Making a floor drain - Ideas needed

[ffjosh]

I was pricing floor drains

Expensive!!!

So I need to make my own.

I want a 16 foot one near the garage door. Maybe 6-8 inches wide.
I want a nice big one right in the middle. Maybe 3 foot wide, 3 foot long.

The size really depends on what all I can find. Searching craigslist and random stuff while scrapping. Looking for a sweet drain grate.

Anyways Im debating on how to make a drain.
Should I use metal, fiberglass, concrete???

I want to stay away from metal due to rusting
I was thinking fiberglass but im afraid of it cracking.

Im thinking of making a mold for concrete and making my own.

Any suggestions?

 

[gungatim]

have you poured the cement yet? if not, try slicing a section of 4" pvc dwv pipe on a table saw right down the middle and laying it down below the slab enough so you can put a metal grate over it. just slope it so the water flows to one end. keep a ridge in the cement beyond the pipe so the grate doesn't rest directly on the pvc edges (although it probably wouldn't hurt if it did). a 10' section of pipe is pretty cheap at the home centers. I haven't done this, just an idea...

 

[tarbellb]

Have you looked around for some Metal Bar Grating? Its the same stuff they use for covering openings in sidewalks, heavy suspension flooring, etc...

I found some through a local auction on the cheap. Its super heavy duty, almost always fully galvanized, and made for very high loads.

Cut and suspend on supported concrete edges and it could be the last thing you'll ever need and perhaps cheaper?

 

[kluckfab]

^^ yup the best option, I need to build a few grates for my drainage next project next year.

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[65BCUDA]

I formed mine up before the pour, used some grating off a radar tower I demod...............

 

[ffjosh]

I formed mine up before the pour, used some grating off a radar tower I demod...............

Are you putting in a liner or is it just draining onto the ground?



Like you all of said, im going to be looking threw scrap piles and old barns for a grate of some sort and plan my build off of that.

 

[ilovevocs]

I formed mine up before the pour, used some grating off a radar tower I demod...............

Im interested in know more about how you went about finishing the trench after the poor. I have been kicking around the idea of retrofitting an existing slab but as stated above the cost is well beyond what im willing to spend. The zurn trench drains are really nice, and for a commercial application im sure they will last the life of the slab, just to much $$$ for me.

I considered fabricating the liner out of 16 gauge galvalume steel and using an expended metal mesh grate. My break has 16 gauge capacity so that was my limitation. I would likely rivet the end caps and seal them with epoxy. It may require replacement before the slab nut I don't see any reason why it wouldn't last at least 10 years. If one were so inclined you could back paint it with a hot asphalt to increase its life expectancy.

 

[65BCUDA]

After the pour and removal of the forms I poured the bottoms (sack-crete) on a grade so it would all drain one way, one through the other. Twice a year I pull the grates and vacum the leaves and debris from them. I can wash vehicles under the carport with no water entering the building.

 

[ilovevocs]

Do you think your approach would work in my climate zone with the freeze / thaw. So you just have a cold joint where the bottom of the trench meets the slab? I guess if you sealed the cold joint at the slab / trench drain interface to prevent moisture infiltration it would stand a fighting chance. Certainly cheaper than a prefab unit, and less work then my thoughts above.

 

[65BCUDA]

Do you think your approach would work in my climate zone with the freeze / thaw. So you just have a cold joint where the bottom of the trench meets the slab? I guess if you sealed the cold joint at the slab / trench drain interface to prevent moisture infiltration it would stand a fighting chance. Certainly cheaper than a prefab unit, and less work then my thoughts above.

Don't see why not if you incorporated some steel reinforcment into the bottom of the side walls to tie the floor to the opening.

 

[ilovevocs]

Don't see why not if you incorporated some steel reinforcment into the bottom of the side walls to tie the floor to the opening.

Thanks for sharing!


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[Wildfire]

mcnichols - google that. They sell it and other perf metal. You can probably buy from them, they are a distributor, but I think they will sell to the general public.

 

[brucer]

use like 1 1/2 angle, weld it together in a rectangle, inset that in the concrete... make the drain inserts out of like 1 1/4" angle and make the inserts fit inside the other frame, like a ramp on a car trailer and have them powdercoated.. you can make the inserts small so they are easy to handle..

 

[ffjosh]

use like 1 1/2 angle, weld it together in a rectangle, inset that in the concrete... make the drain inserts out of like 1 1/4" angle and make the inserts fit inside the other frame, like a ramp on a car trailer and have them powdercoated.. you can make the inserts small so they are easy to handle..

Thats not a bad idea. I never thought about using angle.

Dumb me I work with metal every day

 

[brucer]

Thats not a bad idea. I never thought about using angle.

Dumb me I work with metal every day

just have to think outside the box

 

[Rookie2]

Buy the premade plastic trough. done !

 

[rsanter]

How much water are we talking about?
If it's not much you could install some 4-6" PVC pipe installed with the top of it 2-3" below the top of the concrete. Then after it is cured you can saw cut through the concrete and the top of the pipe to make your own slot drain and use no grate. You can make 2 side by side cuts to make the slot the width you want...between 1/4 to no more than 1" wide

Bob

 

[theoldwizard1]

You had better check local codes first ! The big question is, where is the water and other liquid going to go ?

If it is just held in the drain (no exit), there should not be any issue. If you want to run it to "daylight" or tie into other drains, except a lot of hassle from your building department.

 

[59 wagon man]

we used to replace steam return lines buried in the ground by building a troft (usually built a 12" x 12" box and then patched the floor. then usually just below the surfave we would bolt an angle iron on each side and a 1/4" steel plate. there are many kinds of floor drains depending on vehicle traffic , foot traffic etc.,also the width and depth can affect cost and the grates are sold separate from the drain

 

[Grabber70Mach]

What about something like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/NDS-Pro-Series-3-in-Channel-Drain-Kit-764DISP/202909633

 

[Sureshot]

I don't think it will last used outdoors in freeze/thaw cycles. Concrete has basically no elasticity. Possibly with a "V" bottom but I think the porosity etc would lead to a short life.

My floor drain was formed and poured before the floor. Tied in with rebar on the floor pour.

I have metal grate. It is 1" flatiron stood vertically with a rod holding it in place. Good for a lot of weight.

Fiberglass grate.
http://www.duracomposites.com/dura-grating-fibreglass-grating/

 

[fnieto]

I just finished a trench drain in front of the new shop build. I formed it up with wood and 1.5"x1.5" metal tubing. This required two pours.

 

[fnieto]

In this picture the bar grating is in place. This system is rated at 10,000 lbs. I will be driving a fork lift in and out of the shop. Very happy with the results.