Channel Drain Installation: Stop Driveway & Patio Flooding

 When rainwater flows over hard surfaces like driveways, patios, or pool decks, it picks up speed and volume. If that water is heading toward your home or garage, it can cause immediate flooding. Channel drains (sometimes called trench drains) are the ultimate defense against surface water runoff, catching it before it ever reaches your doors or foundation. 

 Think of a channel drain as a heavy-duty gutter built directly into the ground. While a French drain handles water trapped under the soil, a channel drain is designed to intercept sheets of water flowing over hard surfaces.

Instead of a single small drain grate that can easily get overwhelmed, a channel drain is a long, continuous grate that stretches across a wide area—like the entire width of a driveway or the edge of a patio—acting as a barrier that surface water simply cannot cross.

 A channel drain creates a "cut-off" point for moving water.

• A long, narrow U shaped channel is set flush into the ground or concrete.
• A slotted grate covers the top to keep debris out and allow vehicles or foot traffic to pass over safely.
• As water sheets down your driveway or patio, it falls through the grates into the channel below.
• The channel then funnels the water into an underground  pipe, which then routes the water safely away from your home to a discharge point via a pop-up emitter, or either to an underground water detention pit.

 You likely need a channel drain installed if you are experiencing any of these common surface water issues:

• The Downhill Driveway: Your driveway slopes down toward your garage doors, causing water to pool against the door or flood the garage floor during heavy storms.
• Patio & Walkway Puddles: Water pools on your concrete or paver patio because it doesn't have enough natural slope to run off into the grass.
• Pool Deck Runoff: Rainwater washes dirt and mulch debris over your pool deck and into the pool water.
• Retaining Wall Runoff: Heavy surface water pours over the top of a retaining wall and washes out the landscaping below.

 When dealing with driveways and patios, a channel drain has to be tough enough to handle heavy vehicles and precise enough to look like it was always part of the concrete. For these systems, we utilize the premium NDS Spee-D Channel Drain system.

For driveway installations, we make clean, exact cuts through your existing concrete or asphalt. We install the channel basin so it sits perfectly flush with your driveway, ensuring a smooth, bump-free surface.

Instead of flimsy plastic covers, we use vehicle-rated grates that won't crack or warp under the weight of your cars. Once the drain is set and connected to solid underground PVC piping, we patch the concrete or asphalt cleanly, leaving you with a permanent, highly functional, and great-looking water barrier.

 The cost of a channel drain system depends heavily on what kind of surface we are installing it into.

For a professionally installed Go Away Drains channel system, clients typically invest between $80 and $150 per linear foot. Installing a drain in a dirt or mulch bed sits at the lower end of that range, while cutting through existing concrete or thick driveway asphalt sits at the higher end due to the heavy equipment and restoration required.

Because we want to give you an exact number, we offer our comprehensive $65 Drainage Evaluation. We will come to your property, measure the runoff area, determine the exact materials needed, and provide you with a fixed, line-by-line blueprint. You’ll know exactly what the permanent solution will cost, with zero guesswork.

Learn about Land Leveling and Grading your yard on the next page.