Exterior Drainage Options - Trench or Linear drains for Landscaping and Pool Projects

[johnfrwhipple]

I have been getting a lot of inquires on the linear drains for exterior use. The number one questions is if they can be used outdoors. With out going into to much detail the simple answer is "Yes".

Trench Drains are used everyday around British Columbia and for the most part they consist of basic ABS or PVC bodies and grill tops. If your looking for a sleeker option you might consider a new linear drain from the likes of Luxe, Quick Drain USA or ACO.

ACO is by far the world leader in commercial drainage and have many options for our highways, roads, city streets and even our own back yards.

The builder on my current project in UBC (Vancouver) took a real liking to the Quick drain USA tile top and the Luxe Wedgewire. In the end the slot drain from ACO got the green light but I thought I would share some more information on these drains here in case someone is searching out their options.



This is a video slide show showcasing the drains from Luxe / Heelguard USA.

I'm waiting on some new pictures from Quick Drain USA and will post the finished pictures of the ACO project next spring when the yard work wraps up.

If your a landscape architect, landscape contractor or swimming pool contractor perhaps you can email some of your creative drainage projects that I can share here online.

[johnfrwhipple]

The ACO Brick Slot drain is a very clever design and I first viewed it a few months back at a lunch meeting with Dino and Russell from ACO. I have a nifty pen holder made from a section of this Brick Slot Drain.

Here in Vancouver I do not install this product but they can be ordered from Universal Concrete in Burnaby.

Take a minute and have a look;

http://www.acoaus.com.au/drain/brickslot.htm

[johnfrwhipple]

Joseph from Quick Drain USA's head office is waiting like me on some finished pictures of a tropical pool install that will showcase his linear drain in an exterior setting. The drains from Quick Drain USA can be "Ganged" and Quick Drain has a clever 90 degree joining plate that allows them to be installed in series and make those corners.

[johnfrwhipple]

In the past two months I have also field two calls about curved linear drains. Joe Philips from LUXE can make this happen and me and my tile crew are working out the finer details on a large West Vancouver project where the LUXE drains will make the soft bend and meet the landscape architects criteria.

The wedgwire grill from Luxe is extremely rigid and I can tell you from first hand experience that it can be "Rebuffed" if need be. I did not transport my display model so well a few months back but shined it right back up with little effort.

If the drainage needs to be installed to take vechile traffic you only need spec the weight of the car or truck. I'm told back in Australia there is an install that gets driven over every day by the local Fire Department.

[johnfrwhipple]

I have a meeting tomorrow with NanaWall and we will be discussing their sliding door systems and the best practices for drainage. The folks at NanaWall have about seven options and here in Vancouver to choose from. Many projects are closely monitored by Build Envelope Engineers and it is this fact and working with the NanaWall weep hole system that I find intriguing.

The NanaWall system has taken great care in the design and some of their models with a bottom track have weep holes designed into them. This is clever design and I hope to learn a lot more about the best way to clear this water from their track system on Thursday.

Figuring out your plan of attack should be done at the design stage as rough opening dimensions should account for the drainage systems like Schluter's Troba or a Troba like method. We have many products than can do this job here in Vancouver and over the coming months I hope to have at least three options available to satisfy any Building Envelope Engineer or City inspector.

JW