Installing drain in garage? - Page 2

Domas · 11-12-08, 09:28

Well, I live in a country, and I've just connected my garage drain to the house's sewerage (sinks, showers, etc.), don't know anything about laws, but I think you better dump detailing chemicals to the sewerage, where it gets cleaned/filtered later, than dump it to the storm drain, where it ends up in rivers uncleaned.

eddie926 · 11-12-08, 09:39

+1 for washing in the garage with Optimum No Rinse. I do that frequently and it doesn't get all that much water on the floor. Whatever's left, I squeegee out the door with a floor squeegee that I got at Home Depot. Works great. Doesn't require a drain.

If you were planning to do conventional washes in the garage, you have more than the drain to think about. You'll also need to think about waterproofing all the stuff that could get wet from spraying a hose in the garage.

Setec Astronomy · 11-12-08, 05:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Picus

Storm sewers are normally a better option anyway, at least around here they are much easier to connect to.

Another option would be to add a weeping tile to the outside of the garage, then connect to that.

It's the opposite around here...NOTHING can go into the storm drains, they are even trying to control the leaves, because the storm drains go right to the rivers. In the sanitary you are allowed a lot more because it goes to the treatment plant, but they really try to limit what you are putting in there, as you noted.

A weeping tile? What the heck is that? Actually, I can imagine what it is...wouldn't that freeze right up in winter?

Picus · 11-13-08, 06:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy

It's the opposite around here...NOTHING can go into the storm drains, they are even trying to control the leaves, because the storm drains go right to the rivers. In the sanitary you are allowed a lot more because it goes to the treatment plant, but they really try to limit what you are putting in there, as you noted.

A weeping tile? What the heck is that? Actually, I can imagine what it is...wouldn't that freeze right up in winter?

From what I gathered when I permitted my drain, around here they are more concerned with what chemicals go into the municipal drinking water system. Not that they are unconcerned about storm sewers; but I am not sure they aren't filtered in some way too (here, at least).

You've never heard of a weeping tile? I thought it was a pretty universal thing. A weeping tile is a system that's been around for hundreds of years. It's a pit dug around the outside foundation of a structure (usually all the way down so no freezing), you fill the bottom of the pit with pea gravel them put a tubed pipe with holes in it all the way around the perimeter. The pipe has a "sock" on it which is a light fabric that will let water into the pipe but not gravel/dirt; water weeps into this system and is deposited to (usually) a dry well, 4+ feet from the foundation. It's super common in any area that gets a lot of snow or has a lot of ground water (they were all over in California, and exist on 99% of houses here). You never see them, they just take ground water from against the foundation and move it. Sometimes if you have a lot of ground water the house will have a sump pump dug below the foundation (usually 2-4 feet), and the weeping tile will feed water to the sump to be drained into the sewers.

It sounds like a big deal, but a lot of houses already have them (I thought the OPs might since he is in MN); and they aren't very difficult to tie into from above ground. The ground level "intakes" are normally near basement windows and doors.

Weeping tile - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

LADNAR · 11-13-08, 07:00

My shop has what is called a French drain. 2 55 gallon barrells on top of each other with a stell lid on top with holes cut or drilled into it to act as a drain. No it DOESNT work very well as the ground is saturated and the barrels have filled up with fine sidiment which has made a seal to the surrounding ground around the hole and below it. Its probably been there 40+ years. I just push the rest of the water out the garage door, it runs to the city storm drain through the Dairy Queens parking lot. No worse the rain water running there all the time that drains from 10 houses.

Matt_L · 11-13-08, 07:24

I have a good squeegee but the water pools in the middle of the garage so flows backwards as I *try* to squeegee it out. It's a major pain. Plus it freezes in the winter and my wife has almost ended up on the floor a few times.

It sounds like a drain is out but maybe I could have the concrete topped off to regrade it sloping to the front?

Picus · 11-13-08, 07:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by LADNAR

My shop has what is called a French drain. 2 55 gallon barrells on top of each other with a stell lid on top with holes cut or drilled into it to act as a drain. No it DOESNT work very well as the ground is saturated and the barrels have filled up with fine sidiment which has made a seal to the surrounding ground around the hole and below it. Its probably been there 40+ years. I just push the rest of the water out the garage door, it runs to the city storm drain through the Dairy Queens parking lot. No worse the rain water running there all the time that drains from 10 houses.

A french drain is a similar idea to a weeping tile. Just like a weeping tile if they fill with sediment it won't work.

That's why they put socks on weeping tiles now.

Labster · 11-18-08, 08:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Picus

A french drain is a similar idea to a weeping tile. Just like a weeping tile if they fill with sediment it won't work.

That's why they put socks on weeping tiles now.

I used to work for an excavating business and we got a lot of calls to jet out the drain tiles with a hi pressure pump at 3500psi and it would actually bust apart the sediment clogs and such. Worked great!

eddie926 · 11-19-08, 04:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt_L

I have a good squeegee but the water pools in the middle of the garage so flows backwards as I *try* to squeegee it out. It's a major pain. Plus it freezes in the winter and my wife has almost ended up on the floor a few times.

It sounds like a drain is out but maybe I could have the concrete topped off to regrade it sloping to the front?

I used to have the same situation. My garage floor had sunk in the middle due to settling. I'd get a big puddle in the middle of the garage all the time. Had to squeegee it out after every rain, because rain would run down the garage door, under it and into the garage, or thaw from cars would pool, etc. Had the floor replaced a couple of years ago and made sure to compact the ground under it and put a very good slope from back to front. No more problem.

bumper globe · 11-30-08, 03:36

My shop has a separate wash bay area completed with 20' long drain trench pit that is hooked to 4" pipe sewage (goes straight to water treatment) with a grease trap in the middle. The Baltimore city now prohibits washed water to seep into the street starting in 2007 so had to have it done during the shop renovation and for safety reason. And registered with the water treatment center to accept the washed water. We do have to squeegee the water into the drain pit occasionally.

BlueLibby04 · 12-20-08, 08:28

Amazes me that its such a big deal to get a drain put in a garage in some places. There is nothing different than me driving my Jeep down the road in the rain and it draining into a storm drain than me washing my jeep in a garage.

Heck, if I were to build a garage right now in the yard I would run a pipe right over the hill into a ditch and no one would care. Most people still run their crap into the creeks.