A grated drain at the lowest point
Tallahassee Yard Drainage Catch Basin Installation in Tallahassee
When water collects in one spot and stays there, a catch basin gives it a door. The grate collects it at the surface and solid pipe carries it away.
- Tallahassee, Bradfordville and Crawfordville
- Written price before any digging
- Licensed, insured local contractors
- Priced for Red Hills clay and karst sand
Tallahassee Yard Drainage arranges catch basin installation for Tallahassee yards where water pools at a single low point: the corner of a patio, the bottom of a slope, a courtyard between wings of a house. A catch basin is a box set into the ground with a grate on top and a pipe leaving its side. Water drops in, debris settles in the bottom, and the pipe carries the water to an outlet.
A catch basin with its pipe typically costs $800 to $2,000; a patio corner that floods every storm sends that water under the slab and into the wall, which is a $10,000 repair by the time the stain shows on the drywall.
$800 to $2,000 per basin, $2,500 to $6,000 for a system
Catch basin installation in Tallahassee typically runs $800 to $2,000 per basin, including a short run of solid pipe. A system of two to four basins linked to one long outlet line typically runs $2,500 to $6,000. Pipe length to a legal outlet and whether the line crosses a driveway or walkway move the price most.
Get a price: (850) 604-5871When a catch basin fits
- Water collects in one specific low spot and stays there
- The bottom of a slope floods where it meets a patio or walkway
- An enclosed courtyard or atrium has no way for water to leave
- A low corner of the lawn cannot be regraded because of trees or structures
- Surface water needs to cross under a walkway or driveway
What sits under the grate
A residential catch basin is usually a plastic box nine to twelve inches square, sometimes up to eighteen, with a grate rated for foot traffic or for vehicles if it sits in a driveway. The outlet pipe leaves the side of the box a few inches above the bottom, which leaves a sump where sand and grit settle instead of travelling into the pipe. That sump is what makes a catch basin easy to maintain: lift the grate, scoop it out.
The outlet line should be solid pipe, not perforated, laid at a steady fall to its outlet. In Tallahassee's clay-enriched subsoil, a perforated line would lose little water to the ground anyway and would take in silt.
Setting the grate at the right height
The grate goes slightly below the surrounding grade, so water reaches it from every side. A grate set proud of the lawn by half an inch will have a ring of water standing around it. The lawn around it may need a small regrade to funnel water in.
Not sure which of these your yard needs? Describe it on the phone and get a straight answer.
Call (850) 604-5871Outlets and permits
A catch basin needs somewhere lower to empty: daylight further downhill, a pop-up emitter, a swale, a ditch, or a storm inlet. Connecting to anything in the public right of way, including a curb, a roadside ditch or a city storm structure, needs a permit from the City of Tallahassee, Leon County or Wakulla County depending on where the property sits. Florida's reasonable-use rule means the outlet cannot simply move the water onto a neighbor.
Every job begins with a Sunshine 811 utility locate, with at least two full business days of notice. Catch basin lines often cross the same strip of yard where gas, water and irrigation lines run.
Catch basin, French drain or both
A catch basin collects surface water at a point. A French drain collects groundwater along a line. A yard with a pond in one corner and soggy soil around it often gets both: a basin at the low spot and a drain feeding into the same outlet line.
Downspouts can be tied into a catch basin system too, as long as the pipe is sized for the extra flow.
Patio corner flooding every storm?
That is textbook catch basin territory, and water near a slab should not wait. Call and describe it.
Call (850) 604-5871Questions people ask
How much does a catch basin cost to install?
Typically $800 to $2,000 per basin in Tallahassee including a short pipe run, or $2,500 to $6,000 for a linked system with a long outlet line.
What is the difference between a catch basin and a French drain?
A catch basin collects surface water at a single low point through a grate. A French drain collects water from the soil along a trench. They are often combined.
How do you maintain a catch basin?
Lift the grate and remove leaves and sediment from the sump a few times a year, and check the outlet end during heavy rain.
Where does a catch basin drain to?
To a lower outlet: daylight downhill, a pop-up emitter, a swale, a ditch or a storm inlet. Right-of-way connections need a city or county permit.
What are the signs I need a catch basin?
Water collecting in one specific low spot, flooding where a slope meets a patio, an enclosed courtyard with no outlet, or a low corner that cannot be regraded.
Often done together
-
Standing water in the yard
A puddle that forms in the same spot every storm is telling you exactly where the problem is. The work is figuring out why it forms there.
-
Patio drainage
A patio added after the house was built often blocks the path the yard's water used to take. The water does not stop coming. It just stops at the patio.
-
French drain installation
A gravel trench and perforated pipe that pulls water out of the ground and carries it somewhere it is allowed to go.
Talk it through before anyone digs
Describe where the water sits and where it comes from. You will hear which fix fits the yard, what it usually costs, and whether you need one at all.
Call (850) 604-5871