Drainage

Drainage products manage rainwater by collecting the water and moving it to areas where it can soak into the ground. Collection is done using square/round grates or longer narrow grates called channel drains. Gravity flow moves the water through PVC or flexible corrugated plastic pipe to spots where it either discharges onto the ground & soaks in, or empties into an underground French drain.

It doesn’t rain much here in Santa Fe, so why is rainwater drainage important? In other parts of the country rainfall often comes as slow steady rain. In the Southwest rainfall events are typically intense storms of short duration. Brief but strong storm runoff can undercut walls and foundations, make gullies, wash away plantings, and push soil onto sidewalks. Hence, managing rainwater is vital to caring for your home & property.

The sheets below illustrate the typical applications for drainage grates and channel drains.

To accommodate rainwater volume from a storm, piping is relatively large, 3” – 6” diameter is typical. Flexible corrugated plastic pipe is light, and easy to handle, cut to length, and install. ‘Sewer & Drain’ is a class of PVC pipe that is designed for non-pressure gravity water flow; it is much lighter and thinner walled than PVC for water supply.

The reference chart below lists sizes of corrugated and S/D we carry.