Patio and Driveway Drainage (Part 1) – Low Profile Drain

NDS Low Profile Catch Basin with Wave Pattern Grate

Just about any place in need of a drainage point can use catch basins (or one of their many variations) to evacuate water. Homeowners can use catch basins for driveway drainage, pools, patio point drains and landscape area drains. And, the installation techniques employed will be as diverse as the application.

An interesting variation of a catch basin is the low profile adapter. This is truncated, or shallow housing that is designed to accept a standard 12” x 12” catch basin grate and allows for direct connection to a vertical drainage pipe. These drains are similar in character to single point floor drains used inside the home, but without the flanges and waterproofing features. They have no reservoir to collect debris from the run-off water. They simply fit on top of the vertical 3”, 4” or 6” PVC drain pipe that is part of the drainage system (shown below without grating).

NDS Low Profile Adapter on Pipe, nds, low profile drain, shallow catch basin

There are at least three companies that manufacture a 12” x 12” low profile adapter: ADS (American Drainage Systems), NDS (National Diversified Sales) and Old Castle (Formerly Carson Industries). All three companies have slightly differing product designs while maintaining the ability to accept a 12” x 12” x 1.25” thick grating. Two of these are compared below. At first glance, the ADS and NDS low profile adapters seem the same. And, from a strictly drainage functionality aspect, they are.

Low Profile Adapter Comparison, nds low profile, ads low profile adapter, ads catch basin, plastic drainage system

Both products have a similar dimensioned housing to carry the grate. The grates used in each drain are actually interchangeable. Each product requires a twist-in adapter (3 – 4” and 6”) to interface with the drainage pipe. Both are black colored. Even the company acronyms are close. ADS? NDS? What’s the difference?

There are a few subtle differences between the two low profile adapters that become apparent when you hold them. The ADS product is made from Polyethylene (PE) whereas NDS makes their product from Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC). Parts made from polyethylene are a little more flexible and durable than PVC parts. PVC is easier to crack or break, especially in cold temperatures. But this characteristic may not have any bearing on longevity or performance, especially when the drain is installed in concrete.

The flip-side of that material analogy is that PVC, being a slightly stiffer material, gives the impression that the NDS product is a well designed, cleaner fitting drain body. Of course, the ADS drain body has the same design quality as the NDS product. However, the flexibility and feel of polyethylene may give an impression of it being an inferior product. This is certainly not the case, however.

ADS, NDS, pipe adapter, pipe fitting, low profile adapter, low profile drain, shallow residential drain

The pipe adapter is an important part of the low profile adapter. It is the link between the grate housing and the drain pipe. As we all know, there are many drain pipes that can be used for an outdoors application, depending on the amount of water anticipated. Generally, 3” and 4” diameter pipes will handle the flow of water experienced in a residential setting. The two adapters, shown above, are designed to attach to both pipe sizes, both PVC and corrugated PE. Both adapters work well with their respective drain housing. For higher volume flow applications, pipe adapters for 6” diameter pipes are available from both manufacturers.

When installed in a patio or driveway, the low profile drain will be hidden from sight and the only thing visible is the top grating. There are a number of products available made to fit both of these housings. Each manufacturer has their own set of standard plastic and cast iron slotted grates, which are affordable, functional and diverse. We will discuss more decorative grating options in our follow-up blog.

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plastic grating, cast iron grating options, slotted iron grate, slotted plastic grate, black cast iron grate

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  1. Pingback: PlasticTrenchDrain.com » Patio and Driveway Drainage Solutions Part II – New Catch Basin Drain Grate Options

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