Weeping tile refers to the drainage pipe that is at the base of footing. Originally they were made of short sections of clay pipe called tiles, laid end to end around the foundation perimeter and covered with gravel to allow for drainage of accumulated water at the footing. Today we use a perforated plastic pipe that is flexible and comes in long rolls, which also relies on being covered with ample amounts of clean gravel to allow for maximum drainage at the foundation wall exterior.