Driveway trench drain installation in Pittsburgh
A driveway trench drain is a long grated channel set across the slab to catch water before it reaches your garage door. On Pittsburgh's many tuck-under garages, where the driveway slopes down toward the house, it's often the only thing standing between a storm and a wet basement.
What a trench drain needs
You may hear it called a channel drain in a driveway, a strip drain or a driveway drainage channel, and they all mean the same thing. The grate is the part you see, but the job lives or dies on where the water goes next. A proper install has all of these.
- A channel set in a concrete collar, not just in stone
- A grate rated for vehicles
- A sloped pipe to a legal outlet
- A cleanout or removable grate for leaves and grit
- A slab pitched to bring water to the channel
Where the water can go
This is the question to settle first. On a downhill lot, the pipe can often run to daylight lower on the property. On a flat or walled-in lot, you may need a sump basin and pump, and that adds cost and upkeep. Don't assume the sewer is an option, because in Pittsburgh's combined sewer area, sending storm water into a sanitary or combined line can break local rules. Check before you plan on it.
Rain gardens and dry wells sometimes work, though clay soil around here slows the water down a lot. We'll look at your lot before we suggest anything.
Fixing a drain that already exists
Plenty of older garage drains are simply clogged with silt, or the pipe beyond them has collapsed. Before you pay for a new one, have the old line checked. If the slab needs replacing anyway, that's the best time to add or upsize a drain, since the concrete is already out. See driveway drainage for other ways to manage water.
How the job goes
- Plan the outlet
We work out where the water will go.
- Cut the slab
Two straight saw cuts and the concrete comes out.
- Set the channel
The drain goes in at the right height and pitch.
- Run the pipe
Pipe is laid and tested with water.
- Pour the collar
New concrete locks the channel in place.
Common questions
How to get water out of garage?
Find where it comes in first. On a slab that slopes toward the door, a trench drain at the threshold usually solves it.
How to keep water out of garage door?
Add a trench drain, or regrade the driveway. A door seal or threshold strip helps with light rain, but won't handle real runoff.
How to keep rain water out of garage?
Move downspouts away from the door, check the slope and catch runoff with a drain across the slab.
How to fix water coming in garage door?
If the driveway falls toward the door, a channel drain is the lasting fix. A rubber threshold is a cheap first step.
How to fix water in garage?
Trace the source, whether it's the driveway, gutters or the wall. Then fix that, rather than just drying the floor.
More driveway services
- concrete driveway installation
- concrete driveway replacement
- concrete driveway repair
- concrete driveway resurfacing
- stamped concrete driveway
- exposed aggregate concrete driveway
- driveway drainage
- driveway apron
- concrete driveway sealing
- driveway crack repair
- sunken driveway repair
- driveway extension