Indoor Trench Drains

Indoor trench drains are mostly seen in industrial and other commercial applications, although it does enjoy some popularity among some residential applications as well.

In many commercial settings, it is more cost effective to have 1 long, thin trench drain than several smaller floor drains.  A great example of that would be in a public shower, such as in a public gym.  The building designer can slope the entire floor, in one direction, towards the plumbing wall, and have 1 trench drain span the length of that wall.

It is much easier to have the 1 drain line, and to slope the floor one direction than to have a separate shower drain at each shower stall, with several floor slopes to the drains.  While the single drain line will usually need to be bigger, as it is serving more showers, it is still much more efficient.

The only real downfall is that, if that line backs up, all showers back up at the same time.  As that often happens with separate drains as well, due to them all tying in together at some point, it is not a huge drawback.

Trench drains are also seeing popularity in residential showers as well.  They can also be more efficient in these cases, due to the lager drain surface area.  Yes, it still drains down the same sized line as a standard shower drain in this application, but since the “trench” itself is below floor level the water effectively “drains” much faster.  Some people also feel that they add a somewhat more unique design element.

The two most important things to remember with indoor trench drains are:

1 – Both the floor leading to the drain, and the drain body itself must have sufficient slope to properly drain.

2 – Since they tie into the sanitary sewer system, they still need to have a proper p-trap, and vent.

As for maintenance, the only real challenge is in keeping the trench body itself clean, and in finding the outlet, if the drain should back up.  The latter should not be too much of a challenge for an experienced plumber.

Outdoor Trench Drains

Outdoor trench drains, while still a sort of floor drain, are actually a part of a storm drain system.  They can surround pools to keep the pool water from puddling around the edges, in driveways, and near buildings to keep rain water at bay, or just about anywhere else where controlling ground water is important.

While the same rules apply to outside drains that apply to their indoor cousins with regard to slope, outdoor trench drains have two major distinctions that present their own challenges:

1 – As with all storm drains, outdoor trench drains are susceptible to mud, and other foreign debris.  This makes them more susceptible to backing up.  For this reason, it is important to keep the grates clear, and even to clean the inside trench from time to time, to make sure they stay draining properly.

2 – They do not drain into the sanitary sewer system.  This means that they do not require a p-trap.  It also means that they may take water to a number of different places.  Sometimes a gravel field, or another storm drain, or maybe even just to the curb.  As with any storm drainage system, it is important to know all the aspects of your system.  This will make your maintenance much easier to keep up.

Well, there you go – all about trench drains, both indoor and out.  If you have any other questions, or need maintenance of your trench drain, or even want to ask about getting one installed, Allstar Plumbing has you covered.  Give us a call today!