Laying A Channel Drain: Instructions.

[RTurlough 160]

To help anyone planning to lay additional drainage for their dog pen here is an example.

This should help you get by and since many of us live in terraced housing I will talk you through the process.

 

Don't get anyone to lay it for you! Do it yourself, take each problem as it comes and work your way through from start to finish. It is simple it just takes time, confidence that you can do it and a little competition to make your pen better than those you hunt with goes a long way.

 

Always expect it to be hard, especially if fresh to labouring...........but if you plan to dig to terriers then this is the best way to get practice in. Expect your garden to be boggin after you do this unless you lay down builders planks and only walk on those.

 

Get your hands on the following items before you start, you need every one of these items! Beg, borrow or steal.

 

• Access to water
• Wheelbarrow
• Yellow builders bucket
• Long tailed shovel
• Square wide mouth shovel (for mixing in wheelbarrow if not using mixer)
• Rake
• Steel pointed trowel (the smaller the better as we are doing thin drains here)
• Spade
• old rag (must have, in case concrete drips on your plastic hex drain)
• 1 ton of gravel/sand (£20 per ton plus £20 - £40 delivery cost. Delivery cost the same for 1 ton to 10 tons i.e. 1 ton £50 delivered, 2 ton £60 delivered. Get it?)
• 2 bags of cement (£3 - £4 per bag)
• bubble level

 

Drainage items:

• ACO (PVC) Hex channel drain £7 -£8 per metre (compatible with 110mm rusty brown/orange coloured sewerage piping).

 

• ACO Hex drain accessory pack (included: end caps, anti-clog insert cap and collar - this is to attach to the 110mm pipe.

 

• 110mm piping (usually sold in 16feet lengths) at about £12-£13 for the full length.

 

• 110mm 90 degree bend (must have) - you knock out the plastic circle within the UNDERNEATH of your hex drain with a tap of a hammer and the end of the pipe fits in. 90 degree bend then allows you to fit this to the pipe which will carry your water away.

 

• 110mm S-bend (optional) - only added if you are draining into a sewer to stop the smell and seepage coming back up the pipe.

Dig your ground, remember the slope you want your water to run off to your drain. Think of the size. Don't go too deep or you will have to fill it all with gravel and compact it down to fill the stuff you removed.

 

 

Drill a hole into your drainage system or if going into concrete use a heavy pry bar or hammer and chisel.

 

Lift off your drain cover first to make sure you are actually going to a drain and not a hydrant tap or access to cables.

 

When digging....AWLAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS expect to hit pipes or cables. 99% chance you wont as you are not going that deep but always expect it nonetheless. If you do find cables don't run your spade through them whatever you do! Give them a wide berth and all is not lost of you find them. You can probably concrete over them but this will restrict future access to them.

 

Dig your channel and measure how long your channel is in comparison toy our channel drain. Step the end of your drain to allow for an s bend or a 90 degree bend, whichever you use.

 

 

Knock out the bottom of the hex drain with one or two taps of the hammer, fit the collar and accessories (all click together) fit to your 110 mm pipe, make sure everything is running and in place which fits with your pen and drain you are linking up to.

 

 

 

When ordering gravel ask for a sand and gravel mix. Delivery costs are usually high (can be £20-40) but the ton bag costs only £20 therefore it is like £40 for 1 ton or £60 for two ton. One ton should be plenty for 1 average pen (2m x 3m) and 2 or 3m of channel drain.

 

1 bag of cement will do up to 4m of channel drain and to reconcrete the cavity you made in the side of a concrete drain. If core drilling into the drain, rent the core bits (115mm needed) and make sure it is compatible with your drill and if not get an arbour attachment.

 

When digging out your dog pen take off the soft soil layer, don't go down too far unless you are on really soft ground then try to get down to clay. Think of the load that your concrete base will be going onto. You may need a ton of gravel to strengthen this base if trying to make a pen of soft peaty ground.

 

So dig your channel, remember to put a deeper step in to allow for your 90 degree bend or s-bend.

 

Shuttering: This is a term which means getting 3x2 timber (ask for this in the timber yard) and make a frame for your pen concrete base and around your channel drain (approx. 10-15cm in width each side of the channel) so you can pour in the concrete. Like a mould frame to keep everything tidy and to stop your concrete from going all over the place.

 

Shutter your base and the area around your channel drain. Put a skim of gravel and sand (approx. 5mm-10mm) into your channel trench to allow it to bed in. Really push it in and make sure it will not move when cementing in. Use a brick or two to keep it in place.

 

If tapping into a sewer drain or septic tank drain you must think of methane gas. This is highly explosive and stinks to high heavens. So probably illegal to tap into it but if you are determined sure how can I stop you but only advise you! Anyway make sure that when you fit your pipe you get all the debris which has fallen into your sewer drain back out so not to clog the system and reconcrete around your pipe to make a solid seal at the connection where your pipe enters the sewer. If connecting to a storm drain this is also advised and if possible always fit an s-bend to stop smell and backflow.

 

Really important: When setting your gradient you want about 1 degree of fall. Anything to steep will carry away the water to fast and leave the solids. Anything flatter will mean the greater chance of a blockage.

 

Mixing concrete:

 

Man has mixed concrete by hand for thousands of years. Infact they built the pyramids with the stuff. So don't be afraid to mix in a wheelbarrow. It takes no time at all and will tighten you up. As long as your are not trying to do a 4m x 4m dog pen solo then doing all this by yourself with little to no experience is grand.

 

the ratio is 3 shovel sand/gravel : 1 shovel cement

 

When adding water put the tiniest amount in. I mean like the amount in a gravy boat......mix it through....another gravy boat load....now you get it. Simples. You want a nice coarse mix not water at all. Even when doing the channel sides.....the concrete will find itself smooth as you go over it with the trowel. Have faith and you never know these things til you try. Half fill a channel and try the trowel so you get the hang of it before filling up the channel shuttering to meet the sides of your aco hex drains.

 

Keep working the mix with the wide mouth shovel and if you have a friend who will mix while your pour then you are flying.

 

If you can get black bags, tear them along their seams into lengths and tape this over the top of your channel drains to keep them protected from concrete falling into them.

 

Now prepare for hard work, take your time, measure, check gradient, re-measure, always thinking of the water getting away.

 

Be super super careful when adding the concrete around your channel drains.....you can be like a bull doing all the mixing and digging but when it comes to concreting around your drains think of being a brain surgeon. Work it slowly with the metal trowel and tap it to get the air bubbles out. Slowly bit by bit it starts to work, go smooth and everything comes together.

 

Hope this helps. Any advice needed and I'll do the best I can.

Edited February 20, 2017 by RTurlough

[fagaen 282]

Fairplay to you for taking the time to explain this im sure not only myself but other lads will apreciate this

[Lenmcharristar 9,180]

well done mate on the advice. id really reccomend the trap or s bend to stop smells. rats and gases escaping from sewers, drains. nothing worse than walking outside and getting hit with the smell of raw shite lolol. very good advice there for people