Oklahoma Drainage and Sprinkler Repair – 405 203 9419

Drainage Outlet

Before you ever build a Drainage System, you need to decide where you are going to take the problem water too.   Most residential Drainage Systems release water farther on down the hill, or release it out into the street.  Street release is either over the curb or through the curb.

It is a good idea to do a little research on the effects and liabilities of releasing water at your home.  What does the city think if you release water through the curb vs over the curb?  What does your downhill neighbor think if you are releasing water into his yard?

Some Drainage System Locations have many options for ” Exits.”  Others have vary few.

Don’t Start a Drainage System

if you don’t have a good place for the water to exit!

This is even more important, if your Drainage System needs to be a “Flood Prevention System.”  We talked about this in the previous blogs on Drainage.

A Flood Prevention System may need more than one exit to increase the Drainage Systems Capacity.

A Good Exit

OK, So you have a good Water Exit Strategy and have identified where the water is going to go.

Let’s go back and talk about Pop Up Emitters and Curb Outlets.

A Pop Up emitter is used to release water down a hill or over a curb and into the street.

 

 

Water hits the Emitter and fills it until the water pressure lifts the lid and the water drains out.

Good “Fall” or ” Slope“

is necessary for a pop up emitter to work properly.  Many times, a Drainage Pipe does not run down hill enough for a Drainage System to work well. You need “Slope” for your drain to work.   Water may move very slowly and never lift the lid and it just sits there.

We will talk about having the correct amount of “Fall” or “Slope” in a Drainage System in the next blog.

Curb fittings or outlets is the other way to release water.

 

First off,  For your average DIY Guy.  Installing a Curb outlet may be beyond your skill set or capacity.  If that is the case just place a Pop-Up Emitter up against the curb and go on about your business.

That being said, you may still want or need a Curb Outlet set in concrete.

If you are good with concrete and a concrete saw, this option poses no problem.  If this option seems too much for you, it probably is!  Consider sub contracting the curb outlet.  In higher populated areas, finding someone to do “Light” concrete work is relatively easy.  You sill can save money by installing the rest of the Drainage System yourself.

If you are sill going to install the “Curb Outlet,” here are the steps for a “First Timer.”

Step 1

Find a Curb outlet fitting.  They are round on one side where the drain pipe connects and rectangular on the other to fit in the cut out area for the Curb outlet.

They are sold in many Drainage Supply Businesses.  You may not find them at “Lowes” or ” Home Depot”.  It varies.  If a Specialized Drain Supply business is not available then use a “Heat and Air” Floor vent as your curb outlet.  They are made of metal in most cases but still will work very well.  I have done this many times.  The floor vent is typically wider and thinner than a standard Curb Outlet Fitting.  Just cut a wider hole in the curb.

Step 2

Watch an instructional safety video on using a concrete saw.

Step 3 Rent or buy a concrete saw.  A used one can be found in pawn shops for about 300$ to 600$.  A New one will run around a Thousand Dollars.

a Rental will run about 50$ to 150$ depending on your area.

Step 4  Find a Curb outlet that matches the size of your Pipe.  If you have a 4 inch Drain pipe then install a 4 inch curb outlet.   Sometimes a Six inch Curb outlet is too big to install in many roadside curbs.  It is too tall in many cases.  In most situations if you want a curb outlet and have a Six inch Drain Pipe, you must install two 4 inch outlets side by side.

If you have the need for a six inch Drainpipe, that means you have a lot of water to move.  You don’t want to create a bottle neck at the curb by installing a 4 inch curb fitting as your exit on a Six Inch Drainpipe.

What you need to do is dig a large hole at the curb so you have room to work.  Next you attach a 6 inch “Y” fitting onto your drain pipe above the curb several feet.  You then install Two Reducer Bushings in both outlets of the “Y” fitting.  Next you attach 4 Inch ADS Drainpipe to the outlets and run two 4 inch ADS Drainpipes to the Curb.  Now you install two 4 inch curb fittings side by side.

It is very important

to use ADS Pipe coming out of the 6 Inch “Y” fitting.  It is Flexible and can be easily bent to fit your application.   PVC Pipe is rigid and won’t bend.  Very few people can do this process using PVC.  In 33 Years of installing Drains, I have only done it 3 times using PVC.  It is very Difficult and Frustrating.

Step 5 Watch a Video on Light Concrete Work if available.

Step 6 Connect the curb fitting to the drainpipe and install cement around it.  I have had the most success using a ” Quick Set” concrete that comes in a small bucket and has an “Acrylic” Additive or Base.

I don’t recommend cutting the curb yourself and installing a curb outlet if you are only going to do this once in your life.  If you are or will become a drainage contractor, then this is a skill that you definitely need.

 

Oklahoma Drainage and Sprinkler Repair — Installing – French Drains – Surface Drains – Channel Drains – Sump Pumps.

Providing Expert Sprinkler Repair – Broken Sprinkler Pipes – Sprinkler Head Adjustment – Sprinkler Valve Replacement

We provide Service for Folks in: Norman, Oklahoma City, Edmond, and Moore.

Central and Western Oklahoma is our Service Area since 1993.  

                                                           (405) 203-9419

Check out Sprinkler System Check-Up

 

Sometimes things go wrong with sprinkler systems.