How to Correctly Apply and Install a Drainboard System
Protecting foundations properly from moisture requires the right products and the right installation. A poorly installed drainboard runs the risk of dirt and debris getting trapped inside, leading to a faulty and less effective drainage system. This can ruin any construction project, resulting in wasted time, money, and effort.
In this short video, certified Passive House Consultant and experienced technical services manager Krzysztof Apriasz shows how to apply and install the DELTA®-DRAIN drainboard system and what components and fasteners can be used to get the job done right. Throughout this step-by-step demonstration, he’ll also explain the differences between DELTA®-DRAIN and DELTA®-MS, how to properly adhere the drainboard to the foundation, the science behind the system, and how to ultimately achieve the ideal drainage, insulation, and waterproofing setting.
About DELTA®-DRAIN drainboard system
Through DELTA®-DRAIN’s dimpled membrane and geotextile design, this drainage board allows for a high water-flow capacity and ensures effective drainage, leaving foundations and basements dry and free from moisture.
The two-layer dimpled membrane is suited for any application in residential and light commercial construction, offering outstanding compressive strength and impact resistance.
What makes DELTA®-DRAIN unique is its heat-bonded polypropylene geotextile, which is securely bonded to dimple crowns by a thermal process. This leads to lasting durability and performance, and provides exceptional filtering performance, too.
The geotextile is also rot-proof, highly water permeable and prevents clogging of the flow passages in the drainage core.
The result? You get continuous drainage of incoming water to the footing perimeter.
How does a drainage board work?
Drainage boards help extend the life of the foundation by relieving hydrostatic pressure. When correctly applied and a part of a well-designed system, minimal moisture should reach the foundation.
And when water does reach the foundation, drainage boards direct it away from the building via gravity. The dimples create and maintain an air gap that allows any moisture or water present to flow to the drain at the footing.
Is a drainage board considered ‘waterproofing?’
Drainage boards are an integral part of a waterproofing system, but a drainage board alone will not make a floor or foundation completely waterproof. Drainboards primarily control the flow of below-grade water, directing incoming water away from the building and freely draining to the footing perimeter.
If you’d like more in-depth information on HDPE drainboards, check out our own academic research on the long-term performance requirements for HDPE drainboards and the pros and cons associated with their usage, durability, and design.
