Drainage & sewer terms, in plain English.

B

Backwater valve

A one-way valve in the sewer line that closes if sewage tries to flow backward into the house.

Belly

A low spot in a sewer pipe where water and solids collect, usually caused by soil settling.

C

Catch basin

A grated box set in the ground that collects surface water and sends it into a drain pipe.

Channel drain

A long, narrow drain with a grate that catches water across a width, such as a driveway or patio.

CIPP

Cured-in-place pipe: a resin-saturated liner cured inside an existing pipe to form a new pipe within the old one.

Cleanout

A capped access pipe on a sewer or drain line used for cleaning and inspection.

Culvert

A pipe or box that carries water under a road, driveway or embankment.

Curb inlet

A street-side opening in the curb that lets storm water into the public storm sewer.

D

Dry well

An underground pit that stores storm water and lets it soak into the soil.

E

Efflorescence

White mineral deposits left on concrete or block when water carries salts to the surface and evaporates.

Emitter

A cap at the end of a buried drain pipe that opens under flow and releases water onto the surface.

Erosion blanket

A biodegradable mat used to hold soil and seed on slopes until plants take root.

F

Filter fabric

A permeable fabric that keeps soil out of gravel while letting water through.

Footing drain

A perforated pipe at the base of a foundation that collects groundwater and carries it away.

French drain

A sloped trench with perforated pipe in gravel that collects and carries water away.

G

Grade

The slope or elevation of the ground, or of a pipe.

Grease interceptor

A large in-ground tank that separates grease from kitchen wastewater before it enters the sewer.

H

Hydro jetting

Cleaning pipes with high-pressure water from a special nozzle.

I

Infiltration

Groundwater entering a sewer through cracks and open joints.

Inversion

The process of turning a liner inside out as it is pushed into a pipe, so the resin side presses against the pipe wall.

L

Lateral

The private sewer pipe from your house to the main sewer.

M

Main line

The larger sewer pipe that collects flow from laterals.

O

Orangeburg

A mid-20th-century fiber-and-tar sewer pipe that can soften and deform with age.

P

Perforated pipe

Drain pipe with small holes or slots that let water enter along its length.

Pipe bursting

A trenchless method that breaks an old pipe while pulling a new pipe through the same path.

Pop-up emitter

A discharge fitting set flush in the lawn that pops open when water flows through it.

R

Rational method

A simple formula for peak storm flow: runoff coefficient times rainfall intensity times area.

Retaining wall

A wall that holds back soil on a slope.

River rock

Smooth, rounded stone used for drain beds, swales and decoration.

Runoff coefficient

A number from 0 to 1 that shows how much rain becomes runoff on a surface.

S

Scale

Mineral and rust deposits that build up inside older pipes.

Sewer scope

A camera inspection of a sewer line.

Sump pump

A pump in a pit that removes groundwater from a basement or crawl space.

Swale

A shallow, broad channel that guides surface water across a yard.

T

Trap

The curved section of a drain that holds water to block sewer gas.

Trenchless repair

Pipe repair or replacement that avoids digging a continuous trench.

Tuberculation

Rough bumps of rust that form inside iron pipes.

V

Vitrified clay pipe

Hard-fired clay sewer pipe, common in older sewers, with many joints.

W

Water table

The level below which the ground is saturated with water.

Weep hole

A small opening in a retaining wall or foundation that lets water escape.

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