Do-it-yourself inspection hole at the dacha. Making a hole in the garage - construction stages, materials used, tools

TO any motorist knows how necessary it is sometimes inspection hole in the garage! It happens that there is a nonsense breakdown, it’s a piece of cake to fix, but try and get there. Or changing the oil is a five-minute task, but you have to drag yourself to the service station and pay an amount that is completely incommensurate with the work. It’s worth, perhaps, shedding a little sweat, working a few weekends and getting rid of such difficulties forever. How to do inspection hole in the garage with your own hands you will find out here.

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Video version of the article

Let's start work. Marking the inspection hole

As for everyone, even the most simple structures, we begin the construction of our pit with markings, that is, with determining the outlines and dimensions of the future pit. This is necessary, especially since we will be constructing a pit in an already built, or even operating one. Which, you see, complicates our task, if only because of the cramped working conditions.

We will mark the pit based on the fact that the soil forming the walls of the pit will have a certain slope, while the dimensions of the inspection hole must be maintained within limits that make the work convenient.

This is on the one hand. On the other hand, when parking, the driver should not break out in cold sweat for fear that the car will fail. To ensure against slipping, we will take certain steps, but more on that later.

Based on all the mentioned requirements, we determine the width of the pit “cleanly” (that is, according to the width of the working space) to be 70 cm. This is enough for convenient work, and even for the Daewoo Matiz crumb (128 cm track) there will be room for order maneuver 20 centimeters (between the pit and the wheel). And for Zhiguli cars, with their track of 132 cm, the width can be made even larger. Five to ten centimeters, but that’s not bad either.

We determine the length based on personal concepts about ease of work, as well as the size of the garage, but making it less than two meters is hardly justified.

On the floor of the garage we draw (or mark with pegs) a rectangle of our pit, then we add the thickness of the walls on all four sides and, guided by the stability of the soil, we give an approximate margin for the slope of the earthen walls. For dense loams this value is approximately 20-30 cm.

We determine the depth from the requirements of ergonomics, and in relation specifically to our loved one. It is clear that bending over or standing on tiptoes will not work much. Therefore, we calculate our hole in such a way that there is a distance of 25-30 cm from the top of the head to the bottom of the car.

Today we’ll talk about how to make a viewing hole in the garage. For many car enthusiasts this necessary element garage building, because many of us are trying to save money, which is why we carry out some preventive maintenance work related to the car ourselves. It should be noted right away that despite the apparent simplicity of the design of the inspection pit, it is not so easy to build it. Therefore, most garage owners prefer to invite experienced craftsmen to get guaranteed high quality the final result. But in order for the guarantee to be one hundred percent, you need to know the technology of constructing a garage pit yourself. Therefore, read the article, remember everything, and this will be a guarantee that the experts will not deceive you.

Inspection hole in the garage

Planning the construction of an inspection pit

Eat two situations when building a hole in the garage:

in a building just under construction;

in an already exploited.

The first option is simpler, because nothing prevents you from digging out the soil to the size of the intended structure. To do this, you can even use the services of an excavator, thereby speeding up the process itself and avoiding labor-intensive excavation work.

But both situations happen often, so let's deal with them separately. But first, let’s talk about the size of the pit in the garage for a car.

Dimensions of inspection hole

The dimensional indicators are based on the vehicle base, or more precisely, the distance between the wheels of your car, both in width and length. But there are also minimum width parameters, which are often taken as a basis. This is 80-85 cm. As for the length, 1 m is added to the length of the car. Although we must pay tribute that for the convenience of using the inspection pit, many do not stop at this size, so in garages you can find pits up to 6 m long.

Sketch showing the minimum width of the inspection hole

Now with depth. It is clear that the height of the garage owner should become this size. At the same time, he must reach with his hands any part or assembly on the machine. But experts recommend deepening the inspection hole to 2 m. And even if the person is small, you can always install a stand or flooring at the bottom. True, this is not always possible to do. Much will depend on the level of groundwater. If it is tall, for example, 1.2-1.5 m, then you can forget about the hole.

These were dimensions. Now about the construction sizes. For obvious reasons, the foundation pit itself is dug larger. This is due to the fact that in order to form the structure itself, it is necessary to equip the structure. And to do this, you need to lay a cushion with waterproofing on the bottom and fill it with screed. The walls are assembled from blocks or bricks or poured into formwork as a monolithic structure. All these materials require space without taking into account the selected dimensions of the viewing structure.

Therefore, a pit is dug with a width equal to the width of the inspection hole, plus the thickness of the walls, plus 30 cm. The length is calculated in exactly the same way. Depth is the thickness of the pillow, the thickness of the screed and the waterproofing layer, plus 1.8-2.0 m.

Sketch of an inspection pit with all dimensions

On our website you can get acquainted with the most popular ones - from construction companies, presented at the exhibition of houses “Low-Rise Country”.

Technology for constructing an inspection pit

We won’t tell you how to build a garage with a pit that is being built. It's not that difficult. Let's talk about how to make an inspection hole in an already used garage.

Marking the pit inside the garage

Typically the garage floor is a thick concrete screed, into which a reinforcing frame is laid in the form of a lattice of steel reinforcement. Therefore, according to the markings, it is necessary to gouge the concrete and cut off the reinforcement along the perimeter of the pit.

The sand and gravel cushion and soil are removed from the resulting opening with shovels. The walls and bottom of the pit are leveled to the maximum with shovels. This is labor-intensive work that can take two days. Although much will depend on the composition of the soil under the building and the activity of the craftsmen. There is one advantage when building an inspection pit in a used garage. The construction site is under a canopy, so rain is not a problem in this case.

Digging a pit (excavation)

Ventilation of inspection pit

A mistake is made by those who do not think about ventilation system. But its purpose is not only to remove wet air. Musty smells from oily rags, gasoline will fill small space quickly, gradually moving into the garage itself. So it’s better to spend a little time and money, but build ventilation.

Essentially this plastic pipe with a diameter of 100 mm, which is taken outside the building. To do this, dig a horizontal trench, which is brought out either under the foundation or through the wall. Sand is poured into it and a pipe is laid with an outlet above the garage roof. The lower end should be located at the bottom of the pit.

Ventilation pipe inside the inspection hole

Construction of an inspection pit

So, let's move on to the main work related to the construction of the pit itself. First of all, prepare the bottom:

Fall asleep a layer of sand 15-20 cm thick, which is compacted with water poured.

Filling with crushed stone medium or small fraction 10 cm thick, which is also compacted.

Held waterproofing the entire pit: floor and walls.

On our website you can find contacts of construction companies that offer the service of design and construction of garages and other “small architectural forms” for a country house. You can communicate directly with representatives by visiting the “Low-Rise Country” exhibition of houses.

Waterproofing

Waterproofing the inspection pit in the garage is an important step. So understand the process.

To carry out waterproofing work, roll material is used. This can be a polyethylene film with a thickness of at least 0.2 mm, laid in a sleeve. To do this, use roofing felt or modern waterproofing materials based on bitumen.

Waterproofing strips are laid in strips from wall to wall, overlapping each other with an offset of 10-15 cm. Bituminous products are fastened in the overlap areas bitumen mastic. Polyethylene film fastened with self-adhesive tapes. The photo below just shows the option with polyethylene. Please note that the edges of the waterproofing are brought outside the hole and pressed with a weight.

Waterproofing an inspection hole in a garage using plastic film

Formation of floor and walls

The prepared bottom is filled with a screed 3-7 cm thick. There is no need to put any reinforcing frame into it, because the structure is not subject to loads other than the weight of a person. Therefore, the main focus is on the construction of walls.

As mentioned above, there are two options:

use bricks or blocks;

erect monolithic structure.

In the first case, block wall material laid along the perimeter of the prepared pit, laying masonry elements with a band. That is, with an offset of half a block or brick. For bonding, a regular masonry mortar with a 1:2 recipe (cement-sand) is used.

Pit made of blocks or bricks

If a monolithic structure is being built, then formwork is assembled for this. It is made from boards, slabs or sheets of smooth and durable materials. For example, from metal sheet or corrugated board, plywood or OSB boards.

The main task is to assemble the formwork so that it does not move apart under the influence of a sufficiently large weight of the poured concrete. If the soil under the garage is clayey, then the formwork is installed as one layer of fencing with outside. The wall of the pit covered with waterproofing can easily withstand any load. If the soil is sandy, loose and fragile, then the formwork is installed in two layers, leaving space between them for pouring concrete mortar.

Concrete is poured at one time, without leaving it for the next day. There may be a break between fillings, but no more than 4 hours. Look at the photo, this is what the formwork looks like with concrete mortar poured into it.

Inspection pit as a monolithic concrete structure

Recommended in concrete walls lay a reinforcing frame in the form of a lattice of reinforcement with a diameter of 6-8 mm. The gratings are installed along the walls so that they are in the middle of the formwork space. On adjacent walls, the frames are connected to each other with knitting wire.

A week after pouring the concrete solution, the formwork is removed. But concrete will gain its strength only after 28 days. After which you need to prime the surface of the structure and consider the type of finishing. The best option – ceramic tile. It washes off well. But you can paint the hole, plaster it or line it with brick. As for a pit made of bricks or blocks, it must be plastered, then whitewashed or tiled.

In principle, we can assume that the construction of the inspection pit in the garage is completed. It should be added that often a boundary structure is laid along the perimeter of the structure, flush with the floor. This is a steel corner welded in the form of a rectangle equal to the size of the inspection hole. It is attached to pins or studs placed during the concrete pouring process.

Plastic models

Today, manufacturers of products made from polymer and plastic materials offer ready-made plastic pits for the garage. We must pay tribute this species products that simplified the construction of inspection pits. There are more and more offers on the market every year. There is not only a wide range of sizes, but also a variety of raw materials, and prices vary significantly.

There is no need to waterproof the finished pit. The main thing is to lay a good sand cushion and fill the space between the walls of the dug hole and the plastic product with sand.

Video description

So that you understand what we are talking about, we suggest watching a video that describes one of the models on the market.

Video description

About the mistakes of arranging a pit in a garage - the following video:

Conclusion on the topic

So, we have discussed the topic - an inspection hole in the garage (dimensions and rules of construction). How complex is the whole construction process, you be the judge. But keep in mind that the exact dimensions of the hole are the key to success. They made the hole smaller - it will be uncomfortable to be in it. If they made more, especially in width, then there is a possibility that the car simply will not fit on it.

March 24th, 2016 Admin

Car repairs often involve an extensive range of work. In some cases, access to components and assemblies can only be obtained from below, which cannot be done without a lift or inspection pit. The first, due to its high cost and high energy consumption, is used in car services, but the second is quite possible to do in your own garage.

The presence of a hole will greatly facilitate the repair and maintenance of the machine, but to make it, you will have to work hard. Today we will tell you how you can arrange a viewing hole yourself.

How to make a viewing hole in the garage

First you will need to take a few preliminary steps:

1) Find and study documents about what type of soil is in the area of ​​your garage, how deep it freezes, at what depth the groundwater etc. This data will greatly affect the configuration of your pit (depth and degree of waterproofing);

2) Compose detailed drawing indicating the size of the pit and its location relative to the walls of the garage;

3) Determine the necessary Construction Materials, buy them and bring them to the right place, the same applies to tools.

Designing an inspection pit for a garage

At the stage of drawing up the drawing, it is important to decide where exactly the hole will be:

• In the center of the garage, if it contains only the car and the items necessary for it, such as operating fluids, spare tires, etc.;
• Closer to one of the walls, if the garage is also a storage area for various household items, i.e. It is also used as a barn. But remember, the pit cannot be placed too close to the wall, otherwise it may collapse!

Be sure to also provide a plank flooring for the pit to cover it when not in use.

What should be the size of the inspection hole for a passenger car?

1) The length must match that of the car with an increase of 1 m, which is needed for arranging the steps;

2) The width again depends on the width of the car, but it is not advisable to make it more than 80 cm;

3) The depth should be made based on your height. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account that you, standing in a hole, should have 15 cm above your head. This is a comfortable distance that allows you not to reach for the bottom of the car, but to calmly reach it.

Having calculated all the dimensions, outline the contours of the future hole on the garage floor and get down to business.

What is needed to dig a trench for an inspection hole

At this point you will need a shovel and probably a drill. The latter is needed if the soil is rocky and cannot be taken with a shovel. The selected soil can be used for agricultural purposes by transferring the fertile soil to a vegetable garden (if you have one). It is better to put clay and stones in a separate pile - they will come in handy if you need components for concrete. They can also be used to raise the garage floor.

In the process of digging a pit, do not forget that the edges of the pit should be at least 50 cm (this is necessary to create walls), and a depth reserve of 30 cm should be made (for waterproofing), and do not forget to make an allowance for floor for the pit, the thickness of which you determine yourself.

We erect the walls of the inspection pit

Before erecting walls, it is necessary to make a level floor. The best way- This is a concrete screed, but asphalt can also be used.

The inspection pit must have walls, otherwise it will inevitably begin to crumble. There are quite a few options for creating walls; the most common ones are discussed below:

1) The simplest option is to use roofing felt or foil insulation, on top of which there will be a row of boards “painted” with waste (this slows down the rotting process) or slate, but not wavy, but flat.

2) You can plaster the wall by throwing a rough “fur coat” over metal mesh, and after it dries, remove it smooth walls using a new portion of the solution.

3) If you are determined to build a truly durable structure, and the size of your garage allows you to do this, then it is better to build the walls from brick.

The optimal wall thickness is 0.5 or 1 brick. Ideally, they should be new, but if the budget is limited, you can use used ones. The main thing is that they are smooth and not burnt. If the bricks are old, they must be cleaned of dirt. It is better to choose a classic mortar for masonry, consisting of cement and sand in a ratio of 1:3. If you are a beginner, it is better to add liquid soap or more water. The solution will become more liquid and will take longer to harden, which will give you a lot of time for laying and correcting flaws.

Naturally, the walls must be made smooth. To do this, you should tighten the lace before laying. To control during the laying process, use a plumb line or a building level.
If desired, in brick walls you can build small niches. During repairs, it will be convenient to store tools, spare parts and other small things in them.

Whatever method of constructing walls you choose, they must be reinforced with strapping so that the structure is strong and cannot collapse. A steel corner 50x50x5 mm is perfect for this purpose. It is necessary to weld a contour from it, and in such a way that the lid made of boards, which was mentioned above, can be laid on top without any hindrance.

The finished masonry can be left in its original form or plastered and then painted in any color. In addition, the floor can be covered with wooden flooring for warmth.
If you are a resident of the Far North, it is important to take care of thermal insulation. It is better to use 5-centimeter polystyrene foam as insulation. Despite the small volume, this material has remarkable heat-insulating properties.

What to do if groundwater is close?

As mentioned above, when digging a hole, it is extremely important to know where the groundwater begins. If you cannot find the relevant documents, you will have to drill a well or dig a hole. Has water already appeared at a depth of 2 m? Then you cannot do without waterproofing, otherwise in the spring your pit will turn into a mini-pond with melt water. Moreover, waterproofing must be done strictly before pouring the floor and erecting walls.

How to choose a waterproofing material

Currently, 3 types of waterproofing are most widely used:

• Polymer membranes.

They are considered the most reliable material. Service life is unlimited. Due to such outstanding qualities, the material is very expensive, and not every car owner will be able to afford its purchase. In addition, its application requires special equipment, which can only be used by specialists. Because of these factors, we will not consider it in detail;

• Rolled materials based on bitumen (roofing felt, rubemast, folgesol, brizol, etc.).

Have affordable price and very easy to use – special knowledge not required. But the service life of such waterproofing is limited - 10, maximum 15 years, after which it must be completely changed.

• Penetrating waterproofing.

Very effective way prevent water from entering. More expensive compared to roll materials, but has an unlimited service life.

Waterproofing an inspection pit in a garage: stages of implementation

Waterproofing should begin from the floor. First, compact the surface tightly, then pour an even layer of clay onto it, sand onto the clay, and crushed stone onto it. Compact each layer thoroughly. The total thickness of all these layers should be 30 cm.

• Rolled bitumen materials

Before laying them, a special primer must be applied to the surface ( deep penetration) in 2 layers. Each of them must be completely dry before applying new or laying roofing felt.

It is best to lay roll waterproofing in U-shaped strips, giving an overlap of 20 cm. The corners must be turned in so that the strips remain on a flat area of ​​the floor or wall.

The joints are glued using molten bitumen, but you can also use a bitumen solvent, which will melt the roofing material and it will set. Take the excess strip along the steps outside the pit - cut it off later. After the 1st layer (lengthwise and crosswise), let the bitumen in the joints cool and proceed to layer No. 2. During the process, make sure that the joints of the layers do not coincide with each other.

• Penetrating waterproofing

This type of waterproofing is a dry mixture that is diluted with water before use. To prepare a solution for 1 kg. the mixture requires about 0.3 liters. water.

It is very important to stir the mixture thoroughly so that there are no lumps left. Then the solution is applied to the wall in a 1-mm layer. If the walls of the pit are brick, then you need to apply another layer on finished wall to reliably seal all the pores in the bricks. The principle of operation of the sealant is based on the fact that, covering the surface with a continuous layer, it does not allow moisture to seep through, as if “binding” it.

In combination with waterproofing brick wall it can withstand water pressure up to 20 atm. Its service life is unlimited.

How to ventilate a viewing hole in a garage

The ventilation system in the pit is a thing that is absolutely impossible to do without.

This is especially true for motorists whose “iron horses” work on liquefied gas, since when there is a leak, propane tends downward (it is heavier than air), which means it will inevitably fall into the hole.

The hood is constructed before the waterproofing stage, so as not to damage the sealant or roofing felt. Proper ventilation consists of 2 parts - supply and exhaust.

The first is a pipe leading through the wall to the street. Through it you will get into the pit fresh air. The second is also a pipe installed opposite the flow pipe, but it is discharged not through the wall, but through the roof. Its upper end should rise no more than a meter above the garage. Pipes can be either steel or plastic, but it is better to give preference to plastic products - they weigh much less, are easier to install and are completely non-corrosive.

Lighting the inspection hole in the garage - how to install the light

You can work in the inspection pit without stationary light sources, limiting yourself only to a headlamp. However, it provides little light and only in a limited sector. Therefore, it is still better to get normal lighting. As with any wiring, it is important to follow a number of rules:

1) If you do not have the appropriate education, it is better to entrust the work of creating an electrical circuit to a specialist so that he can do it in compliance with all safety standards;

2) The lighting should be uniform, you may need several lighting devices;

3) All switches, fuses and sockets should not be located in the pit - only in the garage itself;

4) If you plan to install a 3-phase outlet, be sure to ground it securely.

The wire through which electricity will be supplied to the pit must have a cross-section of 4 mm2 or more. It is desirable that the material from which it is made is copper. The wire must have intact insulation, ideally double.

Lamps suitable for garage lighting come in low and high voltage:

• 12 volt light bulbs;
• 36 volt lamps;
• lamps of various classes for 220 volts.

To operate low-voltage lamps, a step-down transformer must be installed next to the meter.

As for the type of lamps, it is better to use fluorescent lamps in the pit itself. Due to their oblong shape, it is advisable to place them in small recesses in the walls, otherwise they may interfere. It is better to purchase such lamps with a protective casing, since an open lamp will not last long due to moisture and dirt.

There is no need to use incandescent lamps in the pit. They get hot during operation, and if you touch them, you can easily get burned. The light from them is too bright, which damages vision. In addition, they consume a lot of energy, and if there is a voltage drop, they can spark and burst, which can lead to injury and fire.

Fluorescent light bulbs are good because they come in a wide range of colors, consume little electricity, and last a long time. However, they are not suitable for the pit because they are sensitive to cold - when the temperature environment falls below 5 degrees, they become unreliable. They must be disposed of in a special way because they contain mercury.

Energy-saving lamps have all the advantages of fluorescent lamps and almost no disadvantages, with the exception of a higher price and difficult disposal: they also contain mercury.

LED lamps are the most advanced because they combine everything positive characteristics other light bulbs. There is no mercury in them, but the price is very high, and for good lighting You need several of them, which not everyone can afford.

It is also useful to have a portable lamp or mobile 36-volt lamp in the garage. They may come in handy if you need to take a closer look at the repair site.

When installing wiring and lighting fixtures strictly follow the rules fire safety! Remember, any shortcomings in this matter can result in tragedy.

Carrying out maintenance or minor repairs Many people try to make a car themselves. To avoid lying on your back under the car, you need an inspection hole in the garage.

Dimensions of the inspection hole in the garage

This is far from dogma. Everyone does as they see fit. Some people find deep holes inconvenient and they make them almost exactly tall, and sometimes even lower - 1.5 meters. If you take into account the car's ground clearance, from the floor of the pit to the bottom of the car it will be about 1.7-1.8 meters. You can do it this way.

Another point about length. Sometimes it is not possible to make a long hole. Then it is made approximately half the length of the car, driving it in front or back, depending on which part of the car needs inspection or repair.

Now about where to place the pit in the garage. Usually it is shifted slightly towards one of the walls, leaving a wide side for installing equipment, storing spare parts, etc. In this case, there must be at least 1 meter from the edge of the pit to the near wall.

That's all the parameters. Just note that we were talking about the final dimensions of the pit. When marking the pit, you will need to add thickness to the walls, and dig deeper to the height of the floor screed (if you make one).

What materials are they made from?

The inspection pit in the garage (its walls) is lined with bricks, heavy building blocks, make from monolithic concrete. If we talk about brick, it is better to use ceramic brick: it is not afraid of humidity. The walls are made of half a brick or brick. The wall thickness, depending on the laying method, is 12 cm or 25 cm. This must be taken into account when marking the pit.

Brick can be used on dry, dense soils. The groundwater level must be low. If the water comes high, better than walls pits should be made of reinforced concrete.

Building blocks also need to be chosen those that are not afraid high humidity. This concrete blocks. The rest, if used, must require external waterproofing, and this is not a guarantee that they will not crumble, especially if groundwater is located close.

With a concrete inspection hole, everything is simpler: concrete is not afraid of moisture, it only makes it stronger. To fill the walls, concrete grade M 250 is used; for the floor, M 200 is sufficient. Why is this so? Because during winter heaving the main load falls on the walls. To prevent them from “folding”, a margin of safety is required, which is achieved by reinforcement and the use of concrete high strength. By the way, to avoid heaving of the soil under the garage, you need to make a good blind area so that the water leaves and does not soak into the soil.

The wall thickness when filling the inspection hole with concrete is from 15 cm. Stacks must be reinforced. To do this, use a ready-made mesh with a wire thickness of 5-6 mm and a pitch of 150 mm (if the groundwater is deep) or knit a frame from reinforcement with a diameter of 10-12 mm. The reinforcement installation step is 20 cm. For greater strength, you can make a single rod for the bottom and walls, bending it accordingly.

Waterproofing methods

An inspection pit in a garage can be protected from moisture penetration in two ways: with the help of external waterproofing, which is carried out exclusively during the construction process, and internal, which can be done during operation.

External protection

If in the place where the garage is being built the groundwater is deep, lower than 2.5 meters, and even in the spring or after heavy rains it does not rise higher, you can do without waterproofing. On the other hand, the hydrological situation is constantly changing, and where it was previously dry, water may appear. If the inspection hole in the garage has already been built, external waterproofing cannot be done. All that remains is to use deep penetration impregnations to reduce the hygroscopicity of the walls. Therefore, if possible, do external insulation in any case.

How to prevent moisture from entering the inspection hole in the garage? Most often, waterproofing films or membranes are used (butyl rubber, aquaizol, etc.). They are laid in sheets, covering the pit from one edge to the other, with 10-15 cm released from each side of the pit onto the garage floor. The panels are laid overlapping. They must overlap by at least 15 cm. To obtain a more airtight joint, they are glued together double-sided tape, maybe in two stripes - at the beginning and end of the “overlap”. The film is well straightened so that it fits snugly against the walls of the pit. During further work, it is important not to damage the membrane.

Internal waterproofing

Internal waterproofing is usually the impregnation of walls with coating waterproofing. If possible, use a composition for swimming pools. It creates a waterproof, dense film that closely resembles rubber. It is blue in color and washes well after hardening. It is better to treat the walls with this composition twice, or more.

Another option is a cement-based deep penetration primer. The polymer particles contained in it block the capillaries through which moisture penetrates through the thickness of the material. One such treatment significantly reduces the hygroscopicity of the material. In the case of water in a garage pit, at least twice the treatment is required (and preferably more).

Caisson device

There is another option to escape from the ground - to make a metal caisson. Brewed from sheet metal a box of appropriate dimensions is treated with anti-corrosion compounds, then installed in a pit. If the welds are made airtight, there will be no water, but another problem may arise. At large quantities water can squeeze out the caisson. They say that it "pops up".

To avoid such a situation, corners and rods are welded to the sides of the caisson from the outside, which go 1-1.5 meters into the ground. So that the volume of excavation work is not very large (the foundation pit, taking into account these spacers, turns out to be large), you can cheat. Before installing the caisson, drive corners or metal rods into the ground, letting their ends out. You can weld them to the caisson body after installation. The pit will still have to be made larger (you need to cook it from the outside), but its dimensions will still be smaller. The second advantage of this method is that the rods will be driven into dense soil, which means they will hold the caisson better.

Another way to prevent the caisson from “floating up” is to make a hole in the wall at a certain height. If the water rises to its level, it will begin to pour inside. The water can subsequently be pumped out, the main thing is that everything remains in place. An inspection hole in the garage, built according to this principle, stood for more than 20 years - until the metal rusted.

Water collection pit

If the pit has already been built, and coating waterproofing or impregnation did not give the required result, it is necessary to either arrange drainage system around the garage, or collect water in one place. To do this, a pit is made in the garage inspection pit, at one of its ends. Water accumulates in it, from where it is pumped out. In order for the system to operate in automatic mode, a water presence sensor is installed, which, when triggered, turns on the pump.

Formwork is made under the pit and filled with concrete. Then they waterproof the pit along with waterproofing the entire pit. For reliability, you can also put a metal caisson inside.

Since it is not possible to completely get rid of dampness in this case, a boardwalk is knocked down onto the floor of the pit. To prevent the boards from rotting, they can be soaked in waste. If you don’t like its smell, take a special impregnation for wood that has direct contact with the ground (Senezh Ultra, for example).

Insulation of the inspection pit in the garage

If you spend a lot of time in the garage, then you will most likely have heating. In order to warm up faster, it makes sense to insulate the pit. EPS (extruded polystyrene foam) is best suited for these purposes. It can withstand significant loads, is not afraid of dampness, does not rot, and fungi and bacteria do not multiply on it.

The thickness of the EPS to create a noticeable effect is from 50 mm. Place it between the soil and the wall of the pit. Then from the outside to the inside the pit will look like this:

Expanded polystyrene can also be placed under the screed at the bottom of the inspection hole. A reinforcing mesh is usually laid on top of it, and then concrete is poured.

How to make a viewing hole in the garage

Once you have decided on the dimensions and what material you will make the walls from and how thick they will be, you can begin marking the pit. This can be done using pegs driven around the perimeter. The second option is to stretch a twine/rope between the stakes driven into the corners. According to the markings, we begin to dig a pit. The earth is usually taken out and temporarily stored near the gate.

Made of brick: step-by-step photo report

Along with earthworks monitor soil moisture. If you have reached the design depth (required + thickness of the floor screed), but there is still no moisture, you can do without waterproofing. Those who do not want to take risks can be advised to immediately lay down the film.

We level the walls. There is no need to achieve ideal geometry, but there should be no noticeable humps or holes. We also level the bottom of the pit and tamp it, compacting the soil well. A hand tamper is usually used. A layer of crushed stone is poured onto the bottom (twice 5 cm each), each layer is also carefully compacted. Next comes a layer of sand. 5 cm is enough. The sand is moistened and compacted to a high density so that the foot does not leave imprints. Next we lay the waterproofing film.

We even it out well, tucking it into the corners. We lay the panels with an overlap of 15 cm, which we glue double-sided tape. To prevent the edges from rolling, we press with available materials - boards, stones.

We lay a layer of insulation on the bottom, and a reinforcing mesh of wire on top of it. We fill all this with concrete grade M 200. The thickness of the layer is at least 5 cm. To make it easier to navigate when laying, we make marks on the film by which you can control the thickness of the layer.

If you use Portland cement M 400, the proportions will be as follows: 1 part cement, 3 parts sand, 5 parts medium and fine crushed stone.

An inspection hole is being built in the garage: the floor is filled with concrete

We wait several days until the concrete gains 50% strength. The exact period depends on the temperature. If it is around +20°C, you will have to wait 5-6 days. If +17°C is already two weeks.

Let's start laying out the walls. It was decided to make it in half a brick. We used used bricks, about 850 pieces were used (pit size 4.2 * 0.8 * 1.7 m). The walls were laid out in a circle up to the level of the elbow.

It was decided to make a niche for the tool at a level of 1.2 meters from the floor. Its height is 3 rows of bricks, the top is covered with a treated board.

To avoid having to lay out a brick niche, a metal liner is inserted. A box is welded to suit the size.

Next, the walls were driven almost level with the garage floor. Part of the walls was replaced with two sections of channels. If necessary, jacks rest on the bottom. Placed on the top row metal corner with shelf 50 mm, steel thickness 5 mm.

The corner is unfolded so that one of its shelves hangs down, the second covers part of the upper surface of the brick. To prevent the wall from collapsing under load, embeds are welded to this corner, which are then connected to the reinforcing belt of the concrete.

Pouring the floor in the garage - concrete level along the upper edge of the corner

Features of making concrete walls

When casting concrete walls, it is necessary to make formwork. It's easier to make it from sheet material— construction moisture-resistant plywood with a thickness of 16 mm, OSB. Shields are knocked down required size, reinforced with bars along outside. They are necessary to prevent plywood or OSB from bending under the pressure of concrete. First, the outer parts of the formwork are installed. If the walls of the pit are smooth, there will be no problems. You simply lean them against them and place them level.

Then the internal formwork panels are installed. There should be a distance of at least 15 cm between them. To prevent the walls from deforming during the pouring process, spacers are placed between them.

It is advisable to fill the filling at one time. The poured portions must be bayoneted or treated with a submersible vibrator for concrete. The formwork is removed after two to three days. Afterwards, you can install a corner with welded embedded rods (strips) and begin pouring the floor.

A self-made inspection hole in the garage will be needed by all car enthusiasts, regardless of whether the car is serviced at a service station. And for a person who is used to repairing everything himself, it is very difficult to do without such a device.

What depth of inspection hole is needed in a garage and how to do it correctly is suggested in this article. When constructing a garage, the inspection pit is an integral part of it.

Features of the device in the garage

In a garage, an inspection hole has several advantages:

• It is necessary for convenient maintenance of your car.
• Some car enthusiasts can independently, without the help of a specialist, perform quite complex operations, having in their own garage Not large sizes ONE HUNDRED. Others turn to specialists working in technical centers, but they do not deny the usefulness of the inspection pit.
• There are often situations on the roads when you should inspect the underside of the car upon returning home. Large potholes or stones occur on the roads every day, and after each impact it is not very convenient to visit a car mechanic.
• In your own garage, where there is a calm environment, without queues and at any convenient time, you can check whether your cars are seriously damaged. allows you to inspect the underside of the car and decide what work will be needed for repairs.

Having such a structure, you can freely inspect:

• Chassis.
• Bottom and its protection.
• Muffler.
• Gearbox.
• Oil pan
• Exhaust pipe.

Its device allows you to change the oil yourself, and the price of such a procedure in a workshop is quite high. The advantages of the inspection pit include the ability to inspect the listed parts of the car, without the help of specialists, which does not require any investment, and the skill of doing the work yourself will be very useful.

The spacious size of the pit allows you to store repair tools and spare parts for the car in it, especially in those rooms where there is little free space.

The disadvantages of this useful design in the garage include:

• Danger of close proximity to groundwater. If there is excess moisture, with poor waterproofing, even in the absence of flooding, water will accumulate on the walls of the device due to temperature changes in winter.

Tip: You should know that any inspection hole leads to the formation of condensation at the bottom of the car. This happens due to large differences temperatures occurring at different levels of the structure.

The pit will have disadvantages only if there are violations in construction technology and lack of consideration of the site’s features when carrying out engineering work to study it.

How to make a viewing hole

The construction of the device will be the same when constructing a future garage and constructing it in a ready-made room.

Work instructions include:

• Preparing and marking the pit.
• Its finishing.
• Conducting communications.

Moreover, each step requires competent execution with knowledge of several subtleties.

These include:

• Know at what level the groundwater lies in the developed area. For a justified structure, it must be at least 2.5 meters. It is better to carry out the check yourself: drill a hole in the ground, as deep as possible in the area where construction is planned.

Tip: If the dimensions of the inspection pit in the garage and the garage itself are large enough, the device can be made with a side entrance. In this case, its proportions will be L-shaped, as shown in the photo, which will reduce the length of the trench and make descent into it more convenient and simpler when the vehicle is being inspected.

• The width of the device is marked. At the same time, it should be convenient to work here and not create a danger when moving the car. The width of a pit in a garage is usually taken to be approximately 70 centimeters; you can add up to 10 centimeters to it.
• It is more difficult to select the length of the garage inspection pit. It must be at least two meters. Otherwise, the whole meaning of the device changes, but its increase may correct use be very helpful. If stationary steps are made, then their length must be added to the minimum value.