StormDrain FSD-3017-20BKIT-6 20-in. Large Round Catch Basin with Black Grate Kit

Easy to use/ install. Very sturdy, great value for the money

The unit works great. I liked being able to choose which of the cut-outs to use. We chose one that's kind of high, thinking that leaves or debris might settle to the bottom of the basin, allowing relatively clear water to enter our underground pipe and drain away. We figured that occasionally, maybe twice a year, we'd clean it out. The other reason for choosing a high cut-out is that we needed the start point for the water to be high so it would have enough of a fall to the place where the water drains out. Now that it has been set up for a couple of months, I see some things differently. First, I realized that I don't want the basin to be a breeding ground for mosquitos, so I get out there with my wet vac and suction it out after each rainfall. This is a bit of a chore because I have to empty my 4 gallon wet vac 5 times to get all the water out of the basin. Yet it is good I got the 20 inch basin I did because we use it with a rain chain and there is some splashing. The bigger grate size helps with that. Still, we decided to saw a hole in the top of the grate to help the water from the chain go into the basin and not splash off the top. (I also use that hole to suction the water out without unscrewing the lid.) We put some edging around the basin as well, another small way to direct the water.I have a tip for installation. After you have dug a hole for it and set it in the ground, screw the top on BEFORE you fill all around it with dirt. The reason is that the force of the dirt might put uneven pressure against one side of your basin, making it a slight oval shape, and it can be difficult to attach a round lid to an oval basin. Do not expect to be taking the lid off a lot, either. It is not quick to put it on or take it off. There are six screws but it takes some time. Expect to keep that lid on once you install it.

After reading other reviews, I decided to build a concrete catch basin for mine. This put equal pressure on the circumference of the grate opening making removal and installation of the grate easy.. It also helps catch rushing water running downhill to my drain. Nice product. I used 6" drain pipe which was easy to connect. Trenching the drain pipe is the tough part. My pipe runs 100' across my property. That's a lot of digging. I used a backhoe.

My whole lot, from road to lake, slopes downhill, so massive rainstorms like we sometimes get create a lot of runoff. There are french drains in several places on the property already, but when we had the driveway replaced recently it ended up graded in such a way that all of the water drained from the pavement in a single spot, as shown. This volume of water dumping in this one place was cutting a channel across the lower yard, so we needed a solution, and a big catch basin and drain line was it.I called a contractor to install a drain, but the bigger drain basins (square ones found locally) ran $240 for the basin, and the cover grate, sold separately was another $232. With the necessary flanges, connectors, etc, over $500 for the unit alone! Crazy...I found this here and we agreed that it would work fine - and, at $109, was a screaming good deal. It's not a Prime shipping item, so it took several days to get here, but still fairly quick. We used 6" corrugated drain pipe because of the water volume and the fact that another 4" line empties into it farther down. Cutting the 6" hole took some patience and caution with a utility kinife (broke 2 blades, so have spares on hand) but it's doable.Now, this comes with NO instructions, but it's fairly intuitive - you cut the hole, slip the smaller threading ring (as seen in pics) over the pipe (female thread end facing the drain basin) then push the pipe thru the hole. From the inside you push the bigger ring with the rubber flange over the pipe (we had to cut every-other one of the pre-marked slots for it to fit) with the flange facing inward and the male threaded part facing the hole, with an inch or 2 of pipe projecting in beyond the flange. This locks the pipe in place so it won't slide out of the box, but then the fun begins.The ring on the outside is supposed to screw over the projecting thread of the other (inside) part to tighten it in place, draw the two pieces together, and mostly seal around the pipe. Good luck with that!First, because the smaller ring is so small and flimsy it deforms as you try to press it on to get it started turning - and if it ain't perfectly round you'll NEVER get the threads started on the other piece properly! Second, even if you do manage to get it started, there is so little to grip on this flimsy piece that even with the raised ridges that face outward that it near-impossible to turn it tight.It took two of us 40 minutes just to accomplish this one step, while a heavier, stiffer, more well-threaded and easier-to-grip outer ring would have solved the problem in minutes. This was a terrible place to save a dollar or two - the tightening (outer) plastic ring desperately needs a redesign! With that simple fix, this basin would have earned 5 stars across the board.We haven't yet had rain since we finished this, but judging by the way it caught runoff when tested with a hose wide open, it should work just fine.

The media could not be loaded. Worked well for what I needed. Great that it has the ability to insert pipes at different heights. Installed my on an existing drain to street with a tie in from a gutter and another NDS catch basin. Handles a lot of water. Damn thing is huge.

Works well, my lawn is in great shape since I put this in and put a french pipe drain into it. One thing to keep in mind, getting the cover off once it is installed and buried is impossible.

Very pleased with the durability of this basin.

I set this drain box in concrete at the desired level in my pond. The excess water goes through the dam and onto the neighboring farm wetland. The reinforced grill on top keeps debris out and allows only the water to be drained. Now if we could only get some rain. Haven’t found that on Amazon!!