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).