I think it’s time to tell you about a product that is a bit of a secret in the marketplace.  It is one that I’ve been selling for years but have not written about until now.  It is simple, economical, sturdy and versatile.  I find myself recommending it more now that I have installed it a few times and have experienced the ease and speed that it can be assembled.  I’m speaking of EconoDrain, a patented concrete trench drain former system manufactured by MultiDrain Systems, of Barium Springs, North Carolina.

Two types of Poured-in-Place Trench Drains

First a little background on poured-in-place trench drain systems needs to be covered.  Poured-in-place concrete trench drains come in two flavors:

1)      Frame and Grate Systems (or Traditional Trench Drain systems) – which requires that the contractor build the trench form, usually from wood.

2)      Trench Drain Former System – In addition to a frame and grate, a former system utilizes a disposable, pre-sloped form (or mold) that is used to make the drain channel.

The end result of both systems can be similar.   Both trench drain types are used to build a concrete channel with an embedded metal frame that supports an engineered grating.  There are some differences, however, which are discussed below.

Traditional Frame and Grate System – I think of traditional poured-in-place trench drain systems, or frame and grate systems, as one that is purchased from a foundry.  What you are actually buying is some quantity of cast iron grates and some cast metal rails.  The rails are used for making a frame to cradle the grates.  Traditionally, trench drain grates made by a foundry in the US have been 2 foot in length.  The width of the grates will vary based on the flow requirements of the channel.  However, a historically popular grate width seen in the U.S. has been 12”.  The rails used to hold the grates are often 4 foot in length.

So, for example, if you were going to install a 16 foot long trench drain using this system, you’d first purchase 8 grates and 8 rails from an iron foundry.

Two common foundries that manufacture this product are Neenah Foundry and East Jordan Iron Works.  These companies make large gray iron and ductile iron castings used in roadways and sewers.  Other plumbing fixture foundries, such as Josam, Watts and Zurn, manufacture frame and grate systems which are geared more for interior uses, such as maintenance facilities and warehouses.  Though there are differences in the design of each of these products, there is a great deal of application overlap.  And, in the end, each product requires a channel form to be constructed out of wood.

The act of building a wooden channel form can be a daunting task to the novice.  The wooden form is constructed and suspended in an excavated trench.  The metal rails of the drain are attached in some manner to the wooden form.  Because the rails are designed with an anchoring system, once concrete is poured around the form the rails become imbedded in concrete.  The wooden form which forms the trench is removed once the concrete is dry.  If a sloped trench bottom is wanted, the form can be constructed to produce the effect, or a mortar layer can be applied afterwards to slope the trench bottom.  It all sounds difficult.  But, it can be done in time with a skilled tradesman.

Trench Former System – A trench former system is similar to the traditional frame and grate product in-so-far that you are supplied a frame and grate.  However, with this type of system, you are also given a disposable, pre-sloped form.  The forms are specifically designed to attach to the frame, making the whole “wooden box construction episode” obsolete.  The forms and frames are assembled quickly and suspended in the excavated area by use of rebar.  As the frame and form are pre-engineered to a specific width and depth, less design work needs to be done in the field and installations are significantly quicker.  Forms are pre-sloped and can have rounded bottoms to give the resulting concrete channel improved flow characteristics.

The three most popular Trench Forming Systems on the market today are:

a)      EconoDrain (MultiDrain Systems) which uses an EPS mold to make round or flat bottom, pre-sloped channels that range in width from 4 inches to 24 inches.  The frame design allows the trench installation to be done with one concrete pouring event.

b)      Trench Former (ABT, Inc.) which also uses an EPS mold, offers channels that range in width between 6 and 24 inches.  Like EconoDrain, they have a patented framing system.  However, for proper installation of the Trench Former System, two concrete pours are required.

c)      FastForm (ACO) which uses a cardboard molding material to form the 12” and 24” wide channels.   Form assembly is required.

EconoDrain – The Most Versatile Trench Drain Former Product

Of the products discussed above, no one has a product that is as versatile, easy to install or cost effective as EconoDrain.  EconoDrain has a patented frame and channel forming system that eliminates the time and materials required in building a traditional formed-in-place trench drain.  The frames, which come in 8 foot lengths, have specially designed anchor stand shoulders that accepts #4 or #5 rebar.  This rebar is the supporting member that suspends the frame and EPS foam in the trench where the concrete channel is to be formed.

Attached to the underside of the frame is a lightweight, pre-sloped form.  Where traditional forms are made of wood, the Econodrain form is made of expanded polystyrene (EPS).  This form is designed with a locking collar which holds the form in the frame during installation.  The center wedge, designed with “ears”, is easily removed after the pouring and setting of the concrete, allowing the remainder of the form to collapse and be removed from the channel.  Thereafter, grates can be placed into the frame.  Locking devices are also available to help secure the grates in place.

The EconoDrain former system can be made with painted steel, galvanized steel, stainless steel or aluminum frames.  The most common grating options are ductile iron slotted grates and bar grating.  However, with the help of a company called Trench Drain Systems (www.trenchdrain.biz), custom trench drain can be designed to meet your needs.  Custom stainless steel grates, decorative cast iron grates and custom polymer concrete grating (Jonite Grates) have been used with Econodrain.  Recently, MultiDrain and Trench Drain Systems have developed a pre-sloped, radius channel drain using custom forms made by EconoDrain.  These channels are used to make curved drains that can be used in running tracks, pools, driveways and fountains.  They utilize custom cast iron radius grating that cover curvatures that range from 3 feet to 55 feet in radius.  No other product or manufacturer can offer this degree of versatility in a poured-in-place trench drain system that can be achieved with Econodrain.

EconoDrain Installation Example

I recently installed a concrete former system trench drain in a home owner’s driveway.  Usually, in residential driveway trench drains, I recommend a 4 inch wide polymer concrete trench system (such as Polycast 600).  In this situation, however, a “river” of water was flowing down the driveway with a force that was moving yard structures.  A wider, more industrial trench system was required to divert the water.  We decided on using an 8 inch wide, poured-in-place concrete trench drain with a 10 inch wide grate containing a high percentage of open space.

We decided to place the drain at the bottom of the drive along the area we have marked with the measuring tape (see right).  We decided to direct the water to a cobble stone lined creek to the left, just behind the flowers.  The asphalt driveway was cut using a walk behind concrete saw.  The asphalt topping and soil was removed to a depth that allowed us to have 6 inches of concrete all around our form.  The drain frame and form was set in the excavation using #4 rebar.  I never took photos of these steps because I was busy getting the drain set.  The concrete truck was scheduled to be there soon!!

The photo to the right shows the drain just after we had placed the concrete.  We made a box to form a square end to the outlet end of the drain.  At this location, we connected a piece of corrugated pipe which ran below the surface of the cobble stone creek.  We let the concrete set overnight and removed the form the next day.  To remove the form, we had to first cut the metal support bars that hold the metal rails to their dimension.  For this we used a small angle grinder.  The EPS form actually seats around these bars during installation helping to hold the form in the frame.

Once the support bars were freed, a center wedge section of the form was removed, allowing us to pinch and collapse the remainder of the mold away from the new concrete channel wall.  The mold separated easily from the concrete because we had used a mold release agent on the form prior to pouring concrete.  After the EPS forms were removed, we cleaned the excess concrete from the metal rails with a scraping device and then swept the remaining dirt out of the drain.  The only thing left was to install the grates and bolt them into place (See below).

For more information on the EconoDrain trench forming system and how a system can be designed for your application, contain Trench Drain Systems (TDS) by calling 610-638-1221 or by emailing your request to sales@trenchdrain.biz.

Goodness Gracious! I just returned from a pleasure/business trip to Brazil.  Though the weather was good at times, the majority of my stay was overcast and rainy. I have no complaints on the +80 degree weather in January, however. I was given time to see some torrential rainfalls and a steady use of drainage systems in two distinctly different locations.

The first part of my trip was to a city called Belo Horizonte. This is a city of over 3.5 million people and with a population in the metropolitan area of well over 5 million. It is located just 5 hours north of Rio de Janerio. Belo is in the heart of the state of Minas Gerias, which is known for mining, iron production, cheese and a rum-like drink called Cachaca. The terrain is hilly. The infrastructure is old. Housing is made from concrete and ceramic tile. The streets are a mixture of stone and asphalt patchwork. When it rains here, you see lots of fast moving water on the streets.

The second part of my trip was to Rio de Janerio. While there, I stayed in the upscale area called Barra (pronounced ba ha).  In contrast to Belo, the Barra has newer housing, a lot of construction, a lot of commercial property, concrete and asphalt streets and flat terrain. It is know for the beaches, night life and carnivaal. When it rains in Rio, the water doesn’t flow as quickly as in Belo. Still, trench drain abounds here, as in Belo.

Trench Drain In Belo Horizonte – The trench drain I saw in Belo was all cast-in-place. That is to say, that the channels were formed of concrete, generally with a iron shoulder to support a grate of some sort. Four types of trench grate were identified; none of which were heavy duty. These are:

1) No Grate — I was surprised how often grate-less trenches were used in sidewalks, streets, gas stations and parking lots to channel run-off water. If the channel is narrow or shallow, apparently it isn’t considered a pedestrian hazard.

 

2) Simple iron fabrication — Most grating I saw was formed from welded reinforcing bar or flat stock. The styles were rarely similar, indicating that they were fabricated with each construction effort. These were the most fun drains to find and were often on the hilliest slopes.

3) Cast Iron — In some of the more commercial residential areas, I found cast iron grating. The sections were generally a meter in length and seemed to be able to handle the small automobile traffic common to Brazil (Class C at best). I found some of this grating at a local hardware store. No brand names are available. And apparently, there is no attention given to market standardization.

 

4) Concrete — I did locate concrete grating in a couple larger residential applications. I saw concrete used more in municipal drains systems. I was told that in larger cities, people steal cast iron grates to sell for scrap. In these areas, concrete trench grates are becoming more common.

 

Trench Drain In Rio De Janerio — In contrast to Belo, the majority of the trench drain I saw in Rio was associated with commercial property. But, as in Belo, I saw only cast-in-place systems. This time, however, the grates were wide and manufactured (rather than custom). I want to identify four types of grating that I saw:  

1) Bar grating (steel) — This seemed to be almost an H-20 loading grate. What I saw was manufactured from welded bar stock . One particular parking lot had over 100 LF of 2 foot wide trench using this grating.

 

2) Bar Grating (polymer composite) — I’m still scratching my head on this one. I could swear I found grating made from polymer concrete. I would think that this grating would have to be wire or mesh reinforced. However, what I saw was cast and mineral based, and it seems to have a well thought out hold-down mechanism employed.

 

3) Cast Iron — Simple cast iron grating was found in some of the ramps I saw in parking garages. Unlike those in Belo, these seemed to be a more durable design capable of class D loads. Again, all grating was in one meter section, no mater of the width. I saw no locking devices.

4) Frame and Grate — I want to single out on type of cast iron grate which I feel is significant. At a grocery store parking lot, I found the use of a ½ meter square manhole frame and grates aligned in a series to make a trench drain. Though only 40 to 50 feet were found, it shows that excess money was spent to solve a drainage problem.

My observations of trench drain in the Brazilian cities of Belo and Rio are not exhaustive by any means. However, they are snapshots of what is being used in this country and have some value. Brazil currently has relatively cheap labor and “forgiving” building codes. The economy may not be ready for widespread use of the standardized trench drain materials currently used in Europe or North America. However, the infrastructure is ready. Architects and engineers need to start incorporating standardized drainage systems into the designs of new construction projects. Simple former systems (Econodrain www.econodrain.com) would be a logical place for this country to begin. And, as Brazil is a county rich with iron casting production, it seems that this trench drain system is a natural fit. View more photos that I took on this trip of trench drains in brazil.

Wow, I’ve had a busy summer!!! I hope all is well in Cyberland.

This summer, I had the opportunity to view more trench drain at various National Monuments. This time, I visited the Black Hills and viewed the trench drain marvels of Devil’s Tower and Mount Rushmore.

MOUNT RUSHMORE

I went to Mount Rushmore 25 years ago on my way to Field Camp (to study field Geology). At that time, it was foggy and I was unable to view the mount or see the faces of the four Presidents. If I recall, I was also driving with a friend from Panama (Juan Villanueva) in his brown 1976 Dodge Charger and camping under the stars. Ahh, to be 20 again… It didn’t matter that I was unable to see the monument. What I know now is that I wouldn’t have seen any trench drain!!!Since that time, the monument has undergone remodeling and has seen some wonderful improvements…..such as trench drain.

I have two photos……

The above photo is of a custom Stainless Steel Grate that was found in the lobby to the ampitheatre. Beautiful!! The square grate openings are either laser cut or stamp pressed. (My guess is laser cut) Big Buck Stuff!!! Kudos to the park. If anyone knows the maker, I’d like to find this out.

The drain shown below is from a company out of Washington State:  Urban Accessories. They have nice patterns of trench drain grates, which may be made in China. They have a good product line. I’ve quoted custom trench to jobs that had specified their grating. They seem to be good folk and have a nice niche in the industry. Their trench grating sure added a charming touch to the amphitheater stairs at Rushmore.

DEVIL’S TOWER

The first time I came to Devil’s Tower was shortly after the movie “Close Encounters”. Because of this, my first visit here was a pseudo-religious experience. I saw no little green men (at least from interstellar encounters) on this first visit. And, I don’t recall having as much fun then as I did this time hiking with my children and nieces. We took lots of photos and journeyed farther than we were allowed without being registered climbers. We even even had a mid-day lunch on the side of the sacred tower.

One of my favorite photos is of the “primitive” perforated steel grating found in front of the ranger station at the base of the tower. Again, this had to be a special made item (US tax $$$). And, though the holes are small and spaced far apart, they must allow enough water flow to make themselves useful. Besides, this is an arid region. I have no idea of the age of these grates, but I’m guessing that they were made before the age of pre-sloped, pre-formed polymer trench drain systems. Look at the imperfect hole pattern. Maybe the Park Department made these grates itself.

Many “Thanks” to the National Park System for preserving and maintaining the parks for all of us. If you haven’t gone to the Black Hills, I urge you to go. There are many, many more things to see than these two monuments. My children and I had a wonderful time……probably the best vacation of our life. And we only spent 4 days!