Car park drainage for public spaces, multi-storeys & undergrounds

Car parks, multi-storeys and underground parking facilities are an essential component of transport infrastructure. These types of surface areas are heavily trafficked every day by a wide variety of vehicles within residential, retail, public and commercial sectors.

The specified car park drainage systems must account for the frequency of traffic, as well as pedestrian safety. Multi-storeys and underground parking facilities also need to take into consideration the protection of the building’s fabrication.

RECYFIX MONOTEC car park drainage channel for Mammoet Industrial parking unit

Drainage systems for car parks

There is a range of requirements for channel drainage within parking areas. Heavy or frequent traffic imposing high loads, dynamic forces, corrosive substances and installation depth restrictions are just some of the factors that need to be considered.

MONOTEC installed within Dunelm car park on retail park

Car park drainage needs to consider the following factors:

Load and forces: Vehicles exert significant loads, dynamic forces and stress on surfaces when braking, turning, reversing and accelerating. The car park drainage channel must be robust to withstand a variety of loads and forces, including vertical and lateral ones over a long period of time.
Pedestrian safety: A safe environment for pedestrians requires secure systems with anti-slip surfaces and heelsafe gratings. Incorporating these features within the overall project will provide safety and design flexibility.
Climate changes: Drainage systems must be resistant to frost, de-icing salts and UV radiation to ensure longevity and low-maintenance costs.
Extensive surfaces: For larger catchment areas, it’s often more cost-effective to choose a car park drainage solution with a higher drainage and retention capacity. Precise and accurate hydraulic calculations will help determine the correct channel sizing and drainage system for the project under design.
Contamination: Tyre wear, brake dust, fuel hydrocarbons, as well as other contaminants like petrol, oil, zinc and copper can be found on parking surfaces. These pollutants can enter local sewer systems or natural watercourses. A rainwater treatment channel can collect and treat surface water at the source before being released.
Theft and vandalism: Having a parking drainage system with multiple bolt connections or anti-vandal locking handles can protect the gratings from vandalism and theft.

RECYFIX MONOTEC installed at North Tees Hospital

fox valley retail park car park — RECYFIX NC installed at Fox Valley Retail Park

The presence of surface water in underground parking areas can come from numerous sources. For example, rainwater or snow can be carried in from vehicles, water from testing fire sprinklers, inadequate damp-proofing or poor ramp drainage.

It can also depend upon the following factors:

The number of vehicle movements per day
The size of the vehicles and the underground parking space
The time of year and the length of the routes (e.g. across several levels)
Hydraulic performance – without an accurate hydraulic calculation and a reliable drainage system, it could increase the risk of damage to the building’s structure.

Additional challenges for underground parking:

Loads and forces:: Turning tightly around columns, ramps and small parking spaces imposes significant loads, stress and forces on the system and adjacent surface. Linear drainage across ramps is subject to high impact loads when trafficked.
Corrosive environments:: Parking surfaces and channel gratings are subject to continual attack by corrosive substances including oil, petrol, brake fluid, cleaning detergents and de-icing salts. Therefore, the drainage solution must be durable and corrosion-resistant.

Underground car park at Hotel Puro in Poland with FASERFIX KS

Installation depth restrictions:: Floor structures within underground car parks, often have limited depth available for installation of surface drainage above damp-proof membranes. If there are depth restrictions, linear drainage systems will need to have shallow inverts.
High surface water run-off:: Due to the steep incline of underground ramps, surface water flows more quickly. The channel system gratings should be selected for an efficient interception to avoid surface water crossing over drainage channels.

Entry of an underground car park — Odvodnja garažnih rampi

When considering surface drainage for multi-storeys, a distinction must be made between the exterior and interior. Some of the challenges for multi-storey car park drainage are consequently similar to underground parking. For example; snow accumulation by exit and entrance ramps and the protection of the building fabrication. However, the exterior of a multi-storey car park covers a larger surface area that will predominantly be more exposed to climate change.

FASERFIX KS car park drainage for top of car park level at Korona Shopping Centre

Challenges for multi-storey parking include:

Corrosive environments
High surface water run-off
Installation depth restrictions
Consideration of fire protection
Mechanical stress

Drainage channels for car parks, multi-storeys and underground parking

The following solutions from HAURATON are recommended for safe and reliable surface drainage in parking areas:

RECYFIX PRO

Corrosion-free drainage system for commercial and public areas.

RECYFIX PLUS

Durable drainage channel with a protective edge rail.

RECYFIX MONOTEC

Monolithic drainage system for areas with frequent traffic.

RECYFIX NC

High performance reinforced polypropylene channel.

FASERFIX KS

Shallow channels for depth restricted multi-storey car parks.

RECYFIX HICAP F

High capacity slot drainage channel for areas with extreme loads & dynamics.

DRAINFIX CLEAN

Rainwater treatment for traffic areas.

Product comparison table
Attribute	RECYFIX PRO	RECYFIX PLUS	RECYFIX MONOTEC	RECYFIX NC	FASERFIX KS	RECYFIX HICAP F	DRAINFIX CLEAN
Load class according to EN 1433
Load class according to EN 1433	up to D 400	up to D 400	up to D 400	up to E 600	up to F 900	up to F 900	up to F 900
Load frequency
Load frequency	2 out of 5	2 out of 5	4 out of 5	3 out of 5	3 out of 5	5 out of 5	4 out of 5
Load dynamics
Load dynamics	2 out of 5	2 out of 5	4 out of 5	3 out of 5	3 out of 5	5 out of 5	4 out of 5
Nominal width \| System size
Nominal width \| System size	100, 150, 200, 300	100, 150, 200, 300	100 & 200	100, 150, 200, 300, 400	100, 150, 200, 300	1000, 2000, 3000, 5000, 8000, 10000	300 – 500
Materials of the lower parts
Materials of the lower parts	Polypropylene (PP), 100 % recycled composite	Polypropylene (PP), 100 % recycled composite	Modified polypropylene	Modified polypropylene (PP), 100 % recycled composite	Fibre-reinforced concrete		Fiber-reinforced concrete or polypropylene (PP)
Angle housing
Angle housing	Composite frame 20 x 20 mm insertion depth	Integrated edge rail made of galvanised or stainless steel		Moulded as an integral part of the channel body	Galvanised or stainless steel frame with 20 x 20 mm insertion depth		Depending on the version with FASERFIX or RECYFIX: Galvanised steel or cast iron frame with 40 x 40 mm insertion depth
Grating variants
Grating variants	– Longitudinal bar grating – GUGI design gratings – Mesh gratings – FIBRETEC and METROPOLIS design gratings ⇒ Made of ductile iron, plastic, galvanised steel, stainless steel	– Perforated gratings – Mesh gratings – GUGI design gratings ⇒ Made of ductile iron, galvanised steel, stainless steel	Integrated award-winning FIBRETEC heelsafe design	Ductile iron	– Design gratings FIBRETEC and METROPOLIS – Perforated gratings – GUGI mesh gratings – Mesh gratings – Longitudinal bar gratings ⇒ Made of ductile iron, composite, galvanised or stainless steel	Retained ductile iron slotted top	Ductile iron grating
Gradient
Gradient	– Constant depth – Stepped fall	– Constant depth – Stepped fall	– Constant depth – Stepped fall	– Constant depth – Stepped fall	– Constant depth – Built-in fall – Stepped fall	– Constant depth – Stepped fall
Special characteristics
Special characteristics	– Pre-assembled ready for installation – Low weight, easy to handle and install – Channel body can be easily machined, cut to size on-site	– Pre-assembled ready for installation – Low weight – Steel edge rail enables straight edge of tarmacked surfaces – Channel body made of polypropylene can be easily machined, cut, drilled on-site	– Large retention volume despite slim channel design – Monolithic drainage channel – Vandalism-proof – Easy cleaning via the inspection box	– Channel and cover = one component – Self-centring screw –> automatically finds the correct position – Polypropylene channel body can be easily machined on site	– SIDE-LOCK, boltless locking system – Optional bar and bolt fixing per grating	– Radial installations possible – Large channels for retention – Channel run without slotted top achievable, for example, under planted areas – Cable installations can be threaded though throat voids of the channel	– Rainwater treatment by surface filtration – DIBt approval – Proprietary treatment system: CIRIA SuDS Manual C753 chapter 14