Clogged Deck Drain

[rodaniel]

The deck drains that the original owners of our house had installed when they did the pool are scrawny little affairs with a fixed cover that features very narrow drain slots:

Well, the drain troughs are almost completed filled with sediment despite all efforts to Shop Vac or even power wash them out. I can't even tell if the drain channels even have plumbing at the bottom to go anywhere or if they were only intended as shallow "catches."

I've been advised that these are probably permanent and even if I could somehow get them out, I'd probably never manage to install replacements without busting up and replacing some of the gunnite pool decking and concrete substrate.

Anyone have any good options for getting these drains back to any semblance of functionality?

The only idea I've been able to come up with so far is to use an oscillating tool to cut the top away, clear the sediment and debris, then fill it back in with some coarse gravel or small river rock. Anyone ever tried this or seen it done?

 

[jblizzle]

I had some of those at a previous house. Mine did not attach to any plumbing, just allowed the water to run out the side to the yard. As I recall, mine had a rubber (?) spacer (like you would put between concrete slabs) between it and the drain. Mine was actually lifting out a bit and I had to knock it back down.

I do not see relief on yours so I am not sure if you could lift them out and get a new strip in or not.

Actually, just remembered that I have a strip at the current house that was clogged. I managed to get it mostly opened back up by shooting the pressure water from the end and a lot of the dirt would come up through the top ... although I had access to both sides and also was jamming a wire or something in the end to help break it up.