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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 9:05 am
by hinesle
I’m looking to run a linear drain across the back of my entire house (patio slops toward house). However there are currently 4 downspouts (rain water only) that drain into 4 hoppers at various points along the wall I’m looking to run the linear drain along.
The question is can I remove the hoppers and replace them with a continuous linear drain (this will look a lot neater) and allow the downspouts to drain into them . Or do I have to keep �breaking “ the linear drain at various points to allow for the hopper.
Just to clarify a few further points
• I cannot reduce the number of hoppers due to various roof apexes
• I cannot run the linear drain in front of the hopper (flush access across the rear of the house required)
Thanks in advance
Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 7:44 pm
by Dave_L
You could run one length and run them into the hoppers, suitably cut down to the correct level, with the downpipes running into them.
Just be mindful about the amount of water that could discharge into the channel - it might make sense to install a deepflow type of linear channel to cope with the amount of water.
Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 3:57 pm
by Tony McC
While there's nowt wrong with allowing the downspouts to spill their water onto the grating of the linear channel, I always think it's better to extend the pipe so that it ends just below the grating, dropping water straight into the channel.
You have to be careful not to extend the pipe too far otherwise it could cause an obstruction, but if it ends 15-25mm below the grating, that's usually fine.
Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 11:54 pm
by lutonlagerlout
from experience i would finish the pipes 10mm above the grate,it seems to happen a lot that leaves get down the pipe and if the pipe is in the channel or flush to it then they block the pipe,causing the gutter to flood
a 10mm gap from pipe to grate gives you half a chance of clearing deitrius before it causes a blockage in the downpipe
LLL
Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 1:14 am
by bodgeitandscarper
Your using big words again LLL 'deitrius', you are clever!!
I prefer pipe in the grating, its (you watching LLL) 'aesthetically' more pleasing.
If your worried about leaves get rid of the tree!!
Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 8:24 am
by seanandruby
Sounds like a big house with a big roof. I presume there will be a large volume of water, hence the four dowp pipes, hoppers etc. I would go for the deeper linear drain with, or without built in fall. You can put in one linear gully with silt bucket to catch leaves etc. You can cut out grating for pipes and insert them 10/20ml. You might need a small length of flexi pipe to make connection.
Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 11:36 pm
by lutonlagerlout
bodgeitandscarper wrote:Your using big words again LLL 'deitrius', you are clever!!
I prefer pipe in the grating, its (you watching LLL) 'aesthetically' more pleasing.
If your worried about leaves get rid of the tree!!
sorry bodge,i will revert to 3 letter words in deference to your intellectual capability :;):
as i said i have done a lot of acos with downpipes running into them and a common callback is leaves getting into gutters then blocking the downpipes especially at the point where the downpipe meets the grate
cutting a neat 67mm circular hole in a stainless steel grate is not something i have done, or seen done before.
would be interested to see pictures if anyone has done it.
as sean correctly states the silt traps are good ,but often as not they cannot be used for 1 reason or another,invert levels etc.
in an ideal world it would be nice for the downpipe to go into a separate back inlet gully, but we have to find real world solutions to problems like leaves etc (which incidentally seem to appear even when trees are a long way away)
ps anyone know why are the silt traps so bleeding expensive?
acos £10 silt traps £40??
LLL 
Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:42 am
by seanandruby
You would'nt cut an hole as it would be impossible to get it on without removing, or cutting and repairing dp. I usually just cut a slot out :;): I expect the traps are more expensive because of the two holes for outlets, thats why polo mints are so dear, someone has to pay for the hole. As we all know holes are bloody expensive :laugh:
Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 9:20 am
by oioisonnyboy
sumps are usually quite a lot dearer than a standard section of channel as they usually have a lot more funky moulding going on, this is what the rep told me when my boss jibbed at paying something like £160 for just the sump for something like an ACO S100 or N100.
A sump will have lots of different knock out holes to allow for various pipe entry permutations, and the price reflects the extra buggeration factor in moulding the funny poly fibre concrete into shape. Also the sumps often come with a removable silt box, which is another £10 as well probably.
A good alternative for aco is in my experience is Hauraton stuff. A mile cheaper, just as many ISO certs and does exactly the same as the "Hoover" Aco.
Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 4:44 pm
by lutonlagerlout
acos are a great bit of kit imo ,especially the resin ones with the stainless steel top,however the silt boxes are a rip off and most people ask us to just cut a section out of the bottom of the aco on top of a trapped gully,
I would rather use the boxes but if you tell people its £100 just for the drain in front of the garage they baulk
FTR dont like the plastic stuff and wil never use it unless specified
LLL
Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 8:59 pm
by Dave_L
Plastic stuff is absolute rubbish! You should see some of the abortions around here with plastic!!
I'm a dab hand at cutting a neat outlet in the bottom of an aco with a 300mm saw and a small hammer now
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:35 pm
by Tony McC
There's plastic and then there's plastic. The good plastic stuff, such as HexDrain from Aco, is absolutely fine for driveway use, but the cheap budget stuff with the pathetic tin gratings is a waste of money. They key to success with plastic linear channels is to bear in mind that they are, in effect, a liner or mould for the concrete. Problems occur when they are laid on a bit of sand, with no adequate production. They sink, they deform, they buckle and that's when the problems really start.
Laid properly, on a god bed of concrete with adequate haunching and paving laid around 6mm higher than the grating, plastic channels can be almost as good as polymer concrete.
Silt traps and outfall boxes are all well and good on commercial schemes, but they are a bit OTT on driveways.
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 7:30 pm
by oioisonnyboy
hey hey hey lll and dave
just because its not aco doesn't mean it's rubbish.
Some plastic stuff is jank ... floplast own brand or marley own brand etc. fair enough.
I would advise you to try and track down some hauraton to see how prices compare. They make basically all the same products that aco do, as well as some other stuff for sports fields and equine menage type things. They are a german firm, like aco, all very high quality and not bad to work with.
I don't work for them, I have no vested interest, but I would advise you to give them a try. It might just save you some dollar. The merchant that sells them down here in the south east is JDP.
Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 2:21 am
by lutonlagerlout
no disrespect to you oisson ,your posts are all quality,,,,but if i find a thing that works well I am loyal to it,aco,hilti,makita,romex certain brands ooze quality
LLL
Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 7:11 am
by Dave_L
If I could find a 100mm A15 resin channel drain other than Aco (that seems to be the only one widely available down here) I'd be very happy to try it. Also Keyline is very close to the concrete batch plant, so they are very handy for products.
I find it is always good practice to stay with one brand and others are incompatible with each other, so any overs from jobs soon become unuseable if you are chopping and changing brands.