Commercial Trench Drain Installation in West Palm Beach, FL

Thum Co. Contractors is a state certified building contractor (FL CBC#1270161) based in West Palm Beach. We put in a commercial trench drain at a new tower development downtown, a couple blocks from the Palm Beach County courthouse. The drain carries stormwater off the site. It was a heavy-duty run — a Watts Dead Level channel set in a concrete-encased trench. Here’s how the job went.

A commercial trench drain for a downtown tower

A trench drain is a long, narrow channel that sits flush with the surface. It catches water across its whole length, not at one point like a catch basin. On a project like this, new towers are going up with pavement and drive lanes all around. So you need to pull water off the surface fast, before it ponds against the buildings. We ran the drain the length of the area that needed it. Then we tied it into the site’s storm system. This kind of work rolls up under our storm drain installation services in Palm Beach County.

Setting the run dead level to grade

This is the step that makes or breaks a commercial trench drain. We used the Watts Dead Level DX system. It comes pre-sloped from the factory, so the channel carries water at a steady fall — no hand-sloping the bottom. To hold that slope dead-on, we set the whole run with string lines and batter boards. Then we checked it constantly as we formed it. If the grade is off even a little, water sits in the channel instead of draining. So we set it exactly before any concrete goes in. Our trenching crew cut and squared the trench itself.

Built heavy for commercial loads

Residential channel drain is light-duty plastic. This is not that. The Dead Level DX uses a ductile iron frame and heavy grates that handle vehicle traffic. Then we encased the whole channel in concrete. That keeps it locked to grade under load, for the life of the site. A trench drain like this takes real skill. The frame, the slope, and the concrete all have to come together at once. That’s why it’s specialized commercial work most crews don’t take on. If you’re planning a job like this, call (561) 366-2050 and we’ll walk it with you.

Finished and protected

Once the concrete set, we locked the grates down. Then we cleaned up the run and taped off the area, so it could cure while the rest of the site kept moving. The finished drain sits flush, takes load, and moves water right where it’s supposed to go.

Planning drainage for a commercial site in Palm Beach County? See our storm drain installation services, or call (561) 366-2050 for a free estimate.