Which type of drain is designed to collect surface water around a building and prevent entry into the interior?

Which type of drain is designed to collect surface water around a building and prevent entry into the interior?

• A. Area Drain
• B. French Drain
• C. Trench Drain
• D. Catch Basin

Answer: (A)

Surface water around a building needs to be intercepted at the ground level before it can reach the foundation or find its way indoors. An area drain sits in the exterior surface around the building, with a grate that collects runoff from the surrounding area and directs it into a buried pipe or storm sewer. This setup prevents water from ponding near doors or seeping into the interior by routing it away efficiently. French drains, trench drains, and catch basins serve related purposes but in different ways. A French drain handles groundwater or seepage underground to lower the water table rather than collecting surface runoff at the surface. A trench drain provides a long channel to carry runoff along a path, often in driveways or slabs, rather than a focused perimeter collection around the building. A catch basin collects surface water and debris into a receptacle before it enters a drainage line, but the area drain is the classic exterior perimeter device designed specifically to keep water from entering the interior by intercepting surface runoff.

Surface water around a building needs to be intercepted at the ground level before it can reach the foundation or find its way indoors. An area drain sits in the exterior surface around the building, with a grate that collects runoff from the surrounding area and directs it into a buried pipe or storm sewer. This setup prevents water from ponding near doors or seeping into the interior by routing it away efficiently.

French drains, trench drains, and catch basins serve related purposes but in different ways. A French drain handles groundwater or seepage underground to lower the water table rather than collecting surface runoff at the surface. A trench drain provides a long channel to carry runoff along a path, often in driveways or slabs, rather than a focused perimeter collection around the building. A catch basin collects surface water and debris into a receptacle before it enters a drainage line, but the area drain is the classic exterior perimeter device designed specifically to keep water from entering the interior by intercepting surface runoff.