Drive Drains

[Uno Hoo!]

I'm utilising a 'drive drain' at the lower (but widest) end of my new patio (the drain is the long narrow type - bit like guttering with a metal grille over). Is it necessary to 'slope' the drain (like with guttering)? The patio is 9 metres in length at its lower end and because of this long run, any slope would result in the lowest end of the drain being way below the level of the flags! Because these drains are not particularly attractive I've thought of setting it below the level of the flags, putting water permeable membrane over the grille, with decorative aggregate over the top of that. This would effectively disguise the drain, would compensate for any drop in level below the flags for a drainage slope, and water should be able to flow through the aggregate and the membrane into the drain. Anyone see any problems with this?

Kev

[dennis]

Don't use an aggregate that powders like lime stone chippings. Washed pebbles would probably be fine.

You will have to clean it out occasionally.

[Uno Hoo!]

Yes - I'm sure the 'disguise' will work ok, and I can't really see any need to have the drain sloping - so long as it's perfectly flat, or has a very very slight downward slope toward the outlet, it should empty ok.

Kev

[Chris Bacon]

Your entire "patio" should have a slope, the drain follows this slope. IMO it's far, far nicer to slope the surface to one or several "low points" which have trapped gulleys and gratings to underground piping. Accodrains etc. in a domestic environment are *frightful*.

[Uno Hoo!]

I am building the patio across the entire rear of the house. It will slope down away from the house and into the back lawn. Because the lawn sloped up away from the house I had to dig into it to make the drainage slope. At the lowest part of the patio slope I will be building a Bradstone block wall and this will obviously prevent rainwater from just running off the patio and draining into the lawn. The Aco drain will therefore run across the 'bottom' of the patio, parallel to the rear wall of the house. It will not, therefore, follow the slope of the patio and this is the problem. There is already a rainwater soakaway (put there by the house builders) conveniently placed at the lowest part of the slope of the patio, and at one end. I will have the Aco drain emptying into this soakaway. My query was whether the Aco drain would drain correctly (from the end above the soakaway) if it was laid perfectly flat along the lower end of the patio. It seems to me that it would. The alternative, as I have suggested, would be to put a slight slope on it but this would result in it the lowest end (above the soakaway) being below the level of the patio. I suggested that I could deal with this by covering the 'sunken' Aco with a membrane and aggregate.

IMO it's far, far nicer to slope the surface to one or

I agree that they are not the most attractive of features - that's why I was suggesting sinking it slightly below the level of the patio and covering it with membrane and decorative aggregate. It is a common practice, of course, to surround patios with such aggregate.

Kev