Plumbing Services

Maintenance of drainage

The water and humidity in the firm layers of the road directly influence its structural behavior, which can cause loss of support and detrimental effects for the durability of the whole. The evacuation of these waters, therefore, is vital for the correct functioning of the platform. These waters to be evacuated, give rise to two classifications of the elements that act as drainage of the set: depending on the type of water to evacuate, where we find the surface drainage and underground drainage, or depending on the geometric arrangement of the elements with respect to the axis of the road, longitudinal drainage or transverse drainage.

Given the importance of these elements for the operation and durability of the road, it is essential to establish an adequate maintenance of each one of them. The main elements of surface drainage and underground drainage and the most commonly used maintenance techniques are briefly mentioned and defined below:

Surface drainage elements:

• Gutters near the platform: these consist of trenches on the ground next to the platform and are a surface and longitudinal drainage element of the road. The ditches can be constructed with different material and sometimes a concrete lining can be made.

For its conservation will be carried out cleaning, eliminating obstacles, lands and weeds, and reconstruction. Also, carried out for maintenance of reprofiling operations of the ditches on land, being able to be used different machinery like motor grader, retro mixed, retro revolving and truck.

• Cases: the use of cases is reserved for areas of small dimensions (crossings or urban nuclei). For a case to be safe, the transverse slope should not exceed 10%, nor should the water width be greater than 30 centimeters. Conservation operations consist of cleaning and a possible increase of section of the sinks in the case of a continuous obstruction.

• Collectors: they are large pipes that evacuate the water that reaches them through the cases or sinks to the final drainage point. They are usually made of concrete or steel (usually galvanized). For proper maintenance, it is necessary to clean the collectors and sewers.

• Log wells and chutes: they are complementary elements to the previous ones, receiving the waters of the different elements of drainage. For proper maintenance, they require periodic cleaning and grille repair operations are often performed.

• Curbs: they are not properly constituent elements of the drainage, but are arranged on the outside of the road to lead the water to the downpipes, preventing their free circulation by the slope. These should have a height of fewer than 7 centimeters. Often it is necessary to repair or replace curbs, as these can have deteriorated or worn parts.

• Surface evacuation: To prevent the aquaplaning of vehicles, which is produced for various reasons such as the lack of pumping of the road surface, these superficial brushings are provided, which provide a simple and economical solution to evacuate the water from the surface of the pavement. If you face any issue regarding plumbing then MCB plumbing should be your first priority.