A driveway is some kind of hard standing that allows you to take your vehicles from the street to the front porch or garage on your property, or both. Your driveway will often be raised to some extent to ensure that rainwater falling on it from it flows to the sides. This water, and other water from the catchment that your property forms can be obstructed by the higher level and prevent its drainage to lower levels.
Excessive amounts of water that are not properly drained can erode your driveway and its foundations and lead to it ultimately sinking. Accumulated water can also get into the foundations of your house and its basement and cause water damage. All these issues with water can be resolved if a proper driveway drain is installed that can take all the excess water flowing over the driveway and areas adjacent to drainage points or even connect to roadside or municipal drains around your property.
The simplest of this is a channel drain in any shape as convenient. It can be a simple open saucer drain, a rectangular trench, or drain that is covered with gratings, so that it in no way reduces your space for parking. Covered drains are also safe as then no one can step into them and get injured. Slot drains are those that allow the water from the driveway or surrounding areas to flow into it through a slot in the driveway that takes the water to a pipe or trench below the driveway while the driveway itself acts as a trench cover.
Once water is collected in a driveway drain, arrangements have to be made to dispose of the water finally so that it leaves your property. It is possible for this to be connected to roadside drains or municipal sewers if the proper permissions are obtained for doing so. It is also possible to lead this excess water into percolation pits in your property so that the water is absorbed in the ground. You can also choose to take it into underground tanks which can be your contribution to water conservation. This stored water can then be used for gardening or cleaning and other purposes.
It is possible to buy readymade drains with covers made of metal, PVC or others. These drains can be installed at the sides of the driveway, but it must be ensured that the surface of the driveway slopes towards the drain and is effective in removing all excess water. This will require the top of the drain to be lower than the general level of the driveway. If you are also using the driveway drain to collect water from other parts of your property, its level and size must be adjusted accordingly.
The drain must then be led into a pipe or other arrangements that connect it to the final disposal point. The diameter of the pipe must be sufficient to carry away all the water, without it heading up in the drain. The most basic trench drain for your driveway can be a low trench filed with rock that will prevent erosion of the soil.
