Driveway Drainage in Manchester
We sort out drives in Manchester that puddle, flood the doorstep or send rain where it shouldn't go.
- Quotes in writing
- 20 areas covered
Manchester Resin Drives fits drainage for new and existing driveways across Manchester. We fit channel drains, soakaways and pipes, and we can fix a drive that sits in puddles or tips water towards the house. If the surface itself needs replacing, we also lay resin bound, block paving and tarmac drives.
Where the water can go
Government guidance gives three places for rain from a drive to end up:
- Into the ground, through a soakaway. That is a gravel-filled trench or underground chamber that collects the water and lets it soak in.
- Into storage, such as a water butt, to use later.
- Into the drains.
It says the drains should be the last choice, and sending water there might not count as permitted development, meaning you may need planning permission for it. That is why we look at the first two before anything else.
Channel drains for drives that slope to the house
If your drive falls towards the front door or the garage, government guidance says to fit a drainage channel to catch the water and connect it to the drain that takes the water from your roof. The channel drains we fit are long, narrow gutters set into the drive, with a grate on top that you can drive over.
The same guidance says not to send water towards a neighbour's property. We check where the water will end up on both sides of the boundary before we fit anything.
Soakaways
Government guidance says some soakaways use geocellular boxes instead of gravel. These are plastic crates that leave an empty space underground to hold rainwater for a while.
Then there is where it goes. The guidance says not to put a soakaway near the house foundations. For a small drive, it says at least 3 metres away should be fine, but the ground may mean it has to go further. If you are not sure, it says to ask your council's building control team.
Clay soil and waterlogged gardens
Government guidance has a rule of thumb for checking the soil: dig a pit 300mm by 300mm by 300mm, fill it with water, and if it takes more than 11 hours to empty, you need a pipe as well.
It says that on very clay soils, a pipe in the sub-base (the packed stone layer under the drive) that runs to the roof drains stops water sitting under the drive for a long time. If the garden is already waterlogged, it says the sub-base must be drained with a pipe to the drains.
The guidance also describes a mix of the two: water soaks into the ground most of the time, with an overflow to the drains for long spells of heavy rain. It says this suits clay soils that drain badly.
What to get in writing
Ask for these in writing, whoever you hire:
- Where the water will end up, with a sketch.
- How far any soakaway is from the house.
- Whether the job connects anything to the drains, and which drain.
Questions about driveway drainage in Manchester
Why does it matter where the water from my drive goes?
Government guidance says that in older areas, rainwater can run into the foul sewer, the pipe that takes waste from bathrooms and kitchens. It says the more water that runs in from paved areas, the more often those sewers overflow into rivers and streams.
Can you fix the drainage without replacing my drive?
Yes, we can, as long as the drive itself is sound. We can cut a channel drain into it, or add a soakaway along one side. Government guidance also says an existing drive can be changed so it lets water through or drains to a rain garden.
Can I keep the rain for the garden?
Yes, you can. Government guidance says the simplest way is a water butt, using the water for the garden or for washing the car. We can run the downpipe, the pipe that brings water down from your gutter, into one when we fit the drainage.
Do you test the ground first?
Yes, we do. We look at the soil and how wet the garden gets before we decide between a soakaway and a pipe.
Is drainage part of a new drive?
Yes, we plan it on every new drive we lay. See our permeable driveways page for drives that let water through the surface.
Get a quote for driveway drainage
Send us the quote form with your postcode and a few words about where the water collects, and we'll come out, look at the drive in the rain if we can, and give you a written quote. To see the other work we do, go to the Manchester Resin Drives home page.
Ready to talk about your resin driveway job?
Send the quote form with your postcode and what you need. We will get back to you with a written quote.