Catch Basin, Trench & Channel Drain Installation in Shreveport, LA
Standing water in the driveway every time it rains. A patio that floods. One low spot in the yard that turns into a pond. Water running across the drive and under the garage door. Those are catch basin and channel drain jobs: a grated box or a long grated channel at the low point, piped to an outlet that takes the water away. We install catch basins, trench drains and channel drains in Shreveport and Bossier City, in lawns, driveways, patios and walkways, and we fix the ones that were put in without an outlet and never worked. Call (318) 216-6513 for a free look and a written price.
Catch basin or channel drain: which one you need
Catch basin. A box with a grate on top, set at the one spot where water collects: the low corner of the lawn, the dip by the patio, the bottom of a gravel drive. Water runs into the grate and out through a pipe underneath. For water that pools in one place.
Channel drain, also called a trench drain. A long narrow grate set flush into a driveway, patio or walkway, across the path the water takes. It catches water moving across a hard surface before it reaches the garage, the back door or the house. For driveways that flood at the garage, patios that hold water against the slab, and walkways that turn into streams.
Neither, on its own, if the water is spread out. A whole soggy lawn or a wet strip along the foundation is a French drain job. Water that comes off the roof is a downspout drainage job. Plenty of Shreveport yards need a basin at the low spot and a French drain feeding it, both running to the same outlet, and that is one system, not two jobs.
How we install a catch basin or channel drain
Find the low point and the outlet. The grate goes where the water actually ends up, which is not always where it looks deepest. The outlet, a ditch, the street drain, a dry well or a low corner of the lot away from the house, is chosen before anything is dug, because a basin with no outlet is a bucket.
Set the basin or cut the channel. A basin is set in a bed of gravel with the grate flush to the surface so a mower goes over it. A channel drain in concrete means cutting a slot across the drive, setting the channel level, and patching the concrete back around it.
Run the outlet pipe. Solid pipe from the basin or the end of the channel to the outlet, with a steady fall. This is the part that decides whether the drain works, and it is the part left out of the failed ones we get called to fix.
Tie in anything else nearby. A downspout next to the basin, or a French drain in the same lawn, usually shares the outlet pipe.
Test it with water. We run a hose into the grate and watch the water come out at the outlet before the lawn or concrete goes back.
A single basin is usually one day. A channel drain in a concrete driveway is one to two days.
What catch basin and channel drain installation costs in Shreveport
A single catch basin with its outlet pipe usually runs $800 to $2,000. A channel or trench drain across a driveway or patio is $1,200 to $3,500, depending on the length and whether concrete has to be cut and patched. What moves the price is how far the outlet is, what the pipe has to go under, and how many grates one system needs. Several basins piped together across a yard are priced as yard drainage. Every price on the site is on the Shreveport drainage cost page.
Prices on this page are estimates from previous work. We cannot quote an exact price. The actual cost can be lower or higher depending on the job. The person who knows is the professional who will do the work. You get a written quote after we see the house.
Why the driveway floods at the garage
Most Shreveport driveways were poured with a slight fall toward the garage, or have settled that way, and the garage slab is the lowest thing on the lot. Rain running down the drive has nowhere to go but under the door. A channel drain cut across the drive just in front of the garage catches it and pipes it to the side of the house or the street. It is one of the most common jobs we do and one of the quickest.
Fixing a catch basin that does not drain
A basin that fills and stays full has a blocked or missing outlet, a pipe that has silted up or collapsed, or a box that has sunk so the grate sits above the water. We camera the outlet line, jet it if it is blocked, and rebuild or reset the basin if it has failed. That is on the drainage repair page.
How to get started
Call (318) 216-6513 and tell us where the water collects and what surface it is on: lawn, gravel, concrete or pavers. We book the visit, find the outlet, and give you a written price. If you would rather write, use the contact page.
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Catch basin and channel drain questions
How much does catch basin installation cost in Shreveport?
A single catch basin with its outlet pipe usually runs $800 to $2,000. A trench or channel drain across a driveway or patio is $1,200 to $3,500 depending on the length and whether concrete has to be cut. Several basins piped together as one system are priced as yard drainage. You get a written price after someone has seen the spot.
What is the difference between a catch basin and a channel drain?
A catch basin is a box with a grate on top, set at one low spot where water pools; it collects water from that spot and pipes it out. A channel drain, also called a trench drain, is a long narrow grate set into a driveway, patio or walkway to catch water running across it before it reaches the garage or the house. Same idea, different shape, and both need an outlet pipe to work.
How do I fix standing water in my driveway?
A channel drain cut across the driveway at the low point, usually just in front of the garage, with a pipe running to an outlet. It catches the water before it reaches the door. On a gravel driveway a catch basin at the low spot does the same job.
Do I need a catch basin or a French drain?
A catch basin is for water that collects in one place. A French drain is for water spread across an area, like a whole soggy lawn or a wet strip along the house. Many yards need one of each: the basin at the low spot, the French drain feeding it or sharing its outlet.
How long does a catch basin or channel drain take to install?
A single basin with its outlet pipe is usually one day. A channel drain across a concrete driveway is one to two days because the concrete has to be cut and patched. The surface is put back the same visit.
Do you install catch basins in Bossier City?
Yes. Shreveport, Bossier City, Haughton, Benton, Blanchard, Greenwood, Stonewall and Keithville. Call (318) 216-6513.
Ready to stop the driveway or the yard flooding?
Call (318) 216-6513 for a free look. Written price, no obligation.