Spring is here, and if you haven’t had your garage drain inspected, you might be in for a surprise when the spring rains arrive. Parking garage drains can rot, corrode and clog just like any other type of drainage system with metal pipes, and if you don’t regularly hire drain cleaning services or have your parking garage drains inspected, you could experience flooding and damage to your garage floor slab.
Understanding Garage Drain Rot and Corrosion
One of the primary causes of garage drain corrosion is salt, and every winter, the city lays down tons of ice-melt that contains salt, sand and other chemicals. As the snow and ice melts, those chemicals make their way into your garage drain, where they can rust and corrode the pipes, leading to breaks and clogs. If the corrosion is bad enough, it can cause sections of the pipe to crack and collapse. Once the pipe has been compromised, it can lead to root infiltration and further clogs.
Hazards of Garage Drain Rot
- Flooding from backed-up water
- Slips and falls from standing water
- Structural damage to your garage floor
Repairing Your Garage Floor Drainage System
When it comes to repairing your garage floor drainage system, there are two ways to do it. You can have your building’s garage floor jackhammered and removed in order to replace the pipes, or you can utilize trenchless pipe lining.
1. Traditional Pipe Replacement for Garage Floor Drainage Systems
Traditional pipe replacement for garage floor drains involves removing the concrete around the drain and replacing the pipe. This can be incredibly expensive and cause extensive damage to the floor of your parking garage, and while the work is being performed, your resident and building employees will need to find alternate places to park. Once the pipe has been traditionally repaired, you will need to find another company to repair the garage floor.
2. Trenchless Pipe Lining for Garage Drains with Nu Flow
Trenchless pipe lining with our pipe lining technicians at Nu Flow is an alternative way to repair your corroded and rotten garage floor drains. This process involves inspecting the damage to see if it can be repaired with a large pipe liner, hydrojetting the drain to remove any debris and corrosion and to maximize the diameter of the pipe. Once the pipe is free of debris and corrosion, clean and dry, it is ready to be lined. The lining process involves soaking the appropriately sized liner in an epoxy resin and inserting it into the drain line. The length of the pipe liner will depend on the amount of damage. We can fully line garage drains or perform smaller repairs, which are called spot repairs. Once the liner has cured, your garage is ready to use. There is no need to hire another company to fix your garage floor due to pipe replacement damage, which often means pipe lining is the less expensive option.
Drain Cleaning After Pipe Lining
To prevent further clogs in your garage floor drainage system after you have the pipes lined by our pipe lining technicians at Nu Flow, you should have your floor drains regularly cleaned using hydrojetting to clear debris and to keep the water flowing into the municipal storm drainage system. We recommend having your garage floor drains cleaned with a high-pressured flow of water twice a year, once before spring and once in the fall to clear away leaves and debris. Additionally, your maintenance staff should check the garage floor drains on a daily basis and remove anything that is sitting on top of the drains, like twigs, leaves and trash.
For more information on our pipe lining services and to schedule a building pipe assessment, call us at 815-790-9000.