Catch basins and channel drains in Mobile, Alabama
Pavement and low spots need somewhere to collect water before it reaches the house. Grated surface drains do that job.
Concrete and pavers shed rain almost instantly. A channel drain, also called a trench drain, is a narrow grated channel set into a driveway, patio or pool deck that catches sheet flow before it reaches a door. 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 do they help most?
- The bottom of a driveway that slopes toward the garage
- Courtyards and patios boxed in by walls or the house
- Pool decks that hold puddles after storms
- A low spot in the lawn where runoff from several yards meets
Are dry wells a good idea in Mobile?
Sometimes. A dry well stores water underground and lets it soak in slowly. That can work in deep sandy ground on higher parts of the county. Where the subsoil is slow clay with a perched water table, a buried pit can already be holding water when the next storm comes. A contractor should test how quickly the soil drains before suggesting one, and a pipe to a real outlet is usually the more dependable choice.
Signs you need a surface drain
- Water running across the driveway and under the garage door
- A patio that holds water against the back door
- Sand, mulch and pine straw washing onto pavement after every storm
- Erosion along the edge of a walk or slab
How do I keep them working?
Clear the grates often. Oak leaves, pine needles and grass clippings clog them quickly, and a blocked basin is just a hole full of water. Check them before hurricane season and after big storms. Don't sweep yard debris into the street inlet instead: the city's Stormwater Department already has more than 40,000 inlets to keep clear.
The contractor sets the price after walking the lot, checking how much fall there is to an outlet and seeing what's buried in the way. We don't quote prices, and a number given over the phone before anyone has seen the yard is a guess at best.
Where we connect you with help
Common questions
What's the difference between a catch basin and a French drain?
A catch basin collects surface water through a grate. A French drain collects water that has already soaked into the soil.
Can a channel drain run across the whole driveway?
Yes. That's a common layout at the bottom of a sloped driveway, as long as it ties into pipe with a working outlet.
Related services
More background: Mobile County drainage guide.
Back yard still a pond after the last Gulf storm?
Call the number above and get connected with an independent drainage contractor who works in Mobile County.