Katy Drainage Home / Services / Catch Basins and Surface Drains
Water that pools in the same corner
If the puddle forms in one low spot after every rain and sits there, the water is on the surface and needs a way out. A catch basin is a grated box set at that low point, piped to somewhere lower.
Grate, Box, Solid Pipe, Outlet
- 1
The grate
Set flush with the lawn at the lowest point, so water runs in instead of around it.
- 2
The box
Catches the water and lets grit and clippings settle out before they reach the pipe.
- 3
The pipe
Usually solid, not perforated, because the aim is to carry surface water away, not collect ground water.
- 4
The outlet
The curb, a swale or an emitter, lower than the basin along the whole route.
Why the Low Spot Is Usually at the Fence
Production lots here are shaped to shed water to the street at the front and a swale at the back or side. When a fence, a bed or a patio interrupts that path, water stops at the obstruction, and on ground that falls less than 1 percent across most of the lot, it has nowhere else to go.
A basin at that spot gives the water a route under the obstruction. It works best when the rest of the yard still falls toward it; if the grade is wrong across the whole lot, a regrade may be needed with it.
The Part Nobody Mentions
- Clear the grate after mowing; clippings and leaves seal it faster than anything.
- Lift the grate once or twice a year and scoop out the silt in the box.
- Check the outlet after a big storm. A crushed or buried emitter backs the whole line up.
- Keep mulch and rock borders from washing toward the grate.
A basin that fills and does not drain after a storm is almost always blocked, not undersized. Start with the outlet.
Catch Basin Questions
How big a basin do I need?
The contractor sizes it to the area draining to that low spot and to the pipe it feeds. This site does not publish sizes or prices.
What if the low spot is lower than the curb?
Then gravity alone cannot empty it into the street. The options are a different outlet, regrading, or a pump, and the contractor will explain which is realistic.
Show Someone the Puddle
A photo of the low spot the morning after rain tells the contractor most of what they need. Call or send it with the form.
Call (346) 239-7247 Send the Details