How Do Dry Wells Work? | AllStormDrains.com | Professional Storm Water Management
DRYWELL SERVICES LONG ISLAND, NASSAU & SUFFOLK COUNTY | ALL STORM DRAINS INC.
Dry wells are drainage structures that leach rain water from
parking lots, roads, buildings, roof water, bridges, or a house roof or
driveway into the ground. Home dry wells can
also be utilized to leach laundry water into the ground. They can consist of
precast concrete ring or multiple rings depending on the capacity needed or the
depth which is needed to reach good sand for sufficient drainage. These precast
rings are made in different diameters that also effect drainage capacity. On
top of the precast ring or rings is a top which can be a dome or a slab with a
smaller access hole in it. That hole is covered with either a steel manhole cover and brought to grade for access or a concrete cover that is buried below
ground. If the cover is below ground, it will eventually need to be accessed at
some point in it's life for maintenance.
Dry wells are very similar to a cesspool with two key differences. One difference is obviously what waste water it's being used to leach. The second difference is in the way they are maintained. Dry wells receive garbage, bottles, foliage, sand, salt, car parts, animals, concrete, bricks, and anything that rain water can flush into a drainage system. This can build thick layers of garbage on the bottom which can quickly backup the dry well and start flooding issues. Dry wells require a specific type of industrial vacuum truck to service these drainage systems. These trucks can suck up concrete blocks, bricks, dry dirt, heavy mud a few feet thick. They are very expensive and complicated machines that require a lot of maintenance and knowledge to keep them running. Where cesspools require a different type of custom vacuum truck to service cesspool and septic systems as well as grease traps. These trucks suck water, floating scum, and sludge from the bottom. Some cesspool trucks are capable of reversing their pump to blow air in a utilize the process called aeration.
Parking lots can have one dry well or a thousand dry wells depending on the catchment area. Catchment area is the square footage of a roof, parking lot, roadway, parking garage that the dry wells were installed to serve. There are formulas we use to design drainage systems that consider catchment area and rainfall. On Long Island dry wells are a very common way for industry, commercial business, and municipalities to manage rain water runoff usually in combination with a system of catch basins.
Some roadways, buildings, apartment complexes, home developments utilize sumps to retain then leach very large amounts of water. Sumps can be used in conjunction with dry wells, catch basins, and other types of drainage systems.
Comments
Post a Comment