How to read house blueprints?

Hi, I'm trying to figure out if my house was built with any sort of drainage system UNDER the basement. There is no french drain IN the basement. I do have a sump pump in a pit with a cover that pumps water into my back yard, but i can't tell if a drainage system feeds that or not. I do have the blueprints for the foundation, i just don't know what to look for... Any helpful thoughts? Thanks!








Unless the builder was required by code to put in an engineered drainage system, you won't find it in the prints. If he was, it would be outlined on a page by itself. From experience I would guess that you don't have any type of foundation drain. If you do, it's either not properly installed or no longer working. To answer your question better, look at your foundation print. If any drain is on it it will be listed. Usually there is a perforated 4" pipe at the foundation footing and another 2 or three feet below that. It would also indicate back fill with drain rock and filter cloth. Older houses used clay or concrete drain tiles or pipes.
look into the hole..can you see pipes coming into the sides of the hole? if not then it is probably fed my a high water content in your area.... where it dis- charges outside try and get to run away from the house at that point...the only pipes you may have under the bsmnt .slab are sewer pipes for ur bath room and such.........you can also check the Key section of the prints for drains