American Drain

Foundation drainage you can inspect from the yard.

American Drain is a patented panel system that holds an open air space against your foundation wall. Water drops straight to the drain pipe instead of soaking the soil beside the wall, and a cap at grade and cleanouts let you check on it for years.

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Specs and drawings for builders and engineers

American Drain panel against a foundation wall Section view. A perforated panel stands off the foundation wall on spacers. Water in the soil bleeds through small holes set between the spacers, runs down the inside of the panel to a gravel bed and fills the drain pipe beside the footer. Insulation cap 1/8 in. holes Perforated panel Spacers Drain pipe 2 in. gravel bed Foundation wall Footer
Against a foundation wallWater bleeds through small holes in the panel, runs down it and fills the pipe.
American Drain structural trench Front view. Two panels stand face to face on a drain pipe, held apart by spacers that meet at the center, under a perforated cap at the surface. Water falls through the cap and drops between the panels into the pipe. Water in the soil also enters through the panel holes. Perforated cap Perforated panels Spacers Drain pipe
As a structural trenchTwo panels face to face under a cap. Water drops straight to the pipe.

Illustrations of the system. Not to scale.

Four parts, one open channel

The structural trench is two perforated panels, a perforated cap and a drain pipe. Cone-shaped standoffs molded into the panels hold them apart so water has a clear path down.

Rendering of the assembled structural trench: two black perforated panels face to face under a perforated cap, standing on a blue-green drain pipe
AssembledPanels stand face to face on the pipe, under the cap.
Rendering of the structural trench taken apart: perforated cap above, two perforated panels with cone-shaped standoffs, and a drain pipe with openings along the top
Taken apartCap, two panels with molded standoffs, and a pipe with openings along the top.
  1. CapPerforated channel about 3.5 in. wide, set at the surface.
  2. PanelsABS, 1/8 in. thick, with 1/8 in. drain holes about 6 in. on center.
  3. StandoffsMolded into each panel, 1.5 in. deep. A dimple and nub lock them together at the center.
  4. Pipe4 in. PVC drain pipe with 1.5 in. holes on top and 1/8 in. holes a third of the way up.

Renderings and 3D model of the system. The section shown is 24 in. long. Hole sizes and spacing follow American Drain's specifications. Standoff layout follows product photos.

What happens below grade

Cross-section of the American Drain panel system at a foundation wall A perforated drainage panel stands off a damp-proofed foundation wall on spacers, leaving a 1.5 inch air space. An insulation cap closes the top at grade. Near the footer the panel turns out over a perforated pipe bedded in gravel. A cleanout riser behind the section reaches the surface. Sill plate Foundationwall Slab orcrawl space Footer Insulation cap Cleanout riser Perforated panel 1.5 in. air space Damp-proof coating Perforated pipe in gravel

Drawn from American Drain's foundation installation detail. Not to scale.

  1. Rain soaks into the backfill

    The loose soil next to a foundation takes in water from rain, roofs and runoff. Left there, it presses against the wall.

  2. It drops into an open air space

    Water that reaches the perforated panel falls into the 1.5 in. gap that molded spacers hold open against the damp-proofed wall.

  3. The pipe carries it away

    At the footer the panel turns out over a perforated pipe bedded in gravel, which carries water to a daylight outlet or sump.

  4. You can check it from the surface

    Lift a section of the insulation cap to look down the air space. Run a hose into the farthest cleanouts and watch for flow at the outlet.

Compare it with a French drain

Drawn from American Drain's foundation installation detail. Not to scale.

Compare it with a French drain

Simple parts, built to stay in the ground

Perforated ABS panels with molded standoffs, a cap rail and standard PVC drain pipe. Nothing that rots, and nothing hidden that can't be reached.

American Drain trench assembly: two perforated black panels under a perforated cap on blue-green PVC pipe
Trench assembly: panels, cap and pipe. Product photo.
Four American Drain panels laid flat, showing the molded standoffs on one face and the openings on the other
Panels, front and back. Product photo.

Photographs of American Drain components. See all component photos and details.

Where it goes

Poured foundation walls and piers on a new home site, backfilled with gravel

New construction

Installed against the foundation before backfill, when access is easiest. Black perforated drain cap set flush in a lawn

Yards and fence lines

Linear drains and caps for runoff across lawns, walks and fence lines. Flashlight beam across a dry basement wall and floor

Existing homes

Retrofit along a basement or crawl space wall when a drain needs replacing.

Pick your path

Homeowners

Talk to an installer about water at your foundation, crawl space or yard. Not sure what you are looking at? Start with the problem finder.

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Builders, architects and engineers

Detail drawings, materials and patents in one place.

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Installers and distributors

Add American Drain to your services or line card.

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Foundation section drawings, hard hat and tape measure on a truck tailgate at a jobsite

Five U.S. patents

All five cover the drain assembly invented by Kevin Kondas and assigned to The American Drain Company, LLC.

9,045,874Issued 201510,519,619Issued 201911,512,444Issued 202211,840,819Issued 202312,325,970Issued 2025

Keep water moving away from the walls you live inside.

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