The garage is one of the multipurpose rooms in any home. It serves as an excellent place for floor drains, and it is where laundry is washed, trash cans are packed, household items are stored, and cars are parked (and washed most times). A floor drain makes it easy to do all these in the garage. However, where does the garage floor drain go?
The garage floor drain goes to a sanitary sewer drain system in most cases. In cases where homeowners cannot channel their garage floor drain to a sewer system, they channel it to a sump pit. In some cases, the floor drain can be directed to a curb that flows into the storm drain system.
In this article, I will explain what the garage drain is for, the regulations for making a garage drain, and answer different questions you might have about it. Keep reading to find your answers.
Where Does the Garage Floor Drain Go?
Your garage floor drain can go to several different places. If it does not lead to the sewer connection or septic system, it could lead to a leach field or exterior drywall.
Some homeowners even channel theirs to a sump pit and then pump it out with a sump pump.
Regardless of where your garage floor drain goes, it is important that you have a highly functional garage drain that flows effortlessly.
You want to ensure the drain is always clean and not clogged. Garage floor drains are essential, but they can be useless when clogged and not flowing.
What Is the Garage Floor Drain For?
The garage is one of the most used places in many homes. It is a multipurpose room that stores and is used for many things.
The garage floor is highly susceptible to getting flooded. Water from different sources can flood the garage floor, making it wet and messy.
However, with a proper floor drain, all the water will be channeled out of the garage regardless of the source.
Here are different uses of the garage floor drain:
1. Clean Ups
Due to the high and frequent use of the garage, it is natural for the floor to get dirty. If the floor is just dusty, you can get rid of the dust with a vacuum.
However, many things contribute to the dirt on the garage floor, including oil spills from the car, dirt from your shoes, mud from your car tires, and more.
You might also create some mess while doing DIY projects or painting in the garage.
Some garages also serve as a play zone for kids, gym, gardening equipment storage, and more. With all these activities in the garage, you need to wash your garage floor if you want it to smell fresh and look good.
It is also recommended that you wash your garage floor weekly. When cleaning the floor, the drain comes in handy, as it helps to take out the water with ease.
2. Cars
When you drive into your garage when it is snowing or raining, your car will be covered in snow or wet.
When you leave the car in the garage for some hours or overnight, the snow will melt, and the rainwater will drip.
That would leave your garage floor flooded with water.
However, if you have a proper garage floor drain, you will not wake up to see a drop of water on the floor, as everything would be drained by morning.
Furthermore, some people wash their cars in their garage, leaving the floor flooded with water.
Again, a proper drain would help prevent the flooding of your garage.
3. Garage Door
The garage door is the largest open section of your garage. Some garage doors are seven feet tall and eight feet wide to fit a single car.
Meanwhile, double-car garages can be twice as wide, leaving your garage with a very large hole.
Whenever you want to go out or come in, you open the garage door, meaning you open it at least a few times daily.
Water might get into the garage if it is snowing or raining when opening the garage door.
If the garage door is not sealed properly, water can even get in when it is not opened.
To avoid manually dealing with the water coming from these sources, you need to have a functional garage floor drain.
With a proper drain, any water entering the garage door will go down the drain, leaving your garage floor dry and clean.
Are There Regulations for Garage Floor Drains?
There are some specific regulations for garage floor drains.
Before you embark on creating a floor drain in your garage, you need to check the legal sanctions in your state.
Some jurisdictions have legal sanctions about the kind of chemicals and materials you can dump in the drains.
If your garage floor drain is connected to central sewage pipes, it is highly essential that you check what kind of chemicals you can dump into the floor drain.
Local authorities, for most states, have two sewer systems through which they collect and move liquid waste to the disposal point.
The two sewer systems are the storm sewer and sanitary sewer system.
Those are two sources where many garage floor drains go.
However, the chances of a garage floor drain leading to a storm sewer system are very slim.
Sanitary sewer is used to handle the biological waste from toilets, bathrooms, and kitchens.
Meanwhile, the storm sewer system is used to manage rainwater from driveways, roofs, and more.
The run-offs from garage floor drains are mainly water.
However, it can have greases, oils, gasoline, and other hazardous or harmful chemicals.
Hence, authorities had to introduce strict regulations regarding wastes from garage drains.
Related Article: D
How Deep Can My Garage Floor Drain Be?
The depth of a garage floor drain varies, depending on local drain codes and where the drain will go.
However, on average, a garage floor drain’s depth is from 12 to 14 inches from the floor’s surface to the pipe’s end.
Depending on the usage and other circumstances, some drains can also be shallower or deeper.
Clean Your Garage Floor Drain Regularly
Cleaning your garage floor drain is as crucial as channeling it to the right source.
Make sure you clean out your garage floor drain to avoid clogging.
The simple act of cleaning it regularly will keep your garage dry and prevent any dirt or debris from blocking the drain.
When you clean it often, you can avoid spending a lot of money on repairs and maintenance, as some clogged garage drains might need excavation and professional cleaning.
A blocked garage floor drain might also result in an overflow of water, which can damage some of the items you store in the garage.
Do I Need to Install a Trap in My Garage Floor Drain?
A floor drain in a garage does not need a trap.
Nevertheless, if you have a lingering concern about water damage, you can use the following methods to prevent such from happening:
- Install drain tiles on your garage’s borders.
- The lower point of the garage should have a sump pump.
Conclusion
A garage drain floor goes to several places, including the sanitary sewer system, sump pit, and storm sewer.
Regardless of where your garage floor is going, ensure you clean it regularly to allow unrestricted water flow.
