A garage serves several purposes in the house. You can do your laundry in the garage, pack trash cans, store household materials, and park or wash your cars.
A garage is also an excellent place to install a floor drain, making it effortless to perform all these activities. But where does a garage floor drain go?
You can channel a garage floor drain to different places. It can flow to a sewer connection or a septic system. You can also channel the drainage to a leach field. Regardless of where you channel your garage drainage, ensure it flows effortlessly.
Where Should a Garage Floor Drain Go?
A garage floor drainage should have a portal that allows the water to flow to a suitable discharge outlet far from the house and garage.
The two types of garage floor drain are the trench and the round or square floor drain.
You can connect the garage floor drain to the sewer. In other situations, you may channel your drain to a curb that flows into the storm drain system.
Also, a pipe can connect your garage drain to the garden, enabling you to get your garden with wastewater.
#1. Trench Floor Drain
A trench drain is a long gutter installed in the whole length of the garage. The water going into the trench flows to a wastewater solution like the sewage system and septic tank.
Covering the gutter is a grill that prevents dirt from entering the drain. Furthermore, this grill prevents the trench from becoming hazardous.
The amount of wastewater flowing into the trench will determine its size. The garage trench floor drain is mostly shallow and thin.
The trench grill can be from metals or other materials. However, if you want these grills to be effective, they should cover the drain fully.
| Benefits of Trench Floor Drains | Disadvantages of Trench Floor Drains |
|---|---|
| The trench floor drains consume a lot of space, allowing them to absorb more water. | The floor drain installation is challenging, especially when you have laid your garage floor. |
| They don’t need constant maintenance because they don’t get obstructed easily. | It can be hard to install by yourself. |
| It has different lengths. Therefore, you can install the one that fits your garage size. | It was expensive. |
#2. Round Or Square Floor Drain
This drain is another type of garage floor drain with a round or square shape. Although the shape varies, the installation standard, materials, and techniques of the drain are the same.
The round or square floor drain is smaller than the trench drain and can be used anywhere in the restroom, wet areas, and public places.
When you install these drain types, your floor needs to slope towards the center of the drain.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| It is simple and less expensive to install than the trench drains. | It requires constant maintenance because it gets obstructed easily. |
| Due to their small size, these drains take up less space. | They cannot take in large amounts of water. |
Why Is There a Floor Drain In My Garage?
When there is excess water and no floor drain in your garage, the garage floor might become slippery, leading to accidents.
Whether your garage needs a floor drain depends on your house’s location. Some areas do not allow the building of garage drains.
Alternatively, you can tilt the garage floors so that water will flow out of the garage itself, or you will sweep it out.
Benefits of Garage Floor Drain
- A drain will prevent excess water from storing in your garage and save you the stress of sweeping out the water.
- It makes washing your car in the garage easy since the water will flow independently.
- A floor drain in your garage will prevent ice formation during winter.
Before installing a garage floor drain, it’s best to carry out the steps below.
#1. Step 1:
Check the local regulations before installing a floor draining system in your garage.
#2. Step 2:
It would help if you decided between connecting the floor drain to a sewer system or a storm drain.
#3. Step 3:
Ensure the garage floor has a slope that will allow water to flow into the floor drain without any help. If your floor slope is not enough, pour more concrete.
#4. Step 4:
A garage drain might not be good for your health. Due to the excess water and other moisture in your garage, molds can develop. In addition, the excess moisture can breed mosquitoes.
#5. Step 5:
Some regulations guide what you can pour in a garage drain depending on your locality. Knowing what you ought to pour and what not to pour in a garage drain is best.
#6. Step 6:
Clean the garage floor drain regularly to reduce health risks.
Does a Garage Floor Drain Need a Vent?
Your garage floor drain needs a vent to function well. The drain vents prevent negative coercion stimulated by water flowing out of the drain.
These negative pressures can take in the toxic gasses from the sewer system. When your garage does not have a vent, it will not properly remove the water or solid waste and can cause blockage.
A garage floor drain that lacks a vent might pass gasses from the sewer back to the garage, making it smelly.
Another problem with a ventless floor drain is the noisy splashing of the drain. Also, bubbles may form in your garage and pass through the water.
If you notice any of the problems above in your garage, it indicates you need a vent or you have a faulty vent.
Therefore, it’s best to contact a professional to repair damages or fix a vent for your garage floor drain.
A standard drain vent should be directly behind the straight drain line. This line is parallel to the garage floor and carries its wastewater.
The drain ventilator runs from the drain through the roof, releasing the bad smell into the air.
You can clear the blockage by cleaning all dirt fragments from the vents on the rooftop of your garage.
And using number snakes to get rid of any blockage along the way. If you don’t have the time to unclog your drain vent, call a professional to fix the vent.
How Do You Plumb a Garage Floor Drain?
To plumb a garage floor drain, follow the following steps.
#1. Step 1
Draw a plan and locate where water gathers in the garage. This spot is where you will put a drain.
#2. Step 2
Check for any water pipes or other utilities in the slab area to avoid extra water in your garage. You can ask your local utility company for the location.
#3. Step 3
To install a floor drain, you will need a jackhammer or concrete saw, or both of them.
#4. Step 4
Dig a pit from the drain to where it will flow from the building. The gutter should be wide and deep enough to accommodate the pipe and the drain faucet. Add extra space while digging to allow you to bend the pipe down.
#5. Step 5
You can use the concrete saw to break or make a straight edge and a sledgehammer to break through the concrete.
The outside trench should be from where the pipe will stop to the last drainage juncture.
#6. Step 6
Lay the pipe by tilting it downwards to enable the water to flow into the pipe from the garage to the final drainage point. You might have to shim the upper part of the pipe to force it to bend.
#7. Step 7
After laying the pipe well, ensure you cover the drain to prevent concrete from infiltrating the drain. Mix concrete, pour it into the trench and let it down.
Then use a trowel to smooth the surface. Once you have covered the trench, cover the garage hole with a drain cover.
Can You Cover a Garage Drain?
A garage drain cover is an important part of your garage. So a garage cover should not look rusty. Cast iron is a common raw material used for making a garage drain cover.
However, cast iron covers rust easily, especially in a garage, so for a garage drain cover to last, it must be from a good material resistant to corrosion.
If you are looking for a strong and durable garage cover, opt for a high-quality steel cover, mostly powder-coated carbon steel.
This type of steel has outstanding tensile strength and is resistant to shock. Also, the powder coat enhances the resistance to rust and corrosion.
With these steel covers, you don’t need to worry about your garage drain cover when you find the right size.
Conclusion
A garage floor drain flows to different channels, such as a septic system or a leach field. You can also channel the wastewater to your garden.
There are different types of floor drains. So choose what fits your garage best. Regardless of where your garage drainage goes, ensure you follow the drain code of your locality.