Window well drainage pipe

[fortybillion]

A recent storm dumped a bunch of water into our window well, which then leaked into the basement. I was investigating the window well to determine how the water managed to pool, and I found a number of problems. From my research, it's my understanding there is a pvc pipe which is usually filled with landscaping rocks which allows drainage down to the weeping tile. I dug around in the bottom of the window well and found the pipe, but it was capped with an orange cap.

Does anybody recognize what this cap is meant to do? Should it have been removed before gravel was dumped into the window well? I screwed it off and the pvc pipe below is clean and empty. The cap is fully watertight when screwed on.

 

[nealtw]

I'm guessing you have perferated big "O" pipe, the water goes thru the gravel and leaks into the sides of the pipe, over time these hole can be plugged. Remove the cap and make sure the pipe is not plug and can carry water away. If the pipe is doing its job you could replace the cap with drain cap.

 

[fortybillion]

Thanks, that does make sense. When I removed the cap the drain seemed clear and slightly damp. The house is only 4 years old, so I'm guessing the problem might be water reaching the drain pipe and pooling instead. There's a lot of dirt mixed in with the gravel, so I plan to remove it and clean the dirt away before replacing the gravel. I may also add a drain cap as you suggested and see if that improves things.