If you discuss catch basins with an excavating contractor, they immediately think about large pre-cast concrete storm water drainage structures that are part of municipal, state or federal drainage systems. These basins commonly have an interior dimension of 2’ x 4’ or larger and are made of 8” thick reinforced concrete.
A landscaping contractor’s perspective on catch basins will be different. Typically, the largest catch basin used in a landscaping drainage system is 2’ x 2’. Precast concrete basins are available in this size, but they are referred to as 2’ x 2’ yard basins.
There are a number of options available for landscape contractors and homeowners who need a large catch basin. By large, I am referring to a basin with a maximum size of 2’ x 2’. A catch basin of this size (2’ x 2’) is at the boundary that separates commercial products from residential products. Basins larger than 2’ x 2’ are generally made with the intention of being exposed to heavy traffic. This article will be discussing some of the “large” catch basin products available for residential application.
18 inch Square Yard Drain
Pre-Cast Concrete Catch Basin – The first product to discuss is the traditional pre-cast concrete yard basin. These products are made in a concrete shape factory using a metal form. The wall will generally contain some amount of mesh reinforcing. There may be indentations in the walls (known as knock-outs) that will make it easy for a contractor to remove a section of the wall and install a drainage pipe. Usually, the largest pipe that can fit into this basin is a 15” diameter concrete pipe. These basins can be made with pre-existing drainage pipe holes to your specification. Grating options are traditionally limited to heavy duty cast iron slotted or bar grating. Though this type of basin is relatively inexpensive, they require a backhoe or small crane to set them into place. Your local pre-cast concrete company may have these in stock, but you will need some serious construction equipment to move and place it.
Cast-in-Place Concrete Catch Basin – If a pre-cast concrete catch basin is too heavy for you to handle by yourself, consider forming a large basin in-place. Catch basin forming systems exist that allow you to build a concrete catch basin at your location. After digging a pit for the catch basin, set a metal frame and Styrofoam form inside the hole and suspend it with rebar above the base of the pit. The form will ultimately become the “reservoir” of the basin that collects all the water. The space around the form will become the concrete walls of the basin. Prior to pouring concrete around the form, attach any drain pipe (entering or leaving) by simply butting it up to the form and securing it in some fashion.
Once you have the form secured in place with all the desired plumbing, pour concrete around the form. Depending on the size of the basin, you may choose to hire a ready mix concrete company to bring in “the mud”. However, if you excavated your hole with tight dimensional control you may feel comfortable hand mixing bagged concrete and saving yourself a little money. I mention this because most ready mix concrete companies have a minimum delivery charge. If you are making a 2’ x 2’ x 2’ catch basin with a 6” thick wall, you will need a half yard of concrete (or 2000 lbs.). I’d probably get a concrete truck and pay the minimum charge. However, if I was going to make the walls of that same catch basin 3” thick, I might decide to hand mix the concrete. For more information on this method, visit
www.econodrain.com.
Polymer Concrete Catch Basins – Another option for large yard basins is the polymer concrete catch basin. Polymer concrete is composed of natural mineral aggregates and a polymer binder. It has a very high strength in comparison to conventional concrete. This high strength allows very thin walled and light weight structures to be made with comparable properties as pre-cast concrete would have. Product lines, such as Polycast, include 24” x 24” x 24” boxes that are use to build a catch basin. For additional depth, two foot deep extensions can be placed on top of the solid bottom basin. Smaller catch basins made with polymer concrete are available as well. The photo to the right shows one of these smaller polymer concrete basins with an ornamental grate.
Attaching PVC piping to polymer concrete catch basins can be a little trickier especially since it is ideal to avoid using concrete when installing this catch basin. However, you may find it is necessary to use concrete to help seal the pipe in the basin wall or maybe when forming a small apron around the grating to help direct water into the basin. And speaking of grating, polymer concrete catch basins may have some good residential options, but they tend to me more industrial in nature.
Plastic Catch Basins – The final basin type I am going to discuss is the plastic catch basin.
There are a number of manufacturers are in the marketplace that promote plastic catch basins. I’m most familiar with products by National Diversified Systems (NDS). These products range in size from 24” x 24” to 9” x 9”. The larger NDS basins are made from high density polyethylene (HDPE) while the smaller basins are made from PVC.
Extensions are available for adjusting the depth of the basin. Piping is connected to the basin with an adapter fitting and PVC glue can be used to secure the pipe and fitting, though it is not necessary.
Grating options are better as you decrease the size of the basin. For instance, the large 24” x 24” NDS catch basin has 5 grate options. On the other hand, NDS’ 12” x 12” basin has 15 options. Plastic grates in a variety of colors are common throughout the NDS basin product line. They also have cast iron and galvanized steel bar grating. Other manufacturers also have grating options for the NDS basins. Iron Age Designs is one such company. Below are four decorative cast iron grates made for the NDS 12” x 12” catch basin. Some of these patterns are also available in sizes that fit other NDS basins.
As you can see from the examples I gave above, there are many options in large residential catch basins. I realize that the information given here may not answer all of your questions. To get more details on a product or advice on a catch basin application, send me an email at michael@trenchdrain.biz or call TrenchDrain.biz at 610-638-1221.
Comments(1) 
There are a number of manufacturers are in the marketplace that promote plastic catch basins. I’m most familiar with products by National Diversified Systems (NDS). These products range in size from 24” x 24” to 9” x 9”. The larger NDS basins are made from high density polyethylene (HDPE) while the smaller basins are made from PVC.
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