Over time, channel drains can become clogged up with soil, leaves and other debris which can render the drain ineffective over time. The good thing about these types of drains is that you are able to remove the gratings and clean them yourself.
The first thing to do is to remove the grating. This can differ depending on which channel drain you have. For gratings which you would commonly find in your driveway which could be made from plastic or steel, these tend to be able to lift off without any equipment.
To do this you need to:
- Locate where the grate is fixed to the channel, this will normally be a small metal screw at the end.
- Find where that grating ends, this will be small gap where one length ends and another begins.
- Using a small screwdriver or similar, slowly wedge it in the gap and begin to lift the end.
- Once you have it lifted you then need to grab a larger tool, or even a length of wood and carefully begin to push down, so as not to snap the grating, lifting the end until the grating pops off.
- Once cleaned you would just need to reposition the grate and apply some pressure to the snap on fitting, standing on it will usually work.
Cleaning
After you have removed the grate the best way to clean the dirt is by removing any build up of debris by hand before flushing the channel to clear the silt. If you have a plastic grating be careful so as not to blast the drains too much, a gentle pressure should clean the channels out enough to be functional.
