Interior French Drain

[barumord]

I am in the process of choosing a company to install an interior french drain in my basement. So far I have 2 companies to choose from. The prices are about the same, however, one company uses PVC piping under the gravel while the other uses a flexible pipe. The one who uses a flexible pipe states it is superior to pvc because the holes in the PVC pipes are too large and it allows dirt to be sucked in. Additionally, pvc pipes only have one set of holes and can be installed at the wrong angle. The flexible pipes on the other hand have slits all over which is more beneficial. He also claims the flexible pipe will never crush. On the other hand, the other company swears that PVC pipes are the best way to go because they are strong and have a good history.

Since I know very little about this stuff and do not want to get hooked by the better salesman, I am reaching out to the experts for a good opinion. Guys, help please ??

 

[NealinNevada]

I put in about 200' of french drain around the perimeter of my place and I used the flex tubing but I also put a sleeve over the pipe. It is a cloth sock that keeps most of the dirt out, but lets the water flow into the pipe.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Yar02169]

I did about 120' of PVC pipe with drilled holes more than 20 years ago. We did it well before 'the sock' was invented, so we used small gravel to surround the pipe before backfilling the hole. I have not had iny issues since the install.
My guess would be that if the 'sock' is used in either configuration, it will perform for a long time to come.