Concrete Drain System Trench
and Channel Drains:
If rain, swimming pool water, landscape runoff or other liquids pose hazards to your decorative concrete work, consider adding a drainage system to your project.
by Susan Brimo-Cox
want to run to low spots. Drains, when properly selected and installed, quickly capture and transfer liquids away from the site, reducing standing water on the decorative surface. Not only can this enhance the longevity of your work, it makes the surface safer for pedestrians and traffic by reducing slip hazard.
There are many kinds of drain systems. However, the systems typically used by concrete contractors fall into two categories: trench or channel drains and catch basin or point drains.
"The most efficient way to catch sheet water is trench drains," reports Tom Simon, national sales manager for Advanced Building Technologies Inc. in Troutman, N.C.
While the terms channel and trench drains are often used interchangeably, there is a difference.
Jeff Tyler, drainage and landscape marketing manager for National Diversified Sales Inc. in Woodland Hills, Calif., explains that channel drains are generally intended for residential or commercial use. They are extruded or molded out of plastic in 10- or 20-foot lengths. Though U-shaped with a grate, channel drains usually have a flat bottom, with no built-in slope or pitch. Design-build contractors, landscape contractors and deck contractors often use channel drains, which can frequently be found at the "big box" stores or at wholesale distributors.
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