Inspection pits for car repairs. Do-it-yourself inspection hole in the garage made of concrete

The garage is a “sacred” place for almost every man. Most car enthusiasts try to equip it as functionally and practically as possible. Any car owner needs an inspection hole in the garage, since in order to repair a car, you need to create conditions for access to the chassis and underbody of your pet.

Moreover, an inspection hole can be made even if the garage has already been built: FORUMHOUSE users are sure that sooner or later it will be needed. Although this can be problematic. If the garage is too small, it will be difficult to make a full-fledged pit, there will not be enough space. Problems are also possible in case of high groundwater. But, if no special difficulties are foreseen, you can start construction - you will still have to repair your iron horse someday.

We are drawing up a project

Before you start excavating soil, you should definitely understand what the inspection hole in the garage will be like, its size and depth. Best to do computer model, but a regular drawing project will do.

Usually the width of the pit is a little less than a meter (0.8-0.9 m), but you should be guided by the dimensions and dimensions of the machine’s chassis. It should be borne in mind that there should be more than 20 cm from the edges of the inspection hole to the wheels of the car. The length of the structure is also determined by the dimensions of the vehicle. But here too, do not forget about the reserve. Take the time to make it a meter longer than your car.

The depth of the structure is also individual parameter. Calculate it based on your own height. Think about what body position is best for you to work in and keep in mind that there should be a space of 25-30 cm between you and the car.

When you decide on the size of the pit, take into account the thickness of the walls. Leave an “allowance”: half a meter for the walls and 30 centimeters for the floor.

If you plan to make shelves for storing tools in the pit, then for convenience it is better to immediately indicate them in the project.

Preparing the material

When the inspection pit in the garage is ready at the project stage, you should take care of the building materials.

What building materials will be needed:

Moisture is an insidious enemy of underground buildings. Therefore, it is important to ensure waterproofing of the structure; it will be especially important during the melting of snow and prolonged rains.

For this you will need roofing felt and clay.

domk, the owner of a garage in GSK with 25 years of experience, believes that if groundwater rises above the floor level, then no waterproofing layer will protect against it.

domk

All 80 garages of our GSK, located on quicksand, suffer from this. Only one person won: he lined a trough with waterproofing concrete base, there is a screed on top, and on the sides too (the slate formwork remains). I myself made two attempts to escape. I couldn't. As a result, I drilled an 11 cm hole in the floor, drilled a well (after a meter there is already water, which rises in the spring) and drove a sewer pipe into it.

Now the water in the forum member’s garage comes easily, but leaves just as easily. Someone is pumping out water. As an option, global drainage can be done, he believes domk– or caisson (expensive and labor-intensive). He “has humbled himself and lives in harmony.”

Also, the inspection pit in the garage needs ventilation. Many people make an exit from the pit into the ventilation of the entire garage. But you can also make a separate ventilation pipe.

Construction works

To begin with, marking is done using a tape measure and beacons. We dig a hole. By the way, do not rush to throw away all the soil at this stage earthworks. Leave a small amount to cover the walls after pouring. The floor of the dug pit must be level. After that, a layer of crushed stone with sand is poured onto the bottom and compacted thoroughly.

DimaVSmith

It is necessary to understand how to make sure that when the soil heaves in winter and the garage settles into place in the spring, the pit does not break through the floor or large gaps do not form between its walls and the garage floor. This is where the backfill of gravel and sand plays its role, since it is a non-heaving base and a kind of shock absorber during subsidence.

The whole work consists of layering one material on top of another:

• a layer of crushed stone (15 cm) is covered with a layer of sand (5-7 cm), roofing material is laid on the sand. Its edges should also cover the lower sections of the walls (approximately 10-15 cm).
• concrete solution pours a layer of roofing material.
• placed on a flooded and slightly dried floor metal mesh and fill it with cement solution (this will make the structure strong). The layer should be quite thick (6-7 cm). Only when the floors in the pit have firmly grasped can you tackle the walls. A small layer of clay is applied to them, followed by a layer of roofing material.

Formwork assembly and backfilling

The next step will be the assembly of formwork from boards for the construction of walls. When you assemble it, be sure to consider the location of the tool shelves that are included in the project. When the formwork is assembled, it is poured with thick layers of cement (35-40 cm). Do not forget to compact the material during the pouring process. Add a strip of metal mesh to each layer.

The embedded frame is installed on top of the walls when they are all completely poured. To secure the anchors, you can use steel rods half a meter long. Install the frame so that there are low borders along the edges of the pit. They will serve as insurance so that the wheel does not accidentally jump off the edges of the pit.

When the concrete has finally set, you can begin backfilling the walls. The soil needs to be compacted as best as possible, crushed stone should be poured on top and the surface should be leveled with the floor using concrete. The inspection hole in the garage is ready with your own hands.

We carry out lighting
You can also install lighting into the structure, this will be very helpful when repairing a car. The wires should be placed in a corrugated pipe, and the socket should be in a sealed housing. The ladder for the pit does not need to be secured - it can be taken out as needed.

Correct operation of the inspection pit

Many car owners are familiar with the problem: in rainy weather, a dirty car is parked in the garage, and all this ends up indoors or, even worse, straight into the inspection hole. On this occasion FORUMHOUSE user Smith2007 gives his suggestions.

Smith2007 FORUMHOUSE member

Slope the floor in the garage “towards the inspection hole” (with an envelope). Along the perimeter of the structure there is a ditch 4-5 cm wide and 2 cm deep (lay it with tiles). Then drill channels with a long 40 mm drill from the bottom of the groove down into the inspection hole. The outlet of the hole will be on the wall of the inspection hole. Make several such channels, from 5 to 8 pieces. Insert into the resulting holes sewer pipes, which are all connected horizontally (almost at the floor or slightly higher with a slope). At the bottom of the structure, make a recess for a 10-20 liter container, and place the entire drain into it. You can install a drainage pump in the container, which is turned on as the container fills to pump out water.

Forum members suggested that the system would become clogged with sand and other debris. Therefore, it is better to simply cover the pit with a shield, making a small convenient side around it, and organize the floor so that everything flows out.

But here another problem is possible: if you slope outward towards the gate, then during frost water will accumulate and freeze at the bottom of the gate - either inside the garage or outside.

DmitryM

Make a ladder like this out of tiles, shallow and sloping. Just not along the perimeter of the pit, but along the perimeter of the car. And clean the dirt by hand. Well, or if your system is cloudy, with a drain and a container, then wash off the dirt from the floor with a hose every day.

Vzik plans to install a tray in the garage with a sand trap and water drainage into a filter well. Then you can wash both the car and the garage.

Inspection hole in a finished garage

Forum member Las9w tells how he built an inspection hole in the garage with his own hands.

1. I dug a hole.
2. Waterproofing with roofing felt/rubimast type material.
3. I laid out pieces of concrete cut from the floor of the garage on the floor of the pit and covered it with sand a couple of centimeters up.
4. The floor was concreted (5-10 cm of concrete).
5. I lined the walls with bricks with mesh reinforcement every 3-4 rows.
6. The remaining space between the roofing felt and the wall of the pit was filled with previously dug earth with a tamper.

fidel1970 advises laying the walls of the pit in one brick (“it’s more reliable, and it’s easier to make niches for tools and lighting”), and lining the top with a metal corner. The forum member also recommends filling the space with clay instead of earth.

Let's summarize: an inspection hole in a garage can be made with your own hands by both an experienced craftsman and a novice in the construction business. The main thing is to correctly assess the characteristics of the soil and follow the technology.

Watch the video in which a specialist advises how to waterproof a cellar in a garage. The garage can be combined with a carpentry workshop - carpenter Alexander talks about just such a solution. Read useful ones. And in this forum thread you can follow.

Today we’ll talk about how to make a viewing hole in the garage. For many car enthusiasts, this is a necessary element of a garage building, so many of us try 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

The mistake is made by those who do not think about the 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. For this, roofing felt or modern bitumen-based waterproofing materials are used.

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. The polyethylene film is secured 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 is laid around 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 poured into it concrete mortar.

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.

The fact that a full-fledged garage should be equipped inspection hole, used for periodic inspection and repair of a car, does not raise any doubts. It makes sense to make a pit for inspecting the bottom of a car even if its owner does not have the skills to independently maintain the equipment he owns. As for experienced drivers, the latter, without any doubt, only benefit from the presence of a pit. Indeed, in the case of self-service of the car, they receive quite significant advantages, which include the following:

• are noticeably decreasing production costs related to car repairs;
• the performer, as a rule, receives moral satisfaction from the work done with his own hands.

Besides, in capital garage The inspection hole is very convenient because through it it will be possible to organize access to the cellar.

Arguments for and against the inspection pit

And, nevertheless, before making a viewing hole in the garage, you should familiarize yourself with both the arguments in favor of its arrangement and the arguments against it. The following weighty arguments speak for its arrangement:

• the ability to conduct periodic preventive inspections of the vehicle’s chassis and identify possible technical faults;
• significant savings in money spent on Maintenance machines by performing it on their own;
• exclusion from the process of possible costs associated with service deficiencies in a car service center.

Note! Arguments against the inspection pit include the possibility of flooding the garage, as well as the danger of condensation appearing on its walls and on the car.

In case of insufficient development of the design of the inspection pit, which does not take into account the characteristics of the soil at its location (in particular, the expected level of soil water), problems with its operation are guaranteed. The only way out of this situation is to use a special drainage system, capable of draining groundwater from the bottom of a niche.

As for the condensation that forms on the bottom of a car that is constantly in the garage, this drawback is eliminated by covering the inspection niche with a multi-section lid.

From all of the above it follows that when arranging an inspection hole with your own hands, Special attention it is necessary to pay attention to the current building regulations that regulate the procedure for constructing this element of garage architecture, taking into account its main characteristics.

Dimensions of the viewing niche

For effective use areas allocated for garage development, it is advisable to work out the issue of zoning the site at the design stage, suggesting its optimal division within the perimeter of the building.

It is quite logical that when carrying out this work, close attention should be paid to work area with an inspection hole located within its boundaries. In addition (provided that the area of ​​the building is large enough), it is necessary to include in the design a parking area located away from the viewing niche. This will allow you to protect your car from the accumulation of condensation, which can have a destructive effect on its bottom.

When choosing linear dimensions The future viewing niche should be based primarily on the dimensions of the car itself, as well as on considerations of the convenience of working in it, i.e. take into account the physical characteristics of people working in the pit).

Note! When preparing a pit for an inspection hole, its length is selected with a small margin necessary for arranging several descent steps. In garages big size steps can be stationary, whereas in smaller garages more economical option- the so-called extension ladder. For safe descent into the pit, the length of the projection of the ladder to the bottom of the pit should not be less than 1 meter.

To determine the width of the pit, one should proceed from the parameters of the vehicle’s wheelbase, taking into account possible modifications. If you have not yet decided on the car model, choose the average value of this size (about 75-80 cm).

The depth of the pit is selected taking into account individual characteristics owner, which allows you to create enough comfortable conditions work in it. In this case, the optimal value of this parameter is established by the formula: human height +12-15 cm.

Additional requirements for dimensions

When carrying out repair work in an inspection pit, you will certainly need a set of tools, access to which should not arise any difficulties. That is why special niches should be provided in the inspection hole in which the most popular tools can be stored, as well as part of the ancillary equipment used when servicing the car (fuel containers, rags, etc.)

In addition, it is advisable to provide a multi-section “lid” for the pit, which would allow it to be closed as needed. As such a cover, it is allowed to use prefabricated panels made from edged boards, made to the size of the pit with a slight overlap.

Arrangement of the bottom and walls of the pit

The final dimensions of the prepared pit are determined taking into account the thickness of the walls and the improvised floor of the future pit, consisting of alternating layers of well-compacted sand and gravel.

If the soil at the location of the pit has high humidity– a thick layer of clay is laid on top of the sand layer, which is then covered with gravel. In this case, the clay layer plays the role of waterproofing, protecting the niche from moisture fumes. In this regard, it should be noted that clay mixed with processing waste has good waterproofing properties. petroleum oil. A plastic film is laid over the clay, and only after that the concrete solution is poured.

Before pouring concrete, the walls of the pit are also finished with clay and then fixed to it polyethylene film. Then, along the entire perimeter of the pit, prefabricated formwork is constructed, assembled from ready-made panels or knocked together from edged boards. To increase the reliability of the structure, additional spacers and struts are necessarily used in the manufacture of formwork. In order to increase the strength of concrete walls, special reinforcing elements (chain-link mesh, for example) are often used when pouring them.

After the formwork is ready, all free space behind it is filled with previously prepared concrete mortar with aggregate. During the pouring process, the finished solution is thoroughly compacted using a special “tamper”.

Note! Most in a convenient way arrangement of the walls is considered to be the use of pre-welded metal frame or frames. Such a frame base can be made from metal corners or channels independently; Moreover, it is fixed in the formwork using special fastening elements (anchors).

The upper cut of the frame should rise slightly above the floor level, which provides reliable protection against accidental contact of vehicle wheels with the inspection hole. The formwork should be removed no earlier than after a couple of weeks, after which the walls should “settle” for at least another month, which will allow the concrete to gain the necessary strength.

Another possible way to finish the inspection pit is to lay out its walls from ordinary brick. But if for some reason all of the listed wall finishing methods do not suit you, you can choose the most cheap option, consisting of covering the bottom and walls of the pit with roofing felt and then covering the entire surface with oiled boards (as an option - ordinary flat slate sheets).

Waterproofing

Before you build a viewing hole, you will need to decide on waterproofing material, whose choice is modern market big enough. At the same time, among the endless range of insulating materials, the following positions stand out:

• penetrating type waterproofing;
• waterproofing protection made on the basis of polymer membranes;
• bitumen waterproofing.

Penetrating waterproofing is sold in the form of a liquid lubricant, which can be applied even to a damp surface. Her protective function consists of deep penetration into the concrete (brick) finishing material and blocking the process of moisture formation.

The membrane method of waterproofing surfaces and fences is used only when carrying out internal finishing works and is considered the most optimal. True, the decision to use this method should be made only after you have assessed the costs associated with its implementation.

The fact is that applying a membrane-type protective layer is possible only with special spraying devices, the cost of which, as a rule, is quite high. In addition, even before working with these devices, you will need to master the techniques of soldering individual sections of the membrane coating. If all these conditions are met for you, you will receive ideal waterproofing, the service life of which has practically no restrictions.

Waterproofing an inspection pit based on bitumen roll materials (rubemast, roofing felt, etc.) is the cheapest way to protect the surfaces of structures from penetrating moisture. During the installation of roll-type materials on the protected surface, individual workpieces must be laid with a small overlap of about 15 cm.

In this case, the joints of adjacent rolled sheets must be soldered using special heating devices or glued together using ready-to-use compounds.

Pit insulation

It is clear that a necessary condition The effectiveness of the work carried out in the inspection pit is to maintain it comfortable temperature. That is why, before making an inspection hole in the garage, you should thoroughly consider the issue of its insulation. Among other things, reliable thermal insulation will allow you to save on electricity spent on heating the entire garage as a whole.

Most experts believe that the most suitable material for pit insulation with a good price-quality ratio is the well-known polystyrene foam. Moreover, it has a number of advantages inherent in most polymers used in construction:

• high resistance to rotting;
• good water resistance;
• Possibility of reliable adhesion to brick or concrete bases.

Suitable for wall insulation synthetic material type PSB-S-25, and for the floor, polystyrene grade PSB-S-35 with a thickness of 50 mm is usually used. The walls and floor can be finished on top of the insulation ceramic tiles, the material of which is resistant to reagents and moisture.

Lighting and ventilation

When making an inspection hole with your own hands, you should definitely make sure that it has electric lighting, without which renovation work under the bottom of the car are simply impossible.

The necessary illumination at the work site must be provided by special portable lamps powered by a transformer with an output voltage of no more than 36 V. In this case building codes do not imply the installation of any sockets within the viewing area, which is gross violation TB requirements.

It will be possible to increase the comfort of living conditions in the inspection pit by arranging the simplest ventilation system, consisting of flexible hose supplying fresh air to the work area.

Video

Every car enthusiast can ensure comfort when diagnosing and repairing their car. A DIY inspection hole in the garage will solve this problem. It is easier to install an inspection hole during the construction of the garage itself.

Determining location and size

Before the beginning construction work geological surveys should be carried out. From them you can find out the location of groundwater passing under the garage. This affects the size and depth of the hole.

The dimensions of the inspection hole in the garage must be selected optimally. You should not allocate a lot of space for it, but it should remain comfortable when working in it.

If the garage is planned to be used only for storing a car, then it is convenient to place the inspection hole in the center. If you want to use this room as a small workshop, it is better to place it closer to one of the walls.

The width of the inspection hole in the garage depends on the type of car. The main role will be played by the distance between the wheels. For modern passenger cars, the standard pit is 75-80 cm wide. The choice of length depends on specific model. Usually it is 4-5 meters. If you plan to make a ladder for descending, then you should add another meter.

The depth of the inspection hole in the garage depends on the height of the car owner. It should be 25-30 cm larger than it. This position will reduce fatigue when working, since the arms will be in a bent position. Having decided on the parameters, you can begin drawing up the drawing.

When determining the dimensions, you should leave an “allowance” for the thickness of the walls and floor.

DIY inspection hole in the garage

A do-it-yourself pit for a car requires purchase before construction begins. necessary materials. The most commonly used are concrete and brick.

To reinforce the walls, you need to purchase metal mesh, steel rods and corners. When pouring concrete, you will need cement, crushed stone and sand. Waterproofing will require purchase sheet materials such as isolon and roofing felt, and ventilation - pipes and gratings.

Tools required for work:

• shovel;
• welding machine;
• roulette;
• level;
• concrete mixer;
• hammer;
• bucket;
• Screwdriver Set;
• pliers;
• Master OK;
• Circular Saw;
• electric drill;
• grater for leveling;
• rule;
• self-tapping screws;

We make a hole in the garage correctly with our own hands - you need to start by transferring the drawing to scale to the prepared place. Then comes the turn of digging a pit. If the inspection hole is made before the garage walls are built, then you can use an excavator, otherwise you will have to dig manually.

The bottom of the dug hole should be cleaned and the floor in the hole should begin to be arranged. A layer of crushed stone 10 cm thick should be poured onto the bottom and compacted thoroughly. Pour a layer of sand on top, half the height, and also compact it. Then lay a waterproofing film on which to install a reinforcing frame. Fill it with M200 concrete on top of the pre-built formwork. Minimum thickness layer of concrete - 5 cm. Now you will have to wait a few days until the concrete dries completely.

Construction of walls

When constructing an inspection pit in a garage with your own hands, one of the main stages is the construction of walls. First make the formwork. It is convenient to make it from sheet material.

Shields strengthened by outside bars so that under the pressure of the gravity of the concrete they do not begin to sag. Then install the internal panels so that the distance to the external ones is at least 15 cm. Place spacers between them.

Before filling a hole in the garage with concrete, it is advisable to lay a frame of reinforcement. The diameter of the rods should be about 6-8 mm. The grilles should be installed so that they are in the middle between the outer and inside formwork. At the corners, tie the reinforcement bars with tying wire. To do this, use a special crochet hook.

Reinforcing the pit in the garage will give it the necessary strength. When the formwork is completely assembled, fill it with concrete. Filling should be done in layers, compacting each layer with a bayonet shovel. Remove the formwork a few days after the concrete has completely dried. Pour soil into the gaps formed and compact each layer thoroughly.

Concrete pouring should be done in one day.

Expose dried walls finishing. This includes plaster, tile or gypsum fiber finishing.

Brick inspection pit

It is convenient to make an inspection hole in the garage with your own hands from brick.

Start laying bricks from the corners on top of the waterproofing sheet. Check the horizontal position of the bottom row using a level. To strengthen the structure, a metal mesh should be laid every two rows. Prepare a mortar for fastening bricks from cement and sand in a ratio of 1:3. The verticality of the walls during their construction is controlled using a rope plumb line.

Lay out the walls of the inspection pit to the level specified in the project. Install a metal frame from a corner on the top row. To fix the frame, weld anchor reinforcement to its side, the other end entering the body of the floor concrete.

After complete drying, you can cover it with brick walls decorative tiles. A special feature of a brick inspection pit is that you can make niches in the wall for tools, which makes repairs in a garage inspection pit more convenient. The floor is poured with concrete after the brick walls are erected.

To ensure the safety of the car entering the garage, wheel guards should be installed to prevent the car from accidentally sliding into the inspection hole. They represent a barrier metal profile, which is installed slightly above the floor.

Ventilation

It is advisable to supplement the installation of an inspection pit in the garage with ventilation, since due to temperature differences the humidity becomes increased. The resulting condensation settles on the underside of the car, which can lead to the formation of rust.

Ventilation can be natural or forced. Most often used natural way. Exhaust duct made from a plastic or asbestos-cement pipe at a distance of 10-15 cm from the floor. To connect pipes, a rotary elbow made of metal is used. Next, the withdrawal is performed using metal pipe with a diameter of 10-12 cm. The second rotary elbow is installed at the exit to the street. Possible connection with ventilation pipe garage.

Waterproofing

Waterproofing the inspection pit in the garage prevents the formation of moisture. Materials for waterproofing can be:

• bitumen;
• polymer membranes;
• liquid rubber.

They differ in their characteristics and cost.

Bitumen materials are sold in rolls, which allows them to be used in the most hard to reach places. Before use, the roll must be lubricated with solvent. The cut sheets are laid overlapping. Most popular look- roofing material.

Application polymer materials involves welding. The advantages include resistance to mechanical stress and unlimited service life. Liquid rubber applied to surfaces that have previously been specially moistened. After spraying, several hours must pass for the applied material to harden.

Penetrating waterproofing is often used. The working solution is prepared by combining a special mixture with water. Then it is applied to the pre-moistened floor and walls of the inspection pit. Crystallization occurs, as a result of which the pores in the concrete become clogged.

Carrying out lighting

A prerequisite for comfort when using an inspection pit is the presence of lighting in it. According to the rules, it is unacceptable to use 220 V incandescent lamps when installing lighting in repair pits. Light sources with lamps having a voltage of no more than 36 V are acceptable, for which a step-down transformer must be used to power them. Lighting equipment must have reliable protection from moisture.

In the garage pit you can install:

• fluorescent lamps;
• rechargeable lamps.

A good solution would be to install fluorescent lamps in a waterproof housing that consume a small amount of electricity. The use of LEDs has high level security.

It is prohibited to install sockets and switches in the inspection pit.

In order to increase the efficiency of lighting, you can line the walls of the pit with reflective material, such as foil.

Pit cover

At the end of construction, the question arises - how to cover the hole in the garage. The cover covering the inspection hole serves as an additional layer of waterproofing. In its absence, evaporated moisture will constantly settle at the bottom of the body when the car is in the garage, sometimes for a long time.

The cover for the inspection pit in the garage is made of metal sheets or boards. Wood is an inexpensive and not heavy material. Replacing a faulty board will not be difficult. It is advisable to use boards made of hard wood. Before use, they should be soaked with antifungal drugs and an antiseptic. Install boards in metal corners, fixed at the top of the pit.

A properly equipped pit in the garage is a great assistant for the car enthusiast, you can do it with it minor repairs vehicle, carry out preventive maintenance or diagnostic measures without special costs. It quickly becomes an important part of the building and its main advantage.

In our country, almost every car owner can appreciate the presence of an inspection hole, which is why it is often planned first when building a garage. What is the use of a self-made inspection hole, how to design and build it? And can it be added to an already completed building?

Advantages and disadvantages of having an inspection hole in the garage

At first glance, having a pit in your own garage is a big plus, but there are also nuances that you need to be aware of when arranging it. The advantages of the solution primarily include the ability to inspect the above-mentioned parts of the car without resorting to the help of specialists. It's simple, free and even interesting for many car owners.

Next, repairs and Maintenance Without the participation of a professional car mechanic, you can save quite a lot of money. If you calculate over a year how much an oil change and other actions cost in a workshop, the benefits become obvious. And the repair skill itself will be useful more than once.

In addition, if the pit is spacious enough, repair kits and spare parts for the car are often stored in it. This is especially true for a small garage where there is a shortage of free space.

What could be wrong with such a useful corner? The most important danger when building a garage with a pit is nearby groundwater. In general, excess moisture is the enemy of a car, and if the inspection hole is poorly waterproofed, then even in the absence of flooding, water will accumulate on the walls of the structure due to temperature changes during the cold season.

Attention! Any inspection hole can lead to the formation of condensation on the bottom of the car due to temperature differences at different levels of the structure.

However, it is worth noting that an inspection hole will become a disadvantage only if it is made in violation of construction technologies and without taking into account the engineering and soil features of the site.

Construction of an inspection pit

Is it done when laying the foundation for a future garage or in an already ready premises, the construction stages are the same. First, the pit is prepared and marked, then it is finished and communications are installed. There is nothing complicated about this, but each step requires competent execution with knowledge of some subtleties.

And first of all, you need to find out the level of groundwater in the developed area. It must be at least 2.5 meters in order for construction to be justified, and it is better to check it yourself, simply by drilling a hole as deep as possible in the ground at the construction site. You can also interview neighbors who already have basements or pits in their garages.

Attention! If the size of the garage allows, then you can make a viewing hole with a side entrance. Thus, its proportions will be L-shaped, which allows the length of the main trench to be shortened and makes descending into it easier and more convenient when the vehicle is standing for inspection.

What should the dimensions be?

First important step is the marking of the width of the inspection hole. It should be comfortable, but not make it difficult to move the car around the garage. The experience of many builders agrees that this is about 70 cm, to which another 5-10 cm can be added.

More difficult question is to determine the length of the structure. It should not be less than two meters, otherwise the whole meaning of the design changes, but increasing it can be very useful when correct use. If stationary steps are made, their length must also be added to the minimum.

However, stretching it over the entire garage is not only financially unprofitable, but also harmful. It’s good if the room is large and the inspection hole is simply located further than where the car stands - this is another way to protect the bottom from condensation.

It is important to remember that the final size of the recess will be smaller than the rough one due to the layers of finishing and laying out the walls. Therefore, at the excavation stage, the thickness of the walls and floor is added to the obtained proportions, and “deepened” in accordance with this.

The depth of the pit should be equal to the height of the user and the clearance for work - this is 15-20 cm to the top of the pit. It's better to make it deeper, because to make it wood flooring on floors quite easily. If the mistake leads to the need to constantly bang your head on the bottom of the car, the whole building will lose its meaning.

If an inspection pit is being built for a truck, then its proportions change somewhat. Wheel spacing for large vehicles different models very different, so the size of your own car is taken as a basis. The pit should be 30-40 cm narrower than this figure. If it is smaller, then it will not be possible to reach all the components of the truck.

If the pit is needed to service both a passenger car and a truck, its width should be average. For example, the width for one car is 80 cm, and for another 120 cm. In this case, the required size of the hole will be one meter, although this will complicate maneuvering in a passenger car.

Main stages of construction

The construction of an inspection pit with your own hands goes through several stages:

• site marking;
• digging a pit;
• laying waterproofing;
• floor arrangement;
• laying out walls.

In order to make the correct markings on the site, you must immediately select construction material for walls. If brick is selected, the width of the masonry will be approximately 12 cm (for brick different brands and the sizes are different), and then 24 cm are added to the width and length. If the walls are concreted, then a thickness of 20 cm is taken, that is, 40 cm should be added to the general parameters.

Digging the pit is done manually, since its proportions are quite small. After excavation work, the walls and floor should be leveled as carefully as possible, this will simplify further actions.

Important! It is necessary to make high-quality waterproofing; you should not skimp on it.

Many people still use polyethylene as a waterproof layer, but polymer membranes or bituminous materials. If the garage is on fairly dry ground, you can take liquid waterproofing, which is applied with a brush and then hardens.

Sufficient for the floor concrete pouring 7-8 cm thick, but the quality of the mixture must be high. Even before laying the waterproofing material, you need to compact the floor with gravel. To do this, a layer of stone of several centimeters is laid out on the ground and driven into it. special device- "tamper".

Then a piece of steel mesh is placed on the floor as reinforcement required sizes. Filling is carried out at a fast pace. Since you will need quite a lot of material, make required amount the mixture in one go is unlikely to succeed. Therefore, work must be carried out quickly so that the concrete hardens in one even layer.

After the floor hardens and becomes suitable for use, the walls are reinforced. To do this, they often use the same mesh, only they lay it out in layers. After reinforcement, the first layer of formwork is built and concrete is poured. It is most convenient to carry out the work in three stages, installing and removing formwork boards at each of them. By the way, their quality can also be excellent, because after work from good wood you can make shelves for the garage.

Important details when arranging an inspection pit

There are a number of nuances that are worth paying attention to as you work. So, even from the moment of digging a pit, it is important to lay several niches in the walls of the pit, which will then become shelves for available tools. It is also a good idea to lay several cylindrical inclined recesses in which lamps can then be placed.

Further, the inspection hole can be insulated. When the temperature outside the garage walls drops to at least -10, working in an insulated structure is much more pleasant. To do this, you can use polystyrene foam boards, which are simply placed on special glue. This reduces the amount of condensation on the walls and bottom of the car.

Attention! Lighting of the inspection pit should be simple, safe and powered from a source with a voltage of 36 V. Laying a network with a voltage of 220 V is dangerous for the life of the car owner. Lamps must have a protection level of UR5 X in accordance with GOST 17677-82E and GOST 14254-80.

The edge of the inspection pit should be trimmed with iron or wooden corner small sizes. This is an additional stiffening rib for the construction, and a stop for the wheels of the car, which will not allow it to fail if it moves carelessly.

The final touch will be the cover for the inspection hole, which is assembled from boards. It protects a person from falling into a pit, and the bottom of a car from moisture, which can condense even with the most careful treatment of the walls and floor of the pit. The lid is often difficult to lift, so below is a simple and original solution construction of a suitable handle.