New Wisconsin basement takes water, and the footing drain doesn't reach the sump

The owner described the problem in a post on Reddit's r/Homebuilding forum: a cracked slab, water coming up through it and an empty pit. According to the post, the concrete contractor says tying the drain to the sump was the plumber's or the waterproofer's job, and nobody, the inspector included, has a photo of the connection.

Wisconsin builds one- and two-family homes under its Uniform Dwelling Code. Section SPS 321.17 requires a complete drain tile system where groundwater rises higher than the base of the footing: pipe inside and outside the foundation, bleeders between them at intervals of no more than 8 feet, a sump pit, discharge piping and a pump or other way to get water to grade. The rule says the tile "shall be connected to the sump pit," and the lines feeding the pit must fall 1/8 inch or more per foot. The International Residential Code, used in most other states, also makes below-grade foundation drains discharge by gravity or by pump into an approved system.

Form-A-Drain is a PVC footing form that stays in place after the pour and works as the perimeter drain. BuildBlock, which sells it, says outlet fittings connect the channels to daylight or to the sump, and that the whole loop is visible at footing inspection because it goes in before the concrete. A loop with no outlet has nowhere to send the water it collects.

InterNACHI, the home inspectors' association, tells its members to document drainage before backfill and to trace it from collection to discharge. With the basement already finished, the owner's first step is to find where the outlet should enter the pit and get the builder's answer in writing. The code sets the requirement for the whole system and does not say which trade makes the connection; the contracts decide that.