“Thank you, come again soon!” If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, there’s a chance you’ll be hearing those words at your favourite home improvement store again soon—maybe too soon. It’s easy to find materials for your driveway trench drain do-it-yourself project, only to return to buy more stuff to fix your original project gone awry. And will you return yet a third time to fix the second project, only to discover your fix was merely solving part of a bigger drainage problem?
Water problems can escalate quickly. For the do-it-yourselfer, a drainage “fix-it” can escalate even more quickly. There are two things to remember when it comes to installing a driveway trench drain to catch and drain water before it enters your garage, house, or commercial building. These two things also apply to all drainage issues, whether it’s at home or in a business or workplace.
Risk vs. Reward
First, drainage do-it-yourself projects are risky. Second, drainage do-it-yourself projects require knowledge and experience with drainage systems. This includes experience with excavating, concrete and asphalt.
As we’ve mentioned in previous blogs such as “Is Your Home’s Basement or Foundation Leaking? Finding the Source”, your home’s perimeter drainage is an integrated system and there may be more than one source of leaks to your foundation and basement.
There’s a subterranean life that few except excavators know about. It’s important to hire someone who’s not afraid to dig, literally, for the root of the problem. And the problem (or part of the problem) may indeed be an Arbutus, white spruce, or water fir. (They don’t call it a “water” fir for nothing). But let’s get back to the surface.
Here are some questions to ask yourself before trying to install a garage trench drain yourself.
1. Are you making a proper assessment?
The project you’re about to embark on may actually be completely needless. The leakage problem may be from another of many potential sources. This leads to the next question.
2. Have you missed something?
Let’s assume that you’ve correctly identified a faulty or damaged trench drain in home’s driveway, or outside your company’s warehouse, as a source of leakage. But is it THE source of leakage? Again, it’s a good idea to call a professional to address the WHOLE picture– as well as to look for other sources of drainage problems within your drainage system.
3. Are you aware of the concrete issues?
We’re not speaking figuratively. Just like when we say we dig beneath the surface to find a problem, we mean exactly that. The concrete issue with a trench drain is exactly that, concrete– except when it’s asphalt. Concrete and asphalt are the strength of the trench drain. Trench drains are not simply “plopped” into place. It’s important to have a professional properly encase install drain in the concrete or asphalt, and ensure the installation of the proper drain to handle the traffic load. A residential drain that gets light automobile traffic requires less drain thickness, for example than a warehouse drain that receives loaded forklifts or heavy trucks.
At Groundhog Excavating and Drainage, we do all of our own concrete and asphalt work. That means there’s no need to hire a third party to tackle your driveway drainage problems. We’ll not only properly assess your drainage issues, we’ll complete the job professionally quickly and fuss-free. Your favourite home improvement store will miss you but you can always stop in when there’s a good sale on light bulbs, extension cords, or a stopper for your sink.
It’s better to get the job done right the first time. In the end, you’ll save money, hassle, and time. Call us at Groundhog: 778-233-7499. That’s something you can do yourself. Or, leave us a message on our website’s . We’ll get back to you quickly.