Debris Gully Loose Surface Finishing

[godalington]

Hi DIY not community,

I’ve recently installed this Floplast plastic debris gully, which will eventually be connected to the down pipe and was unsure how best to finish it at ground level.

The debris gully has been concreted in but I took the surface of the concrete up to ground level and perhaps shouldn’t have?

The gully and the soil around it will eventually be covered in gravel but I’d like the finishing to be as neat as possible.

Please do ignore the wrecked shuttering and cracking in the surface of the concrete. I used Postcrete and in attempt to manipulate it, likely added too much water.

Am I best chipping away the cracked concrete, re-concreting it, not taking the concrete up to ground level and then covering the surrounding with soil and gravel?

A lot of the YouTube videos I’ve found all seem to have paving or harder surfaces around the gully but hoping there’s a neat option for loose surfaces too?

Any suggestions much appreciated!

 

[noseall]

Hi DIY not community,

I’ve recently installed this Floplast plastic debris gully, which will eventually be connected to the down pipe and was unsure how best to finish it at ground level.

The debris gully has been concreted in but I took the surface of the concrete up to ground level and perhaps shouldn’t have?

The gully and the soil around it will eventually be covered in gravel but I’d like the finishing to be as neat as possible.

Please do ignore the wrecked shuttering and cracking in the surface of the concrete. I used Postcrete and in attempt to manipulate it, likely added too much water.

Am I best chipping away the cracked concrete, re-concreting it, not taking the concrete up to ground level and then covering the surrounding with soil and gravel?

A lot of the YouTube videos I’ve found all seem to have paving or harder surfaces around the gully but hoping there’s a neat option for loose surfaces too?

Any suggestions much appreciated!

We'd look at what would be the finished paving height, or look at what will be the surrounding the gully i.e. plants, paving etc, then bed in a blue brick surround, around the gully, at the desired height. That desired height may be above the gully top. We would then fill inside the blue bricks with say a strong screed mix.

As it is presently, and if the ground around it stays the same, there is a risk that soil and rubbish could quickly fill the gully trap.

 

[godalington]

Although not fitted in the original image, there’s a black piece of trim which sits on the right hand side of the gully which will be sized to perfectly fit the 64mm downpipe.

Once that’s connected, I don’t see that there would be any scope for debris falling into the gully.

Attached is an image of the whole unit when brand new for reference.

Would you still suggest the brick surround even if any gaps are less than approx 2mm?

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Are you thinking of burying the whole lot under gravel?

It would look neat but could give rise to issues. If the gully blocked then the water would leak from the unsealed joint between the gully and downpipe, and would seep into your house foundations.

It would be difficult or probably impossible to remove the concrete without damaging the gully. So you're limited to edging you could plonk on top, e.g. the blue brick suggested above or some sort of concrete edging that you could haunch on the outer edge where it will be buried under gravel.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

The left portion contains an orange filter basket that needs to be regularly checked and cleared. You won't do this if it's buried.

Is there a specific reason for fitting one of these? Normally they're used for a soakaway, where you don't want silt clogging up further downstream. If connecting to a sewer or watercourse then it's probably better just to let the stuff through instead of holding it back, as the stuff may cause more issues at your end than further downstream.