How to Install a RELN Driveway Storm Drain (Channel Drain or Grate Drain) on a Driveway

For years, my neighbor Tom has been plagued by surface water flowing down his asphalt driveway and flooding the foundation of his house. He did a bunch of research and decided on installing a RELN Storm Water Drain, or grate drain, or channel drain, to capture that surface water.

On a nice morning in October, I helped him cut the asphalt with a Dewalt Demo Saw (12" removed), remove the chunks, dig out the gravel beneath to our required depth. Then we put down an inch of sand to create a nice, flat base for the storm drain.

Then we compacted the sand, and installed 12 ft of storm drain with a cap on one end and filter on the outlet. The kept the top lip of the storm drain 1/8" beneath the top of the asphalt. We plumbed in 4" schedule 40 elbows to take the water down and out. Then we mixed up some concrete and placed it along each side of the drain. Halfway up, we used #4 rebar to strengthen the concrete. Then we used more concrete to bring it up to the level of the top of the drain. After the surface water bled off, we gave it a brush finish.

Enjoy the video!