ft which is equivalent to the flow rate found in 4-8 feet of drainage stone.

Geosynthetic Filter Fabric

The purpose of the filter fabric is to provide a layer of filter between the unwanted soil particles and the dimpled core. The geosynthetic filter fabric has a high filtration rate allowing water to filter through the fabric and enter the drainage core quickly yet resist clogging. The fabric is glued to each dimple of the polymeric core to keep from soil intrusion. Various fabrics are available to meet special specification needs as well.

  

Basement and Crawl Space Wall	Landscaping
Basement and Foundation Wall	Natural Turf
Brick & Stone Patio	Nursery
Bridge Abutment	Planter & Flower Box
Chimney Drain	Parking & Plaza Deck
Decks with Pavers	Playground
Earth-Sheltered Structure	Retaining Walls
Golf Course	Culvert
Green Roof	Under Floor Slab