No floor drain in garage. Ideas?

jjrobo · January 22, 2007

I recently bought my first house and it has a detatched 3 stall garage. It is built on a slab and doesn't have any floor drains. Worse yet, it all drains to the back. Now that it is winter, it is getting to be a real mess.

Does anybody have any ideas on a way to get some floor drains in there for next winter? I am thinking of renting a concrete saw and installing some myself. This is my last resort so please give me some ideas.

I have a wood funrnace that I hope to install when I get the chance. I think that will help a little with keeping things dry. But it doesn't look like that is going to happen this winter.

Thanks,

Jeff

svensk · January 22, 2007

Your garage may not have been built to code. All detatched garages are usually built with a slight slope to the slab to drain to the street or the general direction. If it is older the garage might have sunk a bit. So to correct this you can have the back end of the garage sand jacked or mud jacked to the proper grade which will aid in drainage. If you bought this house from a previous owner who built this garage you may be able to make them pay for repairs depending upon your laws, and if the city code was in violation before you purchased the house.

jjrobo · January 22, 2007

It is about 15 years old. It was built to code, assuming it did settle in the back. I could tell it was going to be a problem when I first looked at the house. I'm now looking for a solution and I wouldn't even think of making the previous owners pay for it.

Why is there an advertisement in the middle of my previous post?

ratchet · January 22, 2007

Jeff, I can feel for you I have the same problem in my garage. My garage is heated with a natural gas furnace but prices of natural gas prohibits it's regular use.

asilverblazer · January 22, 2007

Pour a new slab on top of it with drainage to the door... $$$

gave20 · January 22, 2007

Your floor has a level elevation apparently to the back so putting drain holes in under the cars won't help much. The concrete needs reshaped like a sink to allow the drains to work correctly. The easiest thing to do is put in a trench style drain along the back with a grate over top to collect the water.

Sort of like this.

ZZebes · January 22, 2007

Why is there an advertisement in the middle of my previous post?

Cause someone thought we needed more spam in our lives

ZZ327 · January 23, 2007

cut a hole through that back wall at floor level, and put a house style air grill in it with wire mesh behind.

Dana_15 · January 23, 2007

Jack up your garage from under the concrete and pour a pier under it, thus re-leveling the garage. Or saw cut a trench in the back place a trench drain, like the ones in a previous picture......but they have to be piped out your garage into a storm drain, you could sink one into the side of your garage and have the drain water dump into it. Just a few suggestions. Or bust up the current floor ad re-pour.

Elwood 2000 · January 23, 2007

I think you need a very attractive woman to stand in the garage with a mop. Of course, she should be wearing a bikini while on the job, but that is just me.

Best of luck with THAT idea, especially if you are married!