Existing garage floor drain

[ED26]

Prior owner had installed garage floor drain (sloped slab) (1.5”) pvc that discharged into yard underground (my guess). I noticed floor wasn’t draining so I dug about 4’ from exterior of garage and found the 1.5” pvc pipe about 18” below grade. It had a break in it.

My question - since it is that deep should I just use a coupler and put an new extension 1.5 pvc pipe ...extend another 2-4’ piece to get pipe further from garage foundation and discharge the drain into a gravel pit?

Basically tie some landscape fabric around end of drain pipe and fill trench in that area up with river rock and pea stone.

This will be about 20-22” below grade at end of drain.

Any problems with this.

Thnx

 

[ford33]

There are several good posts here on garage floor drains. It is nice to have a floor drain for snow melt and car washing but you need to be aware there are legal rules concerning any motor oil and chemical discharge into the soil.

You should check with your local building department about whether a garage floor drain is legal and if it is do you need an oil separator and also how best to manage drainage.

I thought a floor drain would be a great addition to a garage but after checking with my local building rules, drains are not allowed in my area.

 

[HotrodHR]

Quick answer is yes, you could do that. As Ford33 said you may be creating a legal problem down the road. If you're out in the country and don't plan to sell it's probably not going to be a problem. Snow melt is one thing but if it's a working hobby shop is another.

Trying to convince a home inspector or a government official that you never discharged anything that wasn't biodegradable will be difficult... "need to do a soil sample."

An inch and a half drain pipe seems a little undersized for a serious garage drain... I would shove some foam in it and cap off with epoxy if it was my shop.

 

[ED26]

not a mechanic garage or pole barn; just snow melt i believe was the purpose.

 

[matt_i]

I have one where the drain goes sloping up from the central crock.

Just an overflow I believe.

I wish it was flat & level -- I didn't build it. Its waiting for me to make a mistake with a forklift and run over it with a tire and smash it...

It is dried out most of the time, everyonceinawhile I'll get some rain driven wind under the door and it puts a little moisture in there.

 

[pmiranda]

It's kinda small, but I'd repair and use it with on caveat: work up some sort of cover so that if oil, grease, or small parts fall on the floor you don't lose them down the drain.
Ideally with a pipe that small you'll drain to daylight. I don't know if most soils would absorb freely enough for you to run a hose in there, for example.
I know you can fit a pop-up emitter to drain pipe. They have a light spring to keep critters out when dry, but the pressure of water is enough to open them up.

 

[ED26]

It's kinda small, but I'd repair and use it with on caveat: work up some sort of cover so that if oil, grease, or small parts fall on the floor you don't lose them down the drain.
Ideally with a pipe that small you'll drain to daylight. I don't know if most soils would absorb freely enough for you to run a hose in there, for example.
I know you can fit a pop-up emitter to drain pipe. They have a light spring to keep critters out when dry, but the pressure of water is enough to open them up.

Yes, it would be for snow melt and occasional wash down garage door with a hose..my concern is that the pipe will be about 24" below grade at the termination point.

What should I put at the termination point of the 1.5 pvc end? I was thinking of securing landscape fabric around the end of the pipe as a filter and adding a bunch of 3/4 stone at the end of the pipe (like a trench drain concept)

Would this allow the water from washing garage floor to drain into the stone...

Once again this is a residential garage - and I am mindful of never washing down oil/etc...just trying to figure the best way to terminate the 1.5 pvc before I cover up the trench I dug

Thnx

 

[TonyJ]

Yes, it would be for snow melt and occasional wash down garage door with a hose..my concern is that the pipe will be about 24" below grade at the termination point.



What should I put at the termination point of the 1.5 pvc end? I was thinking of securing landscape fabric around the end of the pipe as a filter and adding a bunch of 3/4 stone at the end of the pipe (like a trench drain concept)



Would this allow the water from washing garage floor to drain into the stone...



Once again this is a residential garage - and I am mindful of never washing down oil/etc...just trying to figure the best way to terminate the 1.5 pvc before I cover up the trench I dug



Thnx

I wouldn’t put the fabric around the end of the pipe with it being that deep and not easily accessible. That fabric will stop up quickly and you will have to dig it up all the time to change it out with another piece. Leave it open and just place bigger stone around it first then fill the hole mostly up with smaller stone then finish it off with a few inches of dirt


Tony

 

[pmiranda]

You could look into something like this, available at some big-box stores:
https://www.ndspro.com/PDFs/Tech-Spec-Sheets/EZflow-EZDrain-Specifications-Sheets.pdf

 

[ford33]

If the pipe exit is lower than the drain in the garage they I would exit to daylight. But is sounds like you are not on a hill and 24 inches deep from the top of the soil.

I would not cover the end of the pipe with fabric or stone. It will be difficult to maintain an opening when buried. It will get clogged.

Another idea is to dig a hole in your lawn above the exit of the underground pipe. Make the hole 40 inches deep by 8 or 12 inches in diameter. Fill the bottom 12 inches with rock. Buy an 8 or 12 diameter plastic pipe 28 inches long. Cut a 1-1/2 inch diameter opening about 2 inches from the bottom of the vertical pipe in the side of the larger plastic pipe so the drain pipe fits into the side of the larger vertical pipe. The horizontal pipe extending into the vertical pipe will help hold the vertical pipe in position. Then place the 8 or 12 inch diameter plastic pipe into the hole. Fill the outside of the hole with soil or rock so the vertical pipe is held in place. Then put a louvered or pop-up cover on the vertical pipe at the level of the top soil.

Now you will have a drain that is accessible for maintenance. You can see the underground pipe draining into the small well.

Just be careful about securing the top of the vertical pipe. You don't want babies or kids or animals falling into a 24 inch deep well.

Good luck.