Standing water on your property should never be disregarded. Do not turn a blind eye to that which endangers the foundation of your home or could potentially lead to a flooded basement or plumbing problems. Instead, you need to be proactive and tackle the issue. For that, you need a drainage catch basin.
Ideal for collecting standing water around the property, a drainage catch basin is a simple solution that anyone can make.
What is a Drainage Catch Basin?
Also called “catch basins,” these systems operate like storm drains that help redirect water from one place and funnel it to another, safer location. This helps prevent flooding. If you live in a place that receives a lot of precipitation or get a lot of runoff from asphalt, a drainage catch basin might be just what you are looking for.Residential drainage catch basins are installed at the lowest part of your property, right where the water collects and puddles. If your property has uneven terrain, you may want to install more than one catch basin.
How Do Catch Basins Function?
The function is simple: Collect water in a buried basin then funnel that water to another part of the yard. All basins have inlet and outlet pipes, grates covering the opening, and some kind of holding chamber. Water rushes down through the grate, filling the basin. When the water gets to a certain point in the basin, it will rush down the outlet pipe to some other place. The metal grate covering of the inlet pipe keeps out anything that could clog the catch basin, like garbage or leaves.
How to Build a Drainage Catch Basin
Want to build your own catch basin? Here are some tips to help you get started:Find the place in your yard that is the lowest point or where the water is gathering after it rains. Stake the location. From that point, chart out a path for the outlet pipe. The course must be straight and move in the direction opposite to your home.
At the staked point, dig a trough that is as wide at the top as the metal grate. You should make the hole as deep as necessary to fit the whole basin with some additional space. Typically the basin is 15-30 cm deeper than the holding tank.
- Dig along the line for the outlet pipe. The trench should be 20 cm wide and around 46 cm deep.
- Flip over the basin and drill some holes. This stops water from stagnating at the bottom of the bucket or tank.
Ensure all connections to the basin, such as outlet and inlet pipes, are going to be watertight. Use waterproof silicone to connect the pipes. If the basin you purchased as waterproof gaskets already attached, you don’t have to worry about making extra steps.
Fill the hole you dug with some gravel—about 15 cm worth. Place the basin atop the gravel. Make sure the height of the basin is at the same height as the surrounding earth. If you need to, add more stones.
- With the basin in place, you can add the final inlet pipe and metal grate.
- Make sure all connections are watertight throughout the whole system.
- You can buy most of the items needed at a local home improvement store or from a plumbing company.
