Catch basins and channel drains
Hard surfaces and low spots need a place to collect water before it reaches the house. Here's how grated drains fit in.
Driveways, patios, pool decks and garage aprons shed water instantly. A channel drain, sometimes called a trench drain, is a narrow grated channel set into the pavement that catches sheet flow before it reaches the garage door or back step. A catch basin is a box with a grate at the lowest point of a lawn or courtyard. Both connect to solid pipe that carries water to an outlet.
Where they help most
- The bottom of a driveway that slopes toward the garage
- Courtyards and patios surrounded by walls or the house
- Pool decks and screened lanais that pond after storms
- A low spot in the lawn that collects runoff from several directions
What about dry wells?
A dry well stores water underground and lets it soak in. That can work on higher, sandy ground, but in low parts of Chatham County where ground water sits close to the surface, a buried pit may already be full of water when it rains. A contractor should check how deep the water table is and how fast the soil drains before suggesting one. A pipe to a real outlet is usually more dependable here.
Signs you need a surface drain
- Water flowing across the driveway into the garage
- A patio that holds puddles against the back door
- Sand and pine straw washing onto pavement after every storm
- Erosion along the edge of a walkway or slab
Keep them clear
Grates catch oak leaves, pine needles, pollen and grass clippings. Clean them often, especially in spring and fall, and before tropical weather. Never sweep debris into the street drain instead: the City of Savannah asks residents not to put leaves, pine needles, clippings or soil into the storm system.
Pricing comes from the contractor after a site visit, once they've seen how the lot sits, how high the ground water is and where the water can be sent. We don't quote prices, and any figure given over the phone before someone walks the yard is only a rough guess.
Where we connect you with help
Common questions
Is a catch basin the same as a French drain?
No. A catch basin collects surface water through a grate. A French drain collects water that has soaked into the soil.
Can a channel drain run across my whole driveway?
Yes. That's a common layout at the bottom of a sloped driveway, as long as it ties into a pipe with a working outlet.
Related services
More background: Chatham County drainage guide.
Yard still underwater a day after the storm?
Call now and a local drainage contractor will help you work out where the water should go.