Creating a hole in the garage. How to make an inspection pit in the garage: the initial stage Other options for constructing a pit

Convenient maintenance and minor car repairs, which you can carry out yourself, can be ensured thanks to the inspection hole. Otherwise, you will have to lie on your back under the car, which does not at all guarantee comfort during servicing. Let's figure out how to do it inspection hole in the garage.

The dimensions and depth of inspection holes may vary. When constructing such a pit yourself, you need to proceed from the dimensions of the car and your height. At the same time, the inspection hole should be comfortable - so that there is room to turn around. But the hole should not be wider than the distance between the wheels.

Usually the pit is made more than eighty centimeters wide. The length of the pit is determined by the length of the car, to which 1 m is added. This approach will ensure convenience during work. The depth is calculated based on your own height, adding about ten to fifteen centimeters. If you plan to spend a lot of time under the car, a small stool or wooden ladder can help.

Everything described is not mandatory; when building an inspection hole in the garage with your own hands, you need to try to make it suitable for yourself.

On the question of the location of the pit. As a rule, it is more convenient to make a hole near the wall so that equipment, cabinets, etc. can be installed in the garage where spare parts will be placed.

Material

Let's consider how to make the walls of the inspection pit correctly and from what materials. The walls of the pit are usually made of bricks, building blocks, or cast-in-place concrete.

When choosing the first option, ceramics are preferable as the most moisture-resistant material. It is worth remembering the thickness of the brick when determining the size of the pit - after laying the walls with bricks or blocks, the volume of the pit will decrease.

The choice of material for the walls of the pit depends on the soil. If it is dry and dense, feel free to choose brick. Otherwise, reinforced concrete must be used.

Concrete blocks are resistant to moisture. When using other blocks, waterproofing material will be required. Concrete blocks can be negative consequences interact with moisture, are durable and will not swell in winter.

If the inspection pit is filled with concrete, the layer of such filling should be at least fifteen centimeters. You will also need to reinforce the concrete with 0.5 cm thick wire mesh. Instead of a mesh, it is possible to install a frame. You can use reinforcement for it.

Protect from water

To reliably protect the pit, you need to waterproof the outside. Such waterproofing should only be carried out during the construction of the pit itself. For the protection in question, a film or membrane made of butyl rubber or similar materials is used. Such protection must be laid in several layers, sealing the joints tightly. In this case, the film or membrane must adhere well to the walls.

For complete protection from water, the pit must be waterproofed from the inside. To do this, the walls are impregnated with a special coating. As the latter, a special composition for the pool or a primer is often used.

A metal caisson can also protect from moisture. sheet material. The design is represented by a box processed special composition against corrosion. You can clearly see the caisson by studying the photo of the inspection hole in the garage with the caisson.

Ventilation

Natural ventilation is an integral element of the inspection pit. It must be done during the construction of the pit. Ventilation in the inspection pit can also be done with your own hands. To do this, when working on the floor of the pit, a special hole is made in it to vent air through a hose. After installing the hose, cover it with a lid.

Additionally

If desired, electricity can be supplied to the inspection hole to provide light. At the same time, do not forget about safety and moisture resistance.

Also, for the same purposes, you should not install sockets with a voltage of more than 35 Volts. 220 Volt lamps cannot be used.

An additional element will be the roof, which is usually wooden. The roof should be reliable, but not too heavy. The golden mean would be a thickness of three cm, which will ensure reliability and will not cause problems when opening.

Photo of the inspection pit in the garage

Before you build inspection hole in the garage with your own hands, let's figure out what it is.

Inspection hole– this is the working space of the motorist, which should be as comfortable as possible, allowing him to turn around and stand in full height. If these conditions are not met, fixing even a tiny problem will turn into a nightmare, which should not be allowed to happen.

How to properly make a hole in the garage?
First of all, we must measure the length, width and depth in order to find out inspection hole dimensions in the garage with your own hands.

Parameter length calculated based on the length of the machine. Add one meter to it, it will be optimal space, convenient for work.

The second parameter again directly depends on the dimensions vehicle. On average, this is 75 cm, but professionals also use another way to measure the optimal width: you need to measure how far the front wheels are from each other. 20 cm is subtracted from the obtained value to be sure that when entering the pit, the car won't fail.

IMPORTANT: Before making a hole in the garage, keep in mind that its width should be slightly less than the width of your vehicle, otherwise the car will simply fall through.

And finally, the last parameter - depth. It is calculated based on the driver’s height, to which 20 cm is added. The obtained parameters must be increase by 30 cm, which will constitute hydro- and thermal insulation. After calculation you can make drawing holes in the garage.

Do-it-yourself inspection hole in the garage: dimensions - photo below:

Construction

Having received the required dimensions, we begin construction. inspection hole in the garage with your own hands. Of course, it is much easier to build an inspection pit when the garage has not yet been built; here you need to do this work before the floors are poured with concrete, but even when you think about how to make a garage with a pit with your own hands, this question is quite we decide.

Construction work consists of the following:

Preparing the pit. Marking land plot according to the obtained dimensions. Before digging a hole in the garage, we stock up on shovels and a level. The hole must be of the required depth and have a flat bottom.

REFERENCE: How to make a viewing hole in a garage when it has already been built? We mark the floor, and then, according to the markings, using a power tool we cut through the screed, after which the digging work is carried out.

Formation of smooth walls. It is also necessary to carefully compact the bottom of the pit.
Arrangement inspection hole in the garage: floors, walls and niches.

We build a hole in the garage with our own hands step by step:

We lay a cushion of crushed stone on the ground, on top of which we pour sand about 5 cm and compact it.

The next layer in this “pie” is 30 cm clay. Already placed on clay reinforced mesh, which becomes the backbone of our structure, strong, reliable, durable.

The mesh is poured concrete. We mix sand and cement in a ratio of three to one and pour it 7 cm thick.

We wait for the concrete to harden and only after that we treat the floor bitumen mastic solution. We put roofing felt and glue the joints with bitumen, be sure to hot.

Foam plastic is laid on the roofing material, and then the entire structure is generously filled with concrete, about 15 cm. And again we wait until the concrete dries.

After the concrete has dried, you can begin for the design of walls and niches:

The walls are coated with clay, then polyethylene is laid, which adheres well to fatty types of clay.
A layer of roofing material is applied to the film and again, as in the case of the floor, we go through the joints with bitumen.
We repeat the technology for creating the floor, and attach a layer of foam plastic to the walls, using any construction adhesive.
The hardest part of the job is erection of formwork. The formwork is made from plywood; if you want to get a more durable structure, then from boards, at a distance of 7 cm from the walls.
We reinforce the perimeter of the wall and fill it with concrete mortar.

You need to pour concrete in layers, here you need to be guided rule, the quieter you go, the further you'll get. You need to fill the hole in the garage within a few days, every day - 20 cm in height.

When the concrete has hardened and you are satisfied with the result, remove the formwork, we don't need it now. Well, we are moving on to the next stage, creating niches.

As in the construction of floors and walls, when constructing niches, we use fittings And clay. But here we no longer need concrete, we will have an inspection hole in the garage with our own hands made of brick, with which niches are lined. If you don’t like this option and you are interested in another way to lay out the inspection hole in the garage, then use ceramic tiles , it will be more effective.

See how to do it DIY inspection hole in the garage- photo:

Hydro- and thermal insulation

Before making a hole in the garage, you also need to take care of waterproofing, because humidity is unacceptable in the inspection pit, where not only do you need to work in comfortable conditions, but it is also important to follow safety precautions when working with electrical appliances of the car.

Today we can choose from a wide range of materials:

Polymeric. This is a material with a complex synthetic structure and excellent waterproofing properties. There are two types: multilayer And single-layer, the first have best qualities and can last much longer, up to fifty years, the latter are cheaper. Polymer waterproofing is laid on reinforcement with cells of size 10x10.

We must cover the frame geotextiles. Polymer plates, if they have a self-adhesive base, are installed with an overlap of 30 cm; if the membranes are not self-adhesive, then the overlap is 10 cm. The joints between the polymer plates are necessarily treated with a special adhesive.

Bituminous. This waterproofing option is available in several types: rubemast, euroruberoid And roofing felt, each is interesting in its own way, each has its own pros and cons.

Installation bitumen insulation, perhaps the simplest, in addition, this material is classified as economical, although its service life is much lower, only 10 years; if the work is done efficiently, the shelf life increases to 15 years, but no more.

Bitumen insulation is applied in a double layer.

Dry mixes. This is one of the modern methods of isolation. It is effective, durable, and allows you to eliminate even microscopic cracks in walls and floors, which increases the service life of the inspection pit. The mixtures, diluted with water in the consistency indicated on the packaging, are applied to the concrete layer.

If dry mixes- This modern way, which, however, is often used as additional insulation supporting another, polymer or bitumen, then mixture of clay and petroleum products- this is the most old way isolation. It is good because it is easy to carry out work and requires minimal financial costs.

The disadvantage of this method is that petroleum products toxic, and experts do not recommend working for a long time in a pit treated with such a composition.

IMPORTANT: do not forget to always glue the joints, whether polymer material, bitumen or some other. Failure to comply with this condition may result to the destruction of the entire structure and the nullification of your labors.

Thermal insulation is no less important issue, because in our country warm weather is established only for five months, while the rest of the time there is rain, cold and bitter frosts.

At installation of an inspection pit in the garage, the material can act as a durable, effective insulation polystyrene. Positive properties The material is a minimum percentage of water absorption, versatility, excellent thermal insulation characteristics. The downside is that it is not durable, about 10 years.

Finishing touches

As finishing touches we will designate:

safety (iron grate on the pit);
niches;
lighting;
ventilation.

Safety involves installing an iron grate on the pit.

Inspection hole in the garage - how to close it? Under no circumstances should it be always open. You may think, forget, not see... the consequences of such inattention are usually disastrous. Therefore it's better trellis during the absence of repairs to the inspection hole in the garage.

Niches in the wall are needed to store tools in them, so as not to have to run upstairs every time for pliers or a screwdriver. The niches also serve as room decor, creating an atmosphere indescribable in words that is conducive to work.

For lighting It is necessary to carry out wiring and install sockets in the wall. You can, of course, use a portable lamp, but it will not be as convenient and aesthetically pleasing.

Ventilation- one of the main issues in the design of an inspection pit, because it is often necessary to use toxic substances, varnishes, paints, which are unacceptable to breathe in a closed room. Therefore, give the issue of ventilation a significant part of your attention.

In addition, ventilation is needed to eliminate the possibility of creating condensation effect: high humidity can lead to destruction of the inspection hole and damage to the car and electrical tools. Ventilation can be built by removing air vent 30 cm from the garage floor. And to prevent any debris from getting into the ventilation pipe, it is covered with a mesh.

Now you know how to do inspection hole in the garage with your own hands. Believe me, this is not at all as difficult as it seems, looking at such a voluminous instruction. And finally, we can only wish you patience and goodness!

How to build a pit in the garage with your own hands, watch the video:

Reading time ≈ 4 minutes

The presence of an inspection hole in the garage provides the opportunity to carry out independent repairs of your own car. It can be done with minimal knowledge in the field of construction and the availability detailed instructions. Using step-by-step master class, it will not be difficult to carefully and efficiently carry out the preparation and self-construction pits, regardless of the size and layout of the garage.

Determining the optimal size and shape of the inspection hole

The finished inspection pit should be both safe and convenient to use. Therefore, before starting work, it is recommended to study geological survey data on the condition of the soil and location groundwater under the garage. This will allow you to determine the optimal depth of the hole. If the groundwater is quite deep, then the recommended height from the floor to the “ceiling” may be about 2 m or less (owner’s height + 20-30 cm). The dimensions can be found in the drawing.

An inspection hole is made in the garage with your own hands after drawing up a project plan for the facility. Its width is determined according to the wheelbase of the car: it should be smaller, ensuring the possibility of safe entry of the car. The length should be at least 1 meter longer than the length of the car: this will allow you to work comfortably in the pit.

The installation of an inspection pit allows the presence of small niches. They can be used to store parts, convenient location tools. They should not be made too deep. It is recommended to determine the dimensions of the niches according to the available quantity of auto tools and spare parts.

Laying out walls and niches in the inspection pit

After digging a pit with predetermined dimensions, you should begin strengthening the walls, protecting them and then laying bricks. The use of brick is optimal due to the ease of working with it and ease of purchase. You can find out how to build a viewing hole in a garage from the most affordable building materials in the following instructions:

1. First, you need to make the floor of the inspection hole in the garage: level the bottom of the pit, lay down roofing material (with an overlap of about 0.5 m on the walls for each of them). Concreting is carried out with the M-200 brand, the thickness of the floor should be about 10 cm. The size of the length and width of the floor should include the sum of the thickness of the two walls, the length/width of the pit itself and an increase of 10 cm. After pouring, leave the concrete to harden for 4 days.

2. The construction of walls begins with laying 4 rows and subsequent waterproofing of the inspection pit with outside using bitumen mastic. This will prevent the destruction of the walls due to exposure to moisture from the earth cover adjacent to the brick. After laying out the walls, you need to fill in the remaining gap from the ground to the brick.

3. The final stage of work will be the installation of a metal frame around the entrance to the pit. It should protrude slightly above the floor level of the garage box.

The frames of the niches should also be made of metal corners. This will prevent the bricks from subsiding or breaking.

Features of the ventilation device and the choice of stairs

High-quality ventilation in the inspection pit of the garage will prevent the appearance of mold and the gradual destruction of the walls. It can be made exclusively exhaust or supply and exhaust. In the first case, when laying out the last rows of bricks, it is necessary to install a pipe that will allow air to be removed from the pit through the garage box upwards (it will approach the garage ventilation pipe or be discharged directly to the street). In the second case, an additional pipe is installed, which is diverted outside. Its end should be located at a distance of 15 cm from the floor.

You can make a convenient ladder for the inspection hole from wood and metal corners. For a small block, a repositionable ladder will be much more convenient. In the attached photos you can also see examples of pits in which the steps were laid out of brick or concreted.

Lighting supply

In the process of laying niches, you need to connect a 36V wire in an insulating rubber hose. This will allow you to connect the light in the pit and conveniently illuminate the car during repairs. When performing these stages of work, it is advisable to invite a qualified electrician who will help to correctly determine the optimal location of the wire and ensure its protection, and will ensure its correct connection to the power supply. At independent execution works, you should study the auxiliary video lessons on creating the correct lighting in the inspection pit.

Video of building a viewing hole in a garage with your own hands

A diagnostic pit is always a welcome attribute of a garage. It allows you to conveniently inspect the underside of the car. A handy car enthusiast can use it to independently replace oil or a torn cuff. This is where you should start arranging your garage. After spending a certain amount, a pit can be built using hired labor. The article tells you how to do this work yourself.

What to build a viewing hole from

An inspection pit in a garage is usually constructed of brick or monolithic reinforced concrete. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages. Brickwork is less labor-intensive, but not as durable and requires additional grouting of external masonry joints before applying waterproofing.

Reinforced concrete walls are stronger and more durable. Disadvantages include increased manufacturing complexity. To pour the concrete solution, it is necessary to construct a formwork, inside of which reinforcement is knitted. Required a large number of solution. You can make both brick and concrete walls with your own hands.

Dimensions and position of the inspection hole

It is more rational to tear off the inspection trench at the same time as laying the foundation of the garage. The width of the ditch is usually 70–80 cm. If you take it less than 70 cm, the trench will be cramped; wider than 80 cm, there is a greater risk of falling into the hole, which often happens. It’s good if there are a few strong guys nearby. The height of the trench is made approximately 180 cm, so that there is about 15 cm of clearance from the head to the bottom of the car. The length must be at least two meters, or better - the length of the car plus 1 meter.

The position of the ditch can be different: in the center of the gate or offset. In this case, the car stands away from the underground with its damp air. To inspect or perform any work, you will have to maneuver to enter the ditch. For more convenient entry, the inspection pit in the garage can have an L-shaped configuration. You can go up and down the stairs without rolling over the car.

Going down into the pit using the ladder is inconvenient and dangerous. The staircase must be stationary, at the same time comfortable and safe. The best option is to manufacture the steps simultaneously with the construction of the enclosing structure. At brick walls It is advisable to make the steps from brick. When pouring walls made of monolithic reinforced concrete, steps should be cast at the same time. If for some reason they were not made at this stage, then the stairs can be made later with your own hands, when the inspection ditch is being constructed. The staircase is made of wood - with the steps fastened on bowstrings or stringers, as well as metal - with treads made of corrugated iron.

How to illuminate a viewing hole

When arranging a garage box, you should provide lighting for the inspection pit in the garage. According to the rules for lighting installations in repair pits, the use of 220 V incandescent lamps is prohibited. It is allowed to use light sources with lamps of no more than 36 V. A step-down transformer is used to power them. A good option are fluorescent lamps in a sealed housing. If a 24V carrier is used, the cable must be at least four meters long for safety reasons.

Underground ventilation

In the repair trench, due to the temperature difference, increased humidity occurs and condensation forms and settles on the bottom of the car. To avoid this unpleasant phenomenon, the inspection pit in the garage must have good ventilation. The exhaust duct is made of asbestos-cement or plastic sewer pipe embedded in the crushed stone preparation of the floor. This pipe must be connected by a transition elbow to a vertical exhaust riser. The hoods from under the ceiling of the garage box and trench must be independent. If you combine them into one, the efficiency of ventilation of the technical underground will sharply decrease.

Pit contours

Before marking a place in the garage for a future trench, you need to draw a drawing of it cross section. The clear size of the trench should be taken as a basis. For example, the width will be 70 cm. To this value you need to add twice the wall thickness. If the latter is 20 cm, it will be: 70 + (2 × 20) = 110 cm. Add another margin - 5 cm on each side. Ultimately, the width of the trench at the bottom will be: 110 + (2 × 5) = 120 cm. In order to facilitate subsequent application coating waterproofing, the walls of the trench should be inclined. To do this, it is enough to increase the width of the trench on the garage floor by 60 cm (30 per side). That is, at the top the width of the ditch will be 180 cm. Trenches for the foundation are dug using the same principle.

Bucket or shovel

If the inspection hole in the garage is made at the same time as the foundation is being poured, it makes sense to resort to the services of an excavator. All work will be completed in half a day. The costs will be of the same order as if you hire diggers. Sometimes it happens that during the season you still won’t find them. Well, what if the idea came to build a technical trench when the garage was already built? There is only one way out - to dig a pit with your own hands. In order not to do unnecessary work, a certain amount of excavated soil should be stored near the construction site, since the earth will be needed for backfilling the sinuses.

The base of the trench should be protected from penetrating moisture by waterproofing. A 10-centimeter footing of concrete is first poured onto the compacted bottom of the pit. For preparation, a solution of grade M 150 is sufficient. The width of the preparatory layer is made flush with the outer surface of the future walls of the trench. To insulate the sole, use any type of rolled material. insulating material- roofing felt, Bikrost, Aquaizol, polymer membranes. The canvas should be cut to overlap the walls.

A concrete floor is poured on top of the insulating layer. The brand used is stronger - M 200. A thickness of 7–8 cm is sufficient, but it is better to reinforce the poured surface with a 150 × 150 road mesh with a wire thickness of 4 (3) mm.

Rules for wall construction

To paraphrase Henry Ford, we can say - the design of the trench walls can be anything, provided that it is rigid and durable. To prevent the walls from bulging and cracking in the near future, you should know how not to do them:

lay brick walls in one spoon (120 mm thick);
make brickwork without reinforcement;
use silicate products for masonry;
flood concrete mixture directly into the ground (from the outside of the ditch);
pour concrete without reinforcement;
use rubble concrete.

Combined wall

Below is one of the possible options building a building envelope with your own hands. The outer walls of the pit are dug inclined, with a margin of width, to ensure future access for waterproofing work. Lay out 4–5 rows of half-brick brickwork throughout inner contour future building. This partition will serve as internal formwork. The outer one is installed, retreating 130 mm from the folded wall immediately to the entire height of the trench, using old boards, sheets of plywood, chipboard, OSB and other similar materials. They support it with spacers and jibs, after which they fill it concrete mortar with the top edge of the masonry.

Lay a reinforcing masonry mesh 250 mm wide with a cell size of 50 × 50 and a wire thickness of 4 or 5 mm. Lay out the next section and install the reinforcement again. For better adhesion to concrete, the outer surface of the brickwork is made “in a wasteland”. The rigidity of the structure will be provided by closed belts made of reinforcement bars with a diameter of 10 mm, laid at the bottom and top of the fence. In order to subsequently equip the lighting of the inspection pit in the garage, niches are provided for installing lamps. Waterproofing, if provided for by the project, is carried out after removing the external formwork.

Sightseeing ditch and groundwater

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to make a viewing ditch in the garage. If groundwater (GW) is located under the garage at a depth of less than two meters, it is not worth starting construction. Life shows that in this case no amount of waterproofing of walls will help. When the hot water is below 2.5 meters, a trench can be built provided that high-quality waterproofing of the outer walls of the inspection ditch is carried out. It can be done with your own hands from several layers of adhesive material: roofing felt, TechnoNIKOL, Stekloizol, Gidrostekloizol and others. Cover the surfaces with molten bitumen. There are penetrating materials: Hydrotex, Aquatron-6, Penetron. They are convenient because they are applied to wet concrete and reduce waiting time. A good clay castle is oily, crumpled clay.

Global warming

To prevent the inspection pit in the garage from becoming covered with frost in winter, it can be insulated. To do this, the external walls on which waterproofing is applied must be covered with insulation boards - polystyrene foam 5 cm thick. If such insulation is laid in 2 layers under the blind area around the perimeter of the entire garage, the floor in the garage and the trench will be even warmer.

Trench in full roll

To avoid accidentally falling into a hole, you need to make a protective deck over it. The simplest design is thick transverse boards laid inside a edging made of corners, installed using embedded elements or secured anchor bolts. Woodworking waste - slabs laid with the convex side down - are well suited for this purpose. The inspection hole in the garage, covered by them, when viewed from below, resembles a front-line dugout.

Finally

The construction of an inspection trench is reminiscent of pouring a foundation and goes through the same stages:

marking;
excavation;
making soles;
walling;
waterproofing;
insulation.

Having completed the construction of a trench made of reinforced concrete or brick, it is arranged. The inside of the pit can be plastered or tiled. Such an “underground”, built with your own hands, will allow you to drive a car with complete confidence in its technical condition. After all, by connecting the lighting of the inspection pit in the garage, you can regularly assess the condition of the chassis of your car.

Your own garage with an inspection hole is the dream of any car owner. So why not bring it to life with your own hands? After all, a garage pit will provide access to important components of the car, which will allow for technical inspection and renovation work without contacting car service specialists.

Why is an inspection hole needed and what should it be like?

The garage pit is the main assistant of the car enthusiast. It allows you to perform diagnostics, maintenance and minor, and even major renovation car yourself.

It is worth remembering that the inspection hole is an increased source of humidity. This means that the most important task during its construction is waterproofing.

A damp inspection hole will quickly reduce the microclimate in the garage, which will certainly lead to the appearance of rust and mold.

Dampness coming from the inspection hole sharply reduces comfort when staying in the garage, especially in the cold season. And this is already dangerous to health, so the pit must be kept perfectly dry: oil drips or puddles of water are not allowed.

Before carrying out any capital measures in the garage, you must:

study the soil characteristics under the garage structure and establish the depth of groundwater;
assess the condition of the foundation.

Based on reliable geodetic data, as well as requirements building codes, it will be possible to make a technically competent and economically sound decision.

Attention: when planning an inspection pit, be sure to provide material for closing during downtime. This will prevent the bottom from being exposed to excessive moisture and bottom part car body.

Dimensions

It is reasonable to place the inspection hole not in the middle, but closer to one of the side walls and in the depths of the garage. And without that small area Of course, it’s not worth reducing a cramped or narrow room. But building a viewing hole less than 2 m long is unlikely to be advisable.

The optimal depth is assumed to be equal to the average human height (170–180 cm) in total with a small margin of 15–20 cm to increase the viewing angle of the bottom of the car.

The main requirements for entering the inspection pit are safety and ergonomics. If the garage is short but wide enough, the entrance to the inspection pit can be made from the side.

The width of the garage pit directly depends on the size of the room and, of course, the dimensions of the car. In private car garages, this value is taken to be 70–80 cm for passenger cars and 110–120 cm for trucks and minibuses.

Attention: it is better to take the depth of the inspection hole with some margin. At the bottom of the structure, you can always arrange an elevation, which will ensure the convenience of performing individual technical operations, while the passage under the machine placed on the pit will not be constrained by anything. In addition, it is worthwhile to provide special niches and recesses on the walls of the pit in which tools or car parts can be stored.

Features of waterproofing and thermal insulation of a garage pit

It is necessary to select materials for waterproofing and insulating the inspection pit at the planning stage. This will allow you to correctly calculate the parameters of the structure and make a decision on its interior decoration.

Waterproofing materials

The following can be used as waterproofing for a garage inspection pit:

bituminous materials (roofing felt and its varieties, bitumen resin; service life 10–15 years);

polymer geotextiles (single- and multi-layer polymer membranes on a self-adhesive basis; service life is at least 50 years);

penetrating compounds (dry mineral or mineral-organic mixtures diluted with water immediately before use; service life is equal to the service life of the surfaces being treated);

fatty clay in combination with petroleum products (in combination with modern materials fatty clay will increase the operational period of the main waterproofing);

liquid rubber (emulsion containing latex, polymers and stabilizing substances; service life is about 25 years);

Waterproofing a garage pit must be carried out in conjunction with thermal insulation measures. The latter make it possible to reduce heat leakage through the floor and walls of the structure, as well as to minimize the amount of condensation formed due to temperature changes.

Thermal insulation measures

Extruded foam and expanded clay are excellent for thermal insulation of the inspection pit. The first one is laid on the waterproofing of the walls of the structure and covered vapor barrier film, after which the concrete screed is poured.

Expanded clay is used to fill the sand and gravel cushion at the bottom of the pit. A vapor barrier is installed on the compacted pad, after which the floor is poured or laid.

Attention: if the groundwater level is less than 2.5 m, it is necessary to organize a drainage system with drainage outside the garage premises.

Lighting and ventilation of the inspection pit

The presence of a lighting system in the inspection pit is prerequisite comfortable and safe work. Lighting equipment must have low power and require reliable protection from moisture and mechanical damage.

In the garage pit you can install:

lamps with voltage up to 36 V (fluorescent lamps);
low-voltage lamps with a voltage of 12 V (LED lamps);
lamps with a voltage of 220 V in a waterproof design (not lower than IP54);
battery-powered lamps with a sealed housing.

One of the most popular solutions is 36 V fluorescent lamps in a protected waterproof housing. They consume a small amount of electricity, which is beneficial for long periods of illumination. The same can be said about LEDs, the use of which provides a high level of electrical safety.

When lighting an inspection pit with equipment operating under a voltage of 220 V, it is necessary to install hidden electrical wiring with mandatory waterproofing, and cover the lamps with shades with grilles; ground all metal elements of the system from a single circuit led outside the garage.

Battery-powered lamps are rarely used to illuminate inspection holes due to high cost, as well as the difficulty of repairing or replacing damaged elements. However, if it is impossible to install stationary lighting, such equipment is the most suitable solution.

Attention: sockets and switches must not be installed in the inspection hole. For the convenience of performing certain types of work, it is recommended to equip the garage pit with a portable lamp with a special housing (with a handle for carrying, a stand for permanent installation and a hook or clamp for hanging) on a protected electrical cord of at least 4 m in length.

As for garage pit ventilation, in most cases it is left natural.

It is advisable to organize forced air exchange in tight spaces where exhaust gases quickly accumulate, as well as in garages located in areas with high groundwater levels.

Ventilation in the garage is arranged in the following way:

An exhaust vent with protection from wind blowing and rainwater ingress is installed under the garage ceiling on the leeward side.
The inlet opening is made at a distance of no more than 50 cm from the floor, preferably closer to the inspection hole, on the windward side.
The exhaust and supply ventilation openings are covered with a metal or plastic grille.

Attention: to increase the intensity of air exchange, the exhaust vent of the garage ventilation can be equipped with a small or medium power fan powered by a distribution panel or battery.

We build an inspection hole in the garage with our own hands (with drawings)

The garage pit must be located in such a way that it is possible to place the car on it at a certain angle. This will make it easier to access certain components of the machine, as well as simplify the performance of many technical operations. The length of the structure depends on the length of the machine (taking into account a margin of 1 m).

Project

Nothing more than a preliminary calculation of its parameters will help you approach the matter thoroughly when building a garage pit. And it is carried out based on the size of the machine, but with some reserve in case the latter is changed in the future. For example, if the length of the Opel Kadett is almost 4 m, then the Scoda Octavia is 4.6 m.

Let’s take the average value of 4.5 m and find that, taking into account a reserve of 1 m, the length of the inspection hole will be 5.5 m.

The depth of the structure should be taken in accordance with the height of the garage owner. With an average of 175–185 cm, the normal working depth of the inspection hole will be at least 195 cm, and the width sufficient for free movement and technical operations will be at least 0.8 m. For good measure, let’s take the last value equal to 1 m and get the basic inspection hole parameters:

length 5.5 m;
width 1 m;
height 1.95 m.

You can transfer the obtained dimensions onto paper using an axonometric projection or a flat image.

In the second case, two drawings will be needed - for projections of the structure onto the vertical and horizontal planes.

When creating a drawing of an inspection pit, it is necessary to take into account the thickness of the hydro-, thermal and vapor barrier, as well as the concrete screed. This will allow you to more accurately determine the volume of excavation work.

Attention: if the garage is used only for storing a car, it is more convenient to place the inspection hole in the center of the room. If the room is also used as a mini-workshop or storage room, it is better to move the central axis of the structure closer to one of the walls. When the car is parked in a pit, such a garage will have enough space to walk through and work at the workbench.

Preparing tools and collecting materials

Having approved construction project, you can start purchasing materials. In order not to waste time, it is worth preparing in parallel the tools that will be needed during the work process. It wouldn’t hurt to include in your list of essentials:

construction tape, marker, knife;
pickaxe, crowbar, shovel and bayonet shovel;
building level;
concrete mixer;
welding machine;
powerful hammer drill or chipper;
concrete cutter;
hammer, pliers and a set of screwdrivers;
circular saw with metal cutting wheels;
construction trowel;
electric drill with a mixer for mixing the solution;
buckets and water containers, building mixtures and solution.
container for heating bitumen;
burner for sizing roofing felt;
shaft for laying bitumen;
trowel for leveling concrete surfaces.

In search of strength and means to implement the project, one should not forget about the impressive list building materials. It includes:

cement, sand and crushed stone or gravel (for the production cement mortar, concrete and sealing pad);
expanded clay and/or gravel (as a stabilizing and heat-insulating cushion under the floor screed);
insulation (extruded foam);
surface waterproofing (penetrating composition for treating concrete surfaces);
drainage pipe;
reinforcement with a diameter of 10–12 cm (for reinforcing the floor of the inspection pit);
boards, wooden blocks, nails and wire (for formwork construction);
brick (in the case of building walls using the brickwork method)
vapor barrier film (to prevent the accumulation of condensation on the walls and floor of the inspection pit);
steel corner 20*20 mm (for framing the upper perimeter of the inspection pit);
boards and beams treated with antiseptic and waterproof paint (for making a cover for the inspection pit);
rolled roofing felt;
bitumen resin (mastic).

Attention: the amount of building materials is taken depending on the size of the hole with a 2–10% margin.

Garage floor removal and excavation work

To implement the construction plan, the first step is to clear the territory. Everything unnecessary will have to be removed from the garage for a while, and an area outside the premises will have to be prepared for storing earth.

The order of subsequent actions will be as follows:

The outlines of the inspection hole are drawn on the garage floor using chalk, a corner and a rule.
The resulting rectangle increases by 10–15 cm on each side, which is necessary for the convenience of excavation work.
Using the lines obtained this time, the floor is dismantled.
If the garage floor is made of concrete, you will first have to work with a concrete cutter, and also get acquainted with the capabilities of the chipper found for this occasion (in extreme cases, a high-power hammer drill armed with a chisel).
When working with reinforced concrete, you need to remember about reinforcement. In a standard reinforced concrete slab, it is located at a depth of 5 to 10 cm. The metal skeleton of the concrete screed must be carefully cut with a circular saw, for which you will first need to expand the cutting area with a hammer drill or chipper.
After removing the concrete layer with reinforcement, all that remains is to remove the remaining screed.
The dismantled concrete floor opened access to the soil under the garage, in which it was necessary to dig a pit 195–200 cm deep, 115 cm wide and 5.5–5.6 m long.
When performing excavation work, you should regularly monitor the vertical level of the pit walls and the depth of the pit, and also make sure that there is no water in the pit, and that its walls do not crumble as they deepen.

Attention: if necessary, the walls of the pit can be temporarily strengthened with wooden beams. It is advisable to take the soil obtained during the digging of a trench outside the premises so as not to clutter it up. In the process of preparing the pit, you need to work in warm clothes, since as the hole deepens, the humidity level will increase and the temperature in the garage will decrease.

Waterproofing a garage pit: important points

No amount of tricks will save the inspection hole from flooding in the event of rising groundwater or heavy rainfall, or the garage itself from dampness, mildew and mold, if you do not pay due attention to water drainage. This can only be done with the help drainage system: it will provide protection against the penetration of rainwater and soil moisture under the internal perimeter of the room.

Self-installation of drainage

To install the drainage system, you will need drainage pipes wrapped in geotextile, as well as a piece of pipe PVC diameter 100 mm and connecting elements.

The length of the drainage will correspond to the outer perimeter of a separate garage building. The system outlet is located at a distance of at least 5 m from the garage. It is highly desirable that the drain be carried out into a nearby ravine or other natural depression in the soil.

If there is none on the site, the drainage outlet will need to be taken out into a special container, which must be buried at least 20 cm below the drainage level and equipped with a pump for pumping out water with a float.

Drainage must be equipped manhole, in the role of which you can use a vertically installed and connected to the drainage perimeter PVC pipe. The upper end of the latter is closed with a protective cover.

Installation of the drainage system is carried out in several stages:

Around the garage structure, at a distance of up to 0.5 m, a trench is dug with a depth equal to the depth of the garage foundation and a width of up to 0.5 cm.
A 10 cm cushion of sand and gravel is placed at the bottom of the drainage ditch (to protect the system from destruction under the influence of soil pressure).
The sand cushion is covered with geotextile film.
Drainage pipes are laid in the trench and connected to closed system with output to a container or natural depression in the area.
The drainage is covered with a cushion of a mixture of sand and crushed stone (gravel), which during the process must be carefully but carefully compacted (so as not to damage the pipe).

With the installation of drainage the most weakness in the garage waterproofing system, the base of its foundation will be reliably protected from water penetration from outside the structure. As a result, the requirements for moisture protection of the inspection pit will be reduced.

Attention: the top of the drainage can be covered with soil, turf or concrete screed(the choice is at the discretion of the garage owner). It is better to install a plastic container for water drainage, since it will last much longer than a metal one, and use the drainage drain for watering the garden, provided that chemicals used in car care do not get into it.

Protection from moisture and dampness

The main construction begins with waterproofing the pit. This problem is solved in several steps:

A gravel cushion 10–15 cm thick is placed and compacted at the bottom of the pit, which is covered with 5 cm of sand on top.
The walls of the inspection pit are laid with a layer of rich (red) clay.
Roofing felt is spread on the floor surface. This must be done with an overlap of 10–15 cm and with the same margin protruding onto the surface of the walls.
The overlap lines of the roofing material laid on the bottom of the pit are soldered with a torch or glued with molten bitumen mastic. The latter is laid using a special shaft.
In a similar way, roofing felt is laid on the walls. The vertical and horizontal corners of the pit are additionally glued with bitumen or soldered using a special burner.
A vapor barrier made of thick polyethylene film is laid on top of the roofing material, with mandatory gluing of all corners and joints.

Do-it-yourself floor and walls of the inspection pit

If the hydro- and vapor barrier of the pit is ready, it’s time to proceed directly to construction. To do this you need to prepare in advance construction site, tools and materials necessary for preparing concrete, insulating and reinforcing the screed.

Pouring the floor

Construction begins with floor screed. Its filling is carried out according to the following method:

At the bottom of the pit, covered with waterproofing, it is necessary to lay 10–15 cm of rough concrete (grade no lower than M200). The latter is prepared on a concrete mixer in proportions from 1: 3: 4.5 (cement: sand: crushed stone).
After partial drying, the surface of the rough screed is leveled using a special trowel made of wood or hard foam.
If necessary, the rough screed is covered with a layer of insulation (extruded foam plastic 5 cm thick).
A reinforcement frame of the floor screed is mounted on top of the thermal insulation gasket or, in the absence of one in the project, the rough screed. To do this, you will need steel reinforcement with a diameter of 10 mm and wire or welding, with which the mesh will be fixed before pouring the screed.
Prepared using a concrete mixer or mixer cement-sand mortar in a ratio of approximately 1:4, which is poured onto the reinforcing frame so that the thickness of the screed is at least 5 cm.
2-3 hours after pouring the concrete, its surface is leveled with a trowel, after which you can begin building the walls of the inspection pit.

Attention: pouring rough concrete and reinforced screed must be completed in 1 step. Therefore, for work you will need at least 2, and preferably 3 pairs of hands. Rough concrete Before insulation, it must be allowed to dry completely, which will take at least 3 days. The same period is required for the upper reinforced screed so that it can be walked on freely during the construction of the walls of the inspection pit.

Construction of walls

The walls of the inspection pit can be made of either brick or concrete. In the second case, before starting work you will have to install the formwork. An edged board or plywood is suitable for this and wooden beams. In addition, it is advisable to reinforce the walls of the inspection pit with a mesh of steel wire or reinforcement.

At this stage, it is necessary to start laying the electrical wiring, which, according to electrical safety requirements, must be hidden. To do this, you need to hide the wire in a corrugation, stretch it along the surface of the walls and lead it to the installation points of the lamps, and then secure it to the reinforcing mesh, for example, using plastic ties.

The walls are poured in tiers of 30–40 cm in height. During the process of pouring the walls, the solution should be thoroughly compacted using a crowbar or bayonet shovel- this will remove air from the concrete. Before pouring each subsequent tier, you must allow the previous one to dry, which will require waiting about 2-3 days.

When building brick walls, the thickness of the masonry is taken to be equal to the width of the latter. The masonry is done in a checkerboard pattern with the obligatory binding of the corners and careful grouting of the seams. At the final stage of wall construction, care must be taken to ensure that the walls protrude above the floor screed in the garage by at least 5 cm. This will eliminate the possibility of foreign objects sliding into the pit or accidentally being driven over by a car wheel when placed in the pit.

After laying the brick walls, it is necessary to wrap the hydro- and vapor barrier inside the structure and backfill the soil with outside walls In this case, the soil should be thoroughly compacted.

Attention: when laying brick walls or pouring them with concrete, you must not forget about auxiliary niches. In order to make them in concrete walls oh, you will definitely need to construct liners for formwork of the appropriate size from the boards. When working with brick, there is no need for such liners, but with them it will be much more convenient to lay the brick around the niche. Upon completion of pouring the concrete walls of the inspection pit, the formwork can be removed no earlier than after 6–7 days. Brickwork can be considered ready for further work within 4–5 days.

How and with what to close the inspection hole?

Even before starting to pour or lay the walls of the inspection pit, it is necessary to prepare the embedded frame. It will crown the side of the structure - the latter is located slightly above the garage floor or level with the latter.

To make the frame, you will need a pre-stocked steel angle, a circular saw with metal cutting discs, and a welding machine with electrodes.

The size of the frame is selected according to the inner or outer perimeter of the walls - the corner should be positioned as required by the cover fabric. By the way, if you plan to equip the inspection hole with one, the frame must be turned at an angle downward.

Fixation metal structure This is best done using anchors or dowels, for which you will have to make corresponding holes in concrete or brick, as well as in metal. Finally, to prevent the frame from rusting during the operation of the garage pit, it must be sanded, primed and painted before installation.

To make a cover for the inspection pit, you can use various materials. For example, you can make it sectional from metal frames covered steel mesh, or in the form wooden shield from edged boards with a thickness of 35 mm.

It should be remembered that the thinner the canvas, the easier it is to lift it, so you should not take too thick wood or panels with a heavy frame.

You can make a cover for the inspection hole in the following way:

Attention: when closing the pit, the outer edge of the cover sheet comes into contact with the embedded frame. Therefore, the structure is often additionally sheathed along the edges with steel or plastic tape. The thickness of such sheathing will have to be taken into account before cutting the fabric, and to fix it, buy special fasteners in advance. By the way, the lid can be equipped with special mechanisms that will allow partial opening of the inspection hole.

Video: step-by-step DIY construction of a garage pit

Construction of an inspection pit in a garage is not an easy task. Therefore, they should be approached with thorough preparation and, preferably, in consultation with those who have experience in such work. Smart layout, as well as careful attention to the issues of thermal and waterproofing of the room, antiseptic finishing and electrification will ensure comfortable operation of the cellar and will allow expanding the volume of household food supplies. At proper organization The construction of an inspection pit should take no more than 10 days, while the construction of a cellar may take about a month with an average density schedule.