Chapter 16
Building storm water drainage system
16.1 STORM WATER
Result of rain, snowmelt, sleet or hail. A natural part of hydrologic process
Storm water runoff can result in moisture problem
Caused by poor roof and surface drainage
Storm water system are typically designed to handle storm water from a specific precipitation
event. Typically based on reoccurrence interval of 100 to 500 years
For example, assume there is a 1 in 50 chance that 5.0 in of rain will fall in a certain area in a 24-hr
period during any given year. Thus, a rainfall total of 5.0 in during a consecutive 24-hr period is said
to have a 50-year recurrence interval.
16.2 STORM SEWERS
PRIVATE STORM SEWERS
1. Drywell or drainage field
2. Area of low elevation on site
3. Nearby river, creek or stream
4. A public or private lake or pond
NOTE: running a private storm sewer line that outflows into a stream, creek or lake may
require a permit and not may not be allowed in some areas.
COMBINED COMMUNITY SEWERS
In some cities, preferably old ones have storm sewers from the street, Buildings, driveways, and
parking areas have connected into the sanitary sewage pipe called combined sewer
SEPARATE COMMUNITY STORM SEWERS
In most cases, water pollution require that the sanitary sewage pipes and storm water pipes be
seperated. Only the following are allowed to go to the storm sewage pipe: storm water from
land, parking lots, street, roof drainage, subfloor and footing drains.
16.3 ROOF DRAINAGE DESIGN
Storm water can be removed with three methods: roof drain system, gutter and a
downsprout/leader system, and allowing water to run off the building without gutters or drain.
ROOF DRAIN SYSTEM
1. Roof drain system consists of roof drains at regular intervals on the roof that collects
storm water, transport it through pipes that discharges it into ground level or into storm
sewers
2. Drains connect into vertical drain pipes called leaders or conductors
3. Downsprouts is a veritical storm pipes that is secured to the building’s exterior
4. If the Leader/downsprouts runs outside the buildings, precautions must be taken
because of the water discharge.
5. In location where the leader/downsprouts can be combined into the sewage system,
the system is called combined sewer. But in certain places the locale don’t allow this
sewer.
6. most codes require a trap on the leader (storm sewer systems seldom require traps,
except with combined sewers), and they may specify that the trap shall be a minimum
of 10 ft (3 m) from any stack.
7. A roof drain system is commonly placed on low-sloped (flat) roofs. These roofs have at
least a 1⁄4 in/ft slope to ensure that the water will not pond on the roof after rain or
snowmelt.
8. Good drainage must prevent ponding near the site or flow into the adjacent building
sites.
GUTTERR AND DOWNSPROUT SYSTEM
1) Gutters can be used on low-sloped roofs (roofs with a slope of less than 4 in 12). They
are generally always incorporated in the storm drainage system of steep-sloped roofs
(roofs with a slope of 4 in 12 or greater).
2) The downsprout system may be tied into the storm sewer line(public or private) or may
be emptied outside into a spalshblock or other means to disperse water at ground level.
3) Downspout extensions are horizontally sloped pipes at the base of a downspout that
extend the outflow of the downsprout well beyond the building foundation. They should
extend a minimum of 5 ft or more away from the building’s foundation
MATERIALS
1. Gutters and downsprouts/leaders are made of copper, galvanized steel, aluminum or
vinyl
2. Vinyl and aluminium gutters and downsprouts can be custom made without seams
called seamless
3. Most gutters comes in several sizes and shapes called profile. These include the U-
shaped trough (a half roundchannel shape) and the K- or ogee-shaped configuration (a
front that looks like the letter K). Common gutter profiles are available in the sizes
shown in Table 16.2. The 5 in (125 mm)ogee-shape is most common on residences
4. The 3 in 4 in (75 mm 100 mm) rectangular size is most common on residential
installations. On a commercial project, the interior storm drainage piping typically varies
in size from 3 in to 8 in(75 mm to 200 mm). The size of exterior piping and gutters may
range to 24 in (600 mm) and larger.
16.4 SURFACE DRAINAGE
1. When designing drainage for driveways, parking lots, and surrounding ground, the site
plan of the project must be reviewed to determine the effect the existing and revised
contours will have on the flow of the surface water.
2. A catch basin is an underground structure, usually at the curb line, with an open grate
cover to collect storm water from streets and pathways and discharge it to a storm
sewer system.
3. Regulations may require that storm water flow into detention or retention ponds
4. Land development and construction activities can significantly alter natural drainage
patterns and pollute storm water runoff.
16. 5 SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE SYSTEM
SUMP AND SUMP PUMP
A pit or reservoir called a sump can be located in the basement or crawl space floor. It is used
for collecting water that is discharged by a sump pump
INTERIOR PERIMITER (FRENCH) DRAIN
An interior perimeter drain, commonly called a french drain, is a subsurface drainage system
consisting of a drainpipe or drain tile placed in a trench below the basement slab and near the
inside perimeter of foundation walls.
EXTERIOR PERIMITER(PERIPHERAL) DRAIN
An exterior perimeter drain, commonly called a peripheral drain, is a subsurface drainage
system consisting of drainpipe or drain tile laid in a trench around the outside perimeter of the
building foundation and backfilled with gravel. It discharges into a ditch, sump, or storm sewer.
INTERCEPTOR DRAIN
An interceptor drain is a subsurface drainage system involving a drainpipe or drain tile laid in a
trench between the building and an uphill source of water.
Drain pipes are 4 in (100 mm) diameter or larger pipes made of hard fibrous materials with
holes, perforated thermoplastic pipe, or clay tile spaced about 1⁄4 in (6 mm) apart with the
upper half of the joint covered. The pipes are typically laid in a trench in a layer of gravel. They
are covered with fibrous material and gravel and then soil is backfilled over the pipe or tile
16.6 STORM WATER DRAINAGE INSTALATION
ROOF DRAINAGE INSTALATION CONSIDERATIONS
It is most important that the gutters be installed with a definite slope toward the
leaders/downspouts. This reduces the potential for collection of water that may freeze or
cause corrosion.
Poured concrete slabs will require that the interior storm drainage layout be carefully
considered
The open spaces provided in truss-type construction make it easier to run piping through to
the desired location.
STORM DRAINAGE INSTALATION CONSIDERATIONS
Pipe material for storm sewers may be the same as that used for the sanitary drainage system.
Storm sewer systems, however, may include pipe of much larger sizes than are needed for
sanitary sewers
Storm and sanitary systems may differ in the installation of the piping. Building storm drains
should generally be graded at least 1⁄4 in per foot whenever feasible. This amount of drop per
foot provides an unobstructed and self-scouring flow
16.7 DESIGN EXAMPLE OF A STORM WATER DRAINAGE SYSTEM
1. A gutter that serves the entire 3200 ft2 (300 m2) roof area will be installed along the edge of
the rear roof overhang to collect storm water. The maximum rate of rainfall will be assumed
to be 4 in/hr (100 mm/hr). Figure 16.14
SIZING ROOF GUTTERS AND DOWNSPROUTS
The size of each downspout is based on the number of downspouts and the roof area each
downspout will serve.
The gutter size depends on the area of the roof that each portion of the gutter serves and the
slope of the gutter when it is installed.
(Figure 16.4a and the table)
SIZING THE HORIZONTAL STORM DRAIN
Once the roof drains or gutters and downspouts have been selected and sized, the
next step is to size the horizontal storm drain (if one is to be used)
The horizontal storm drain size depends on the area being served and the slope at
which the pipe is installed. The pipe is typically increased in size as it collects the
downspouts, so the first step will be to make a sketch of the system.
( Show Table 16.5a and figure 16.16)
SIZING A COMBINED SEWER
If the roof downspouts/leaders are permitted by code to be connected to the
building drain (not common) in a combined sewer (Figure 16.17), it will be necessary
to convert the roof area into an equivalent number of drainage fixture units (DFU)
so that the building drain can be sized to reflect the increased load.
1. First, a schematic sketch of the stacks, downspouts, and building drain
should be made so that the relationship of the stacks and the downspouts
to the building drain can be envisioned. Figure 16.18
2. Next, the fixture units served by each stack must be converted into
equivalent square feet or square meters. The code sets up a ratio of DFU
and equivalent square feet or equivalent square meters. Figure 16.9
3. The total equivalent area being served by the building drain is determined
by adding the equivalent area to the roof area being collected.
4. Figure 16.20
5. The equivalent area is based on a rainfall of 4 in per hr. A check of the local
weather service will indicate whether the rainfall in the proposed building
location is more or less. If so, then the equivalent area must be adjusted
proportionately.
