# Form-A-Drain



## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

Anybody else ever have experience with this stuff ?

http://www.certainteed.com/CertainTeed/Homeowner/Homeowner/Foundations/

It is a good system, but it is double the work to form it. You have to pin it and place stone on both sides of it to brace it or it will push. The stuff is pretty flimsy. Leveling it up is pretty easy, but takes some time. It is so much easier to use wooden forms and snaping a string line.

Personally, if it was my house, I would not use this system. I would prefer to use a drain system with with perf pipe and not use the froms as my drain system.


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## mdshunk (Mar 13, 2005)

Pretty much everyone in my area uses it. They pin it by bashing a piece of rebar straight through it. Most often, a gigantic hunk of the formadrain breaks out. This has to be a fantastic batch of openings for mud come in and start to fill up the foundation drain system, I would think. That's all I know about formadrains.


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## reveivl (May 29, 2005)

Never seen it up here, but why can't you stake the outside of it and then fill?


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## AmeliaP (Apr 22, 2007)

> It is a good system, but it is double the work to form it. You have to pin it and place stone on both sides of it to brace it or it will push. The stuff is pretty flimsy. Leveling it up is pretty easy, but takes some time. It is so much easier to use wooden forms and snaping a string line.


We are working with this stuff now and thst is exactly what we are seeing.


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## mw31 (Dec 21, 2010)

Ive used it quite a few times. Personally I love the ease of use. We used to just pin it as normal then screw 1x stakes across the top every 3'-4' to help keep it from spreading.


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## JDavis21835 (Feb 27, 2009)

Ive used Form A Drain on several projects. Personally I like it. Of course, they sell stakes that stay in place, and sell spreaders that keep them from bowing out and gives you a chair for your rebar. Team all that up, it seems to go together quickly. As long as you use a little care on the install, and your pour you are good to go. You dont have to strip form, and install a tile. The time savings after a few under your belt seem to offset the material cost. Or maybe thats just me


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## Chris Johnson (Apr 19, 2007)

I've used it 3 times, great product, can't justify the additional cost of it compared to footing boards that we strip and use as scabs and the low cost we pay for weeping tile


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## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

Brought back from the dead, lol.

Anyway, a buddy of mine that does poured walls bought aluminum footer forms. He said that is the best investment he has made. It cost him $25,000 but in a short time, he saves that in labor and buying new boards. He has his forms stacked on a trailer by sizes so if you need a certain length, you just grab it. No need to fumble through boards looking for a certain length. They also have form ties, just like a poured wall. Just bust the ties off and strip. The ties also double as a rebar chair.


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