NC DRAINS Apple Drains Charlotte North Carolina

Windwatch Magazine

Apple Drains — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:47:03 +0000

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Most Important Drain in the Rainwater Drainage System

Apple Drains — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:15:50 +0000

The Downspout Drain is the most important drain in the system. Look at how all the drains in the yard, driveway and even from the crawl space attach to this drain.

Drain Tile

The Downspout Drain

Underground drain pipe the leads from the Downspout out to the street or storm drain. This pipe is the most important pipe in your Rainwater Drainage Systems.

The underground pipe could be made of PVC, Polystyrene or in older homes, Terra cotta (clay). Usually the pipe has a 4” inner diameter and attaches to the bottom of the downspout.

When it rains, the roof catches a great deal of water.

Example – A 2000 sq ft roof with collect 1160 gallons of water during a 1 inch rain fall. This a lot of water! The gutters catch the water from the roof and channel it down to the ground through the downspouts. If there is no underground drain to carry the water away from the foundation, the water will end up under your home either in the crawl space or your basement. A home without underground drains from the downspout almost always has Water Problems!

(a quick note – adding a 10 foot section of pipe to the downspout does absolutely Nothing! – Its an eye sore and the water will still end up under your home)

Installing Drain Tile

When we install underground pipe, the 1st thing we do is draw up a diagram of where we want to trench. The next thing we do is call to the underground utilities located. (its the law in most all states). Do not trench without locating the utilities.

Trenching -

We use a trencher to dig our trench. The trencher will dig quickly and neatly and create a trench deep enough to install the drain tile. Yes, we also dig by hand. When digging along side the foundation or landscaping or across a utility, we must dig by hand. That means shovels, picks and the axe sometimes too.

Pipe –

Corrugated Pipe comes in large rolls. This is good because it means there are No Seams for water to leak out.

We like to use Solid PVC #3000 S & D type for downspout drains. Corrugated is also a good choice if its properly installed. Both pipes will carry the water away from the foundation and will last a long time if maintained. See “Cleaning a Drain Tile”

Back Fill -

Back Filling and Clean Up

Once the pipe is installed to the proper depth and grade, the hard part begins. That being, covering up (back fill). We try very hard to put things back (dirt, sod, bushes, etc..) so within a couple of weeks, its hard to to tell we were ever there. The best way to accomplish this, is to keep your soil close to the trench as you dig. We usually put all the soil back on the trench and then come back and scope out some excess to be hauled away. Depending on the soil (how wet it is) we sometimes lay out tarps the length of the trench to throw our soil on as we dig. Then when we back fill, the area below the tarps is clean. We also take away some of the soil and spread it along the foundation. This does two things. 1) it helps the yard look much better when it settles, and 2) the excess along the foundation wall will help water to flow away from the home.

Lastly, we rake the area along both sides of the trench. The result is a clean install.

MORE ABOUT FRENCH DRAINS -

Read More…

Crawl Space Water Soultions

Apple Drains — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:19:04 +0000

Install a Sump Pump to help remove water FAST

Here at Apple Drains, we KNOW that bulk of water coming in your crawl space comes from the roof. If you do not have downspout drains leading from the downspout underground out to the street or storm, most all of the roof water is ending up in your crawl space.

The downspout drain is not just a 10 foot piece of pipe laying under the mulch pointing away from the house. To be honest, this is just an eye sore. The water will simply travel back underground to the foundation wall. The Downspout Drain Needs to go underground and out to the street or curb.
Also if you have a low spot or hill that is sloping toward the crawl space, a YARD DRAIN or French Drain is needed to collect the water and pipe it to the street.

Water comes into your crawl space from a couple points.

• Through the first course of block or brick laid on top of the foundation , the footer.
• Ground water rising up. this becomes trapped inside the crawl space.

Getting Your Estimate

Upon Inspection of the crawl space, we look at the following

1. Downspout Drains – Are They Present?

2. Downspout Drains – Are They Working?

3. Yard Drains French Drain – Are They Needed?

4. Gutters – Are They Overflowing?

Inside the CRAWL SPACE

1. Is there a CORE Discharge? (gravity drain exiting the crawl space)

2. Is there a Sump Pump? Is it working properly and where does it discharge?

3. Eflorensnce? Water in the blook ( a white pawder that forms on the block. This is not mold)

4. Is there water standing in the lowest point of the crawl space.

5. Is ther a footer tile? (this is like a french drain that runs around the inside walls of the crawl space)

6. Evidence of Wood Rot and Mold.

7. Cracks, Bad Piers, shifting spoil.

8. Termite Trails, Insects, animals, rodents.

9. Is there a Moisture Barrier?

10. Are the Utilities above the water?

11. Venting.

Making The Plan Of Action to correct problems.

• Almost always if the problem is coming from the lack of downspout drain line, we will recommend installing underground drains from the downspouts out to the strret. You can see some average cost of install on Downspout Drain, Roof Drain, Gutter Drain Here (opens new window). This is betway to stop water from entering your crawl space.

• Sump Pump, Sump Pit, Discharge Line through wall to outside drain (if no drain is present, you’ll need a downspout drain line thatleads to the street) -

• A sump pump will more than likely correct most crawl space problems. We install our pumps in a sump liner (sump pit) that sets 24″ below the grade of the crawl space and surround that pit with gravel. We allow water to enter the pit by perforating the pit. When the ground water rises or when water coomes into the crawl space, it will flow to the sump pit and the sump pump will lift it up and pout to the outside drain. You can see some associated cost of install of sump pump Here (opens in new window) There is also average cost on footer tile on this page.

• Footer Tile , Perimeter Tile, french drain crawl space.In addition to the sump pump, sometimes we’ll recommend a footer tile be installed around the inside of the crawl space. This a perforated pipe surrounded by 3/4 inch washed stone and sits just below the the top of the footer (foundation). The pipes lead to the sump pit. See associated cost HERE

Ok.. There is always more we could write , but its best to call us for a FREE ESTIMATE. We work on every home like it is our own. You can be sure, We’ll Make It Right The First Time!

Note: Tags: average cost, cost, CRAWL SPACE WATERPROOFING, DOWNSPOUT DRAIN, DRAINAGE, FL, FRENCH DRAIN, GA, GRAVEL DRAIN, KY, MI, NC, OH, SC, Southeast, SUMP PUMP, TN, VA, water damage, WET CRAWL SPACE, YARD DRAIN

Apple Drains / Drainage Contractors
Charlotte NC
704.336.9111

SCHEDULE SERVICE ON LINE
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NEWS – New Video Help Center – Full of How To Video’s
List Includes:
Mold removal, mold in crawl space, wood rot, moisture barrier, black mold, Channel Drain, Sump Pump Install, French Drain, Yard Drain, Downspout Drain, Trenching, Roof Water, Drainage, Catch Basin, How To Install, Best Way to Remove Water and so much more.

Notes about how water comes in your crawl space.

When you are ready to work on your crawl space space issues, its best to get a couple estimates. Not so much for price, as you should find most reputable companies will be with a few hundred dollars of each other, but more for the ideas of how to correct your problem.

Rainwater Drainage Systems, French Drain, Sump Pump, Downspout Drain, Roof Drain, Yard Drains

How to Install a Channel Drain in Steep Driveway

Apple Drains — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:57:50 +0000

CHANNEL DRAIN –

Best used for sloping driveways, sidewalks, pool patio’s, and brick or cement decks that slope toward the house.

See Also: Average Cost to Install a Driveway Channel Drain..

Note: Working in concrete is actually a very clean install. We have the right tools for the right job and you will know..
We’ll Make It Right
The First Time!

NDS channel drain is a pretty goodproduct for collecting driveway water runoff. It works best when your driveway slopes towards your garage and you need to collect the water coming down the hill..

Depending on the driveway grade and depth of the garage floor, sometimes a sump pump is needed to lift the water to high enough for gravity to take over. Sometimes there is a downhill run to one side or the other of the driveway and we just need to dig a trench from the the channel drain and install some drain pipe out and away from the area.

Most of the time when Apple Drains arrives at a home in need of a driveway channel drain, its because the slope of the drive is very steep and lots of water floods out the garage when it rains.

The first step is to cut out the concrete across the driveway. We use a concrete saw with a diamond blade to cut the concrete. (sometimes called a partner saw)

We cut across the drive using the concrete saw from one side to the other.

Be sure to let the water run slowly from a garden hose or else you’ll have a dusty mess like this..

We need to cut TWO times across the driveway for the channel drain. The width can vary, but the trench after the concrete is cut and removed needs to be about 12″ wide. This gives enough room for to re-pour the concrete on both sides of the 5″ wide NDS channel drain. The concrete saw is a great tool. But like anything else, it takes time to cut concrete. The saw cuts about 1 inch every minute. So on this driveway, we are cutting both a little over 52 feet which means it takes just over and hour to make the cuts.

Next come the Jack Hammer. This is also a great tool for breaking up concrete. We use a 70 lbs hammer that easily breaks up the concrete. (well by easily we mean its better than using a sledge hammer)

The Jack Hammer works well, but it makes LOADS of debris and Rubble. This will have to be hauled away and taken to the dump. (note: remember we at working at the bottom of a very steep driveway. All this debirs has to be lifted and wheel barreled back up the hill to the trailor).

Now that we have broke up the concrete, we need to use a Pry Bar to break free the remaining concrete from out trench. You’ll notice there is a old Corrugated drain pipe buried in the concrete. This was an downspout drain drain line that we will have to re-connect, which means our trench will have to be even deeper.

The Rubble!

After all the rubble is removed we dig the trench down a little deeper and Repair the old Corrugated pipe with solid PVC. Then we cover the pipe with a base to give the NDS Channel Drain a good solid surface that runs down hill to the storm drain we repaired. On this install, we used dry quikrete the base. This was because the driveway was 8″thick! (a bit over kill but since the old Downspout Drain is under here too, we encased it in concrete like the original pour.

Next we lay out the NDS channel drain in our trench and connect. This channel drain comes in 10′ sections so we had to use a couple of couplings. NDS makes all the fittings for their product. ( a quick note: Although NDS and other manufacturers do a great job of making product, the true test of their material comes from the adaptation of its use in everyday installations. We do like NDS! We have always been able to modify their material to fit the need of the job!)

Now we check for grade. We want to make sure the channel drain is ever below the finish re-pour of concrete. We just use the trowel to double check. If the trowel touches the top of the channel drain, then we need to lower that section, but it all good here.

Next we set the grates in place. We do this all the way down the channel drain so that when we re-pour the concrete, the grates keep the channel from collapsing.

Then we wet down and wash the entire area. This so the concrete will not stick to the driveway and it won’t stick to the grates on the channel drain. This is an important step. it will save hours of clean up!

Finally, we re-pour the concrete and trowel it into the trench along side the channel drain.

Using the trowel we finish off a nice smooth surface.
The last thing to do is spray off the grate where any concrete is left. It will come right off since we wet the surface as shown and described above!

NDS CHANNEL DRAIN INSTALL. How to install a channel drain…
cutting the concrete ,
jack hammer it out,
trench the channel,
install the cannel drain with grates,
and repour cement!

Call Us For Free Estimate
(704) 309-8880

Tags: ADS, apple drains, CATCH BASIN, CHARLOTTE, Concrete cut, CRAWL SPACE WATERPROOFING, DOWNSPOUT DRAIN, DRAINAGE, driveway, driveway channel drain, flooded garage, Grate, GRAVEL DRAIN, install, jack hammer, low spot, NC, NDS, NDS Channel Channel Drain, patio drain, PVC, side walk, steep driveway, STORM DRAIN, SUMP PUMP

Installing a French Drain

Apple Drains — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:47:11 +0000

How a French Drain Works

This article talks about how and why a french drain works.
You can also watch a video that illustrates how water flows through the gravel and into the perforated pipe.

A French Drain is a perforated pipe surrounded by gravel. It is used to collect water from a low spot in the yard. The pipe is usually 4″ Perforated (holes or slotted) and is encased in 3/4 inch washed stone.

Catch basins can be added to this system to help collect immeadiate water run off. The pipe needs to discharge downhill from the low spot in the yard. OK.. That’s the basics. Now let’s look at a typical problem we find in a back yard or side yard…

Usually when we get a call to give an estimate we find a couple of things almost always.

A landscape company has come in and tried to mobe the water away from the low spot.
The grade of the yard slopes towards the house . When it rains, water floods the area.

Its great that your landscaper wanted to try to help, but since it didn’t work and you have called us out, we know the problem is worse than before they tried to fix it. Our congrats to the landscaper, but if you are going to take on this project, Do It Right the First Time!

To make a French Drain work (yard drain) the trench should be deep enough to allow water to flood from the bootom of the trench up through the gravel into the pipe. The way the system works is:

a gravel base is laid under the pipe .
the holes in the perforated pipe point DOWN
Gravel is added to surround the pipe and cover the pipe.
gravel should be be brought to grade (the level of the sod) .. If this is not possible, then a fabric (soil seperater) needs to be added to cover the gravel so dirt can be put back on top and sod re-laid or re seeded. If this is the case, catch basins must be added in a series to allow immeadiate water run off. (the gravel brought to grade works BEST with additional catch basins in low spots)
As water drops into the trench, it falls to the bootom of the trench. It flows through the voids inthe gravel VERY QUICKLY.
Holes are pointing DOWN becuase it allows the fastest pick up (collection) of water into the system. If holes are pointing up to the top of the pipe, the water tends to saturate the soil casuing the wet spots to remain long after the rain.

Discharging the water

This is very important and its kind of a No Brainer. Water needs to run downhill. The discharge must be lower that the deepest part of the trench. To make this happen, there must be a down hill run away from the area. Someties we have to trench through a hill to get good slope for our system to work. (this is usually the case since the water is getting trapped in th elow spot to begin with.

If there is no downhill run away from the area, in other words, if the pipe is running up to discharge, it will not work. So what can be done?

We suggest and recommend installing a sump pump. The yard drain is the same as described above but it discharges into a sump pit where the sump pump lifts the water up and can push it up hill to discharge. The pump we most commomly use is a ZOELLER M 53 (mighty mate). This pump can easy lift the water to ahead (total lifting capacity) of 25′. Its extremely powerful for a small 1/3 of horse power submersiable pump. The pit is 24 inches deep which allows for great water collection and allows the pump to easily cycle the water. We install a solid lid on the pit making secure and safe. The pump discharges water through a 1 1/2 inch PVC pipe. (while this sounds small, it works great and is more than enough for most applications) .

Lastly, there needs to be an electrical outlet installed next to the sump pit. This is because extension cords are not to code for a sump pump. They work, but its better to have a GFI Electircal outlet installed.

Ok! So when you are ready to have a True French Drain Installed, Give us a call. We’ll be happy to take a look and write you up a FREE Estimate. Our estimates have drawing with proposed drainage and ALL associated cost.

We Do Complete Rainwater Drainage!

Tags: AL, apple drains, AR, average cost, back yard, BASEMENT WATERPROOFING, CA, CATCH BASIN, CHANNEL DRAIN, CHARLOTTE, crawl space, CRAWL SPACE WATERPROOFING, drain, drain tile, FL, footer tile, frech drain, GA, grade, GRAVEL DRAIN, home inspection, IN, KY, LA, MI, MN, MS, NC, NY, OH, OR, PA, ROOF DRAIN, SC, SD, slope, TN, TX, unspection, WA, waterproofing, WI, wood rot, WY, YARD DRAIN

5 Gallon Bucket is Not a SUMP PIT

Apple Drains — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:34:06 +0000

Temporary Sump Pit

Most of the time when we come to give a crawl space estimate we find a 5 gallon bucket being used as Sump Pit. The Pump is usually a store bought thing with a flappy float. Even with a good pump we find the same problem. The Float Get Stuck Against The Side of The Wall.

Float Stuck Against Bucket Wall

When the float gets stuck against the side of the wall, it could be in the OFF or ON position. In the OFF Postion, the Pump Will Not Work and the water begins to rise through out the basement or crawl space. In the ON position, the pump continues to run and eventual burns out. Either way, it cause the same result, “a Flood”

A proper sump pit is 18″ wide and 24″ inches deep. The Pump sits squarely on the bottom and the float should have a good distance from the wall.

Proper Sump Pit and Sump Pump being Installed

Far too often we follow behind and correct this problem. Usually a BUG COMPANY has sold the home owner a system telling them the moisture level is too high and they could get termites, or if they don’t intsall a sump pump, it will void their termite warranty.

A Good Installation of a sump pit, sump pump and discharge line will save you money and let you sleep worry free about a flood taking place below.

Take a look at this video for an example of HOW SUMP PUMP WORKS and why you NEVER USE A 5 GALLON BUCKET for a SUMP PIT!!

Apple Drains offers targeted advertisement

Apple Drains — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:18:46 +0000

The Yellow Pages are Long Gone.

ATTENTION LOCAL SERVICE COMPANIES!

Get a Targeted Ad on this and several other web sites for less than 30 cents a day!!!!

Ready to advertise with us?

Did you know appledrains.com is ranked 3rd among the keywords “French Drain” Catch Basin” Yard Drain” and Crawl Space Sump Pump”? We know the World looks at our web site, and we are now offering you a place on our website!

How much does it cost?
Just $8.88 per month.
We can place your ad in Targeted Markets. Any City in the US , Any State, Even Any Area Code! Great for local service companies, like, landscapers, roofers, plumbers, electricians, handyman and More. Even a local store, or gas station can gain customers with our ads.

Let us help you reach your goal.

PLUS! We are always asked by our customers for a referal to do something, ie, roofing or landscaping or siding and painting. Everyday there is a call or two.. That adds up.

Best Regards,

Apple Drains Web Developement Team
Call us at 704-336-9111
or
Send a mail and we’ll contact you!
Simply fill out the form HERE on our service sign up and we’ll get you started

We also can build and maintain your website for as low as $3.00 per month!!!
Contact Us Today!

YARD DRAIN, back yard Sump Pump

Apple Drains — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:18:40 +0000

Many homes in the Charlotte Metro Area have yards that slope or grade towards the house and because the lowest point of the yard is below the street curb, a Sump Pump is sometimes used to lift the water from the low spot and pump it out to the street. This a fairly common practice but the key is to use a GOOD SUMP PUMP. We use only Zoeller Pumps for this installation.

Zoeller Pump N267

Below is a drawing and photos of a recent install using a Zoeller N267 Sump Pump. The N267 is a 1/2 horsepower pump with a 2″ discharge. The pump is exteremly powerful and can push water 100 plus feet easily. The pump is no little store bought pump. This pump weighs almost 50 lbs and the retail cost is just over 500.00. While it might sound high in cost, we know it will last a lifetiime!

Take a look at the drawing first. You’ll see just how much water we are draining into the sump pump. The garage has a roof area of over 3000 sq feet. The driveway also drains into the sump pit via the catch basins at the side. Even the neighbors yard will drain into the system. All in all, its about 2000 gallons per 1″ rain fall. That is a lot of water!!!

Click The Drawing to enlarge..
Then click again! -

While we know and Always tell our customers, “You can never beat Mother Nature”, we do try to get as much drainage out of a system as possible. Sure, it will rain so hard some day, that the pump cannot keep up, but it will take it out quickly! This system will keep up with huge rainfalls, and you’ll rest peacefully knowing it was done right!
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Digging out the Sump Pit

This photo shows the digging out of the sump pit. Yes, its going to be deep. It has to be down at least 3 feet to accomidate the drain pips that will feed it.

Remember! Water Runs Down Hill! So it gets deeper as you go. That’s why we have a pump. The lines will be down so deep, that gravity cannot gp to the street. The Pump has to lift the water and then go to the street.
- –
-
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catch basin collects water from lowest point

Next we are showing the (2) catch basins at the side of the drive. The basins are 12×12 inches. That means 12 inches wide and 12 inches deep. The discharge of these basins runs to the sump pit and they are down about 18″ inches deep. Water from the drive way is collected by these basins and empties into the sump pit where the sump pump lifts it up and pumps it to the street.

Notice there are (3) inlet lines coming into the pit. See drawing above. Catch Basins, Downspouts and Neighbors Yard, all come into this pit. Then The Pump Lifts the water up and out to the street.

To Learn more about Back Yard Sump Systems, please call or email us. We’ll be happy to help!

Apple Drains
Drainage Contractors
Charlotte NC
(704) 309-8880
or use the service sign up sheet to email us!

We’ll Make It
The First Time!

–
Want to see some avergae cost of installation?
Click Here

Note: Every Install is different. Depending on the trench, what’s underground such as utilities, and things. So the cost are averages.

DIY – Home Depot vs Lowes

Apple Drains — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:51:10 +0000

Sump Pump Will lift the water out of the trench

Because we install drainage systems everyday, the need for that one little part to fix something arises every day. So of course we head to the closest hardware store. Sometimes its a Home Depot sometimes its a Lowes.

We don’t buy certain things from either store, like a Good Catch Basin or A Good Sump Pump. Those kind of things are better bougth from the parts supplier. But a small fitting or maybe some sheet metal screws are always a need.

Which do we prefer? That is a good Question.
Both stores a very well stocked. Both stores have similar prices. So which one is better for us?

The answer is quite simple. We go to the closest one and hope they have what we need. If they don’t, then we drive to the other. Either way, it takes time out of your day to go get parts.

You can usually figure a good hour to go get a 3.00 part. Its amazing. Traffic alone here in Charlotte makes it slow going. And Of Course we carry lots of parts on our trucks. Everything from Pipe and Fittings to Pumps and Catch Basins, but sometimes, we need just one little part to complete an install and becuase we Do It Right The First Time, we will not take the short cout to complete the install. It doesn’t change the cost to the customer to go geta part or even come back the next day. It does change our cost since there is a crew of 3 to 5 guys and they are getting paid no matter what.

Sometimes we go to Lowes or Home Depot 1st thing in the morning. This is best time to get things from either store. The staff and sales people are so friendly. They bend over backwards to help you. Plus! The store is usually empty except for the contractors that like to get things done right!

So which store do we prefer?
We like them both!

Home Depot vs Lowes. Let us know which store you like in the commnets box below!

Apple Drains
Drainage Contractors
Charlotte NC
(704) 309-8880

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French Drain

Apple Drains — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:51:52 +0000

PROPER DRAINAGE FOR YARD DRAIN, FRENCH DRAIN

What is a French Drain?
Its actually a perforated pipe surrounded by gravel.

The way it works is, water floods UP in through the gravel and into holes in the pipe. Then the pipe allows the water to flow Downhill away from the area.

We install French Drains Everyday!
We have several Youtube Video’s showing French Drains how to install.

Take A Look at the Video Below to See HOW A FRENCH DRAINS WORKS

Also – You can use our SERVICE SIGN UP to ASK A QUESTION or Get on the Schedule for a FREE ESTIMATE. Yes That’s Right! We still give Free Estimates!

Best Regards,

Apple Drains
Drainage Contractors

(704) 309-8880

Florida / Georgia – (904) 290-1722
Jacksonville Florida

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By Your Neighbors
Since 1997