# What is drain tile - and is it different from a French drain? (Kansas City)

> Premier Gutters KC - NDS-certified drainage contractor, Kansas City metro. (816) 469-9563.

**Short answer:** Same idea, older name. Drain tile is the traditional Midwest term for buried perforated pipe that collects groundwater - from when the pipe really was clay tiles. Modern EXTERIOR drain tile = a French drain: perforated pipe in washed rock and filter fabric, $25-$60/LF installed ($1,500-$3,800 typical system). INTERIOR drain tile (under the slab, feeding a sump) is basement-waterproofing territory - and stopping the water outside first is usually thousands cheaper.

## If your house has original clay drain tile
KC homes from the 1950s-70s often do. Clay joints shift in shrink-swell soil, roots invade, sediment fills the line. Collapsed clay tile can't be cleaned - replacement with a modern wrapped system is the fix, priced like any French drain.

Full page: https://premiergutterskc.com/answers/what-is-drain-tile-kansas-city/