If you want to equip your garage in such a way that it has maximum functionality, then its space must be supplemented with a viewing hole. At the same time, you can not only store your car in it, but also store things, repair and inspect the car.

Features of the inspection pit

If an inspection pit in the garage will be equipped with your own hands, the dimensions must be chosen at the first stage. But it is important to think about whether you really need such a component. Two decades ago, the presence of this element in the garage was not discussed, however, with the development of the service station, a category of car owners appeared who did not see the point in servicing the car on their own. An inspection pit in the garage with your own hands made of iron can be equipped. But if you do not want to waste time and effort on an independent technical inspection, then you will not need it. Some argue that a groove in the garage can negatively affect the elements of the car, because fumes rise from the bottom. This is true only when the work is not done according to technology. After all, it is important to insulate the pit, to make it convenient for your own use. By equipping the underfloor space with a sealed lid, you can be sure that even a poorly insulated pit will not be a source of fumes.

When there is no way to equip a viewing hole

An inspection pit in the garage with your own hands may not be equipped in all cases. This will depend on the groundwater lines. If their level is higher than 2 meters, then such work will be inappropriate, this is due to the fact that the space will be filled with water. But if necessary, even the most critical conditions can be overcome by having a good drainage system, as well as high-quality waterproofing. An inspection pit in the garage with your own hands from concrete is often built quite often, it also needs to be supplemented with drainage, but this task is quite difficult, only knowledgeable people should deal with it at the stage of building the garage. If this system is to be created on an existing building, this may be accompanied by the application of a large amount of manpower and resources. Among other things, such manipulations are not always effective.

If the occurrence of groundwater under an existing building indicates that the pit should be abandoned, then this clue must be heeded. An alternative solution may be the equipment of a recumbent pit, which may well replace a full-fledged one in some cases. If an inspection pit in the garage will be equipped with their own hands, then it is necessary to invite the appropriate specialists who will be able to analyze the level of occurrence of groundwater. If you decide to spend the least amount of money on carrying out these manipulations, then you can check it yourself, but it will take much more time. To do this, a pit should be dug, but it should not be immediately concreted. It is necessary to wait for the flood season, and heavy rain will do. After that, you will be able to assess its consequences.

Inspection pit dimensions

If you think the viewing hole is a fairly standard part of a garage, you might be wrong. Such a device can have several options. It can be combined with a cellar and basement, make a narrow recess, which will be operated with a ladder, and also arrange a recumbent pit, which was mentioned above. The dimensions should be chosen depending on the master who will most often use the pit. It is important to consider the size of the vehicle as well as its intended location. The width should not be less than 80 centimeters, 1 meter can be chosen as the optimal parameter. In depth, the pit should measure between 1.8 and 2 meters. This parameter is the most important, and it will depend on the height of the person. The most suitable option is considered to be a depth that is 15 cm greater than the growth of the master. Most often, a size within 2 meters is used as a length. If an inspection pit in the garage will be equipped with your own hands, then when planning it is necessary to take into account that the mentioned indicators are not given for the pit itself. It is necessary to dig it out with allowances of 50 cm in width and length. As for the depth, you need to increase it by 25 cm. If you plan to insulate the walls, then the size of the pit must be increased by the width of the insulation, most often this figure is 50 millimeters.

Floor arrangement

After the pit has been prepared taking into account the selected dimensions, you can tackle the floor. If you approach the construction correctly, then there will be no issues with dampness during operation. Thus, it must be borne in mind that the inspection pit in the garage, equipped with your own hands, must be equipped with ventilation. For this, a hole is left in the floor through which a flexible hose is introduced under the ground and on the surface. It is an air duct on which a cover is put on. Initially, it is necessary to backfill the preparation for concrete. It will be represented by two layers, the first of which assumes the presence of gravel, while the second - sand. The first layer is covered with a thickness of 10 centimeters, the second - 5 centimeters. Each of them must be watered and well compacted. The surface of the floor should be treated with clay and a layer of waterproofing should be laid. Next, the reinforcement is mounted and concreting is carried out. As soon as the layer of solution gains its strength, another layer of waterproofing should be put, only after the master can begin finishing.

Alternative floor arrangement

If you do not want to overwork yourself, then you can go the easier way, for this, it is enough to lay out the bottom of the viewing hole with a brick. However, this approach can be considered rational only if the groundwater is located at a sufficient depth. This is due to the fact that good waterproofing cannot be achieved.

Selection of materials for waterproofing

If you are going to equip a homemade inspection pit in the garage with your own hands, you can choose its size yourself. However, it is important to consider waterproofing as well. There are a great variety of such materials on the market, but it should be borne in mind that the one you choose must be effective. This is especially important for the reason that the pit will be exposed to heavy loads in terms of excess moisture. However, it is important to exclude the option of overpayment. Guided by the above considerations, from a number of commercially available materials, one can especially distinguish polymer membranes, which are presented in a single-layer version. Their thickness can vary from 1.5 to 2 millimeters. As for two-layer membranes of this type, their maximum thickness can be equal to 3.1 millimeters. This material is characterized by resistance and durability. But he has the most impressive price in comparison with others. Rather, the installation will be expensive, which requires the need for special tools and certain skills.

If you want to save money, then you should choose bituminous materials, these include roofing material and bitumen grease. It is quite easy to install them, but you should not count on a service life that exceeds 20 years. A do-it-yourself inspection pit being constructed in the garage, the dimensions of which were mentioned above, can be waterproofed with bituminous components. The material is sold in rolls, you can cut it to the required dimensions, and then stick it with an overlap of 15 cm. You can gluing by heating or using a bitumen solvent. An alternative solution to the above two methods is considered to be a waterproofing lubricant. It was invented relatively recently and is inexpensive. It is quite simple to apply. The surface must be wet, then the material will completely saturate the concrete and protect it from excess moisture.

Insulation of the inspection pit

An inspection pit in the garage with your own hands (a photo of which is presented in the article) is rarely insulated. Experts say that inexperienced craftsmen needlessly neglect this manipulation.

This is especially true for those garages that are heated. If you make thermal insulation, then you minimize heating costs.

Insulation must be glued to brick or concrete, after the walls and floor can be decorated with decorative. If, when carrying out waterproofing work, you may doubt the choice of a certain material, then experts advise using expanded polystyrene as a heater. However, it is important to consider the labeling. Thus, PSB-S-35 is perfect for the floor, while PSB-S-25 can be used for walls.

Building walls

If a home-made inspection pit is being set up in the garage, then one of the two most common solutions can be chosen for its walls. One of them involves the use of concrete, while the other is the use of bricks. If desired, then both options can be plastered or tiled, as well as fiberglass. Preparation before using concrete or brick looks the same. The surface of the walls is covered with a layer of clay, on which dense polyethylene is covered. At the next stage, the formwork is installed, while the thickness should be equal to fifteen centimeters.

When a self-made inspection pit is performed in the garage with your own hands, the construction of walls must be accompanied by the fulfillment of two conditions. One of them provides for the need for a safety rail. Its task is to prevent the wheel of the machine from falling into the pit. Among other things, it prevents water from the wheels from entering directly into the pit. It should be made in the form of a strip, which resembles the shape of the letter T. It contains metal, and it is necessary to strengthen the element to the formwork, placing it flush with the floor surface. This strip will act as a support for the cover. Among the additional components are niches and ledges in the wall, they will become shelves for various tools and necessary things. The master will be able to appreciate the convenience of such protrusions at the first use of the pit for its intended purpose.

Lighting

If an inspection pit is being built in the garage with your own hands, she just needs lighting. Some masters oppose the presence of lighting fixtures inside. A number of car enthusiasts use portable lamps that have a powerful battery. However, if you take into account the level of comfort, then the presence of indoor lighting is worth considering. If you want to equip everything according to the rules, then you should be guided by SNiP, which indicate that the voltage in the outlet inside the pit should not exceed 36 V. For this voltage, you can find special lamps. It is strictly forbidden to use standard 220 volts inside, as they can become a threat to life.

Pit cover

When an inspection pit is being set up in the garage with your own hands, you can create a reliable cover from the boards. To do this, use wood with a thickness of 50 mm. However, a thickness of 35 millimeters will suffice. This is due to the fact that the boards will not experience a constant load. The lid can be made of different materials, it will depend on what the edging of the pit was formed from. If it is a steel corner, then the cover can be made of several shields. Small rollers can be fixed in their lower part. Shields can be formed from wooden planks, the width of which varies from 30 to 35 millimeters. When an inspection pit is made in the garage with your own hands made of bricks, the cover can be formed according to the roller shutter principle. To do this, use boards whose thickness is 40 millimeters, while the length will correspond to the width of the pit. On each board, grooves must be made from both ends into which a steel cable is threaded. Springs should be installed between it and the bar, which will provide mobility. The cable is fixed to the last board, while the handle is installed at the opposite end. It will only be necessary to pull a little on it, which will open the hole as much as necessary for carrying out a certain type of work. In general, almost all materials can be used to make any part of the pit and its components.

March 24th, 2016 Admin

Car repair is often associated with an extensive range of works. In some cases, access to components and assemblies is possible only from below, which cannot be done without a lift or a viewing hole. 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 a lot. Today we will tell you about how you can independently equip an inspection pit.

How to make an inspection pit in a garage

First, you will need to take a few preliminary steps:

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

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

3) Determine the necessary building 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 a drawing, it is important to decide where exactly the pit will be:

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

Be sure to also provide a plank pit deck that covers it up when not in use.

What should be the size of the inspection pit for a car

1) The length should coincide with 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. It should be borne in mind that you, standing in the 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 calmly reach it.

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

What you need to dig a trench for a viewing hole

At this stage, 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 fertile soil to your vegetable garden (if you have one). Clay and stones are best stacked in a separate pile - they 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 at the edges of the pit there should be at least 50 cm (this is necessary to create walls), and a margin of depth should be made in the amount of 30 cm (for waterproofing), and do not forget to make an allowance for pit floor, the thickness of which you determine yourself.

We erect the walls of the inspection pit

Before erecting the walls, you need to make a flat floor. The best method is with a concrete screed, but asphalt can also be used.

The observation hole must have walls, otherwise it will inevitably begin to crumble. There are quite a few options for creating walls, the most common of them are considered below:

1) The simplest option is to use roofing material or foil-insol, on top of which there will be a number of boards "painted" by working off (this slows down the decay process) or slate, but not wavy, but flat.

2) You can plaster the wall by throwing a rough "fur coat" over the metal mesh, and after it dries, remove the smooth walls with 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 the walls are better built from bricks.

The optimal wall thickness is 0.5 or 1 brick. Ideally, they should be new, but if the budget is limited, you can also use used ones. The main thing is that they are even 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 1: 3 ratio. If you are a beginner, it is better to add liquid soap or more water to the mixture. The mortar will become thinner and harden longer, which will give you a lot of time for laying and correcting blemishes.

Naturally, the walls must be made even. To do this, pull the lace before laying. For control during the masonry process, use a plumb line or a building level.
If desired, small niches can be built in the brick walls. During repairs, it will be convenient to put tools, spare parts and other small things in them.

Whichever method of building the walls you choose, they must be reinforced with strapping so that the structure is strong and cannot collapse. A steel corner 50 × 50 × 5 mm is perfect for this purpose. It is necessary to weld a contour from it, and in such a way that, on top, you can easily lay the cover of the boards, which was mentioned above.

The finished masonry can be left in its original form or plastered, and then painted in any color. Alternatively, the floor can be covered with wood 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 cm polystyrene foam as a heater. Despite its small volume, this material has excellent thermal insulation 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. Water appeared already 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, it is necessary to do waterproofing, strictly before the start of pouring the floor and erecting the walls.

How to choose a waterproofing material

At the moment, 3 types of waterproofing are most widely used:

• Polymer membranes.

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

• Rolled materials based on bitumen (roofing material, rubemast, fogezol, brizol, etc.).

They have an affordable price and are very easy to use - no special knowledge is required. But the service life of such waterproofing is limited - 10, maximum, 15 years, after which it must be completely changed.

• Penetrating waterproofing.

A very effective way to prevent water ingress. More expensive compared to roll materials, but it has an unlimited service life.

Waterproofing the inspection pit in the garage: stages of implementation

Waterproofing should start from the floor. First, tamp the surface tightly, then pour an even layer of clay on it, sand on the clay, and gravel on it. Tamp each layer carefully. The total thickness of all these layers should be 30 cm.

• Rolled bitumen materials

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

Rolled waterproofing will most correctly be laid in U-shaped strips, giving an overlap of 20 cm. The corners must be tucked so that the strips remain on a flat section of the floor or wall.

The joints are glued with molten bitumen, but you can also use a solvent for bitumen, 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 (up and down), let the bitumen cool down in the joints, and proceed to layer No. 2. In 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, 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. The mortar is then applied to the wall in a 1 mm layer. If the walls of the pit are brick, then another layer is required to be applied to the finished wall in order to reliably clog all the pores in the bricks. The principle of operation of the sealant is based on the fact that it, covering the surface with a continuous layer, does not allow moisture to seep through, as if "binding" it.

Together with a waterproof brick wall, it can withstand water pressure up to 20 atm. Its service life is not limited.

How to ventilate the inspection pit in the 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" run on liquefied gas, since propane leaks downward (it is heavier than air), which means that it will inevitably fall into a pit.

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

The first is a pipe led through the wall to the street. Through it, clean air will enter the pit. The second is also a pipe installed opposite the flow pipe, but it is not led out 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 not subject to corrosion.

Lighting inspection pit in the garage - how to conduct the light

You can work in the inspection pit without stationary light sources, limiting yourself to only a headlamp. However, it gives little light and only in a limited sector. Therefore, it is still better to acquire 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 does it in compliance with all safety standards;

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

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 power 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 should be intact, ideally double.

Lamps suitable for garage lighting are low and high voltage:

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

For the operation of 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.

It is not necessary to use incandescent lamps in the pit. They heat up during operation and can easily burn if touched. The light from them is too bright, which harms the eyes. In addition, they consume a lot of energy, and in case of a voltage drop, they can sparkle and burst, which is fraught with injury and fire.

Fluorescent bulbs are good because they have a wide range of hues, consume little electricity and last a long time. However, they are not suitable for a pit, since they are sensitive to cold - when the ambient temperature drops below 5 degrees, they become unreliable. They must be disposed of in a special way as 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 bulbs are the most advanced because they combine all the positive characteristics of other bulbs. There is no mercury in them, but the price is very high, and for good lighting you need several of them, which is not affordable for everyone.

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

When installing wiring and lighting fixtures, strictly follow the fire safety rules! Remember, any flaws in this matter can turn into a tragedy.

The garage is a creative workshop for real men. Most of the stronger sex have a car that needs to be monitored and repaired in time. In order not to carry out repair work under the car lying on his back, everyone can independently equip their garage with a so-called inspection pit. How to make this device correctly and what is needed for this will be discussed in more detail in our article.

How to properly design an inspection pit in a garage

The presence of its own inspection pit for motorists is a big plus. Without extra costs and at any time of the day, it is possible to carry out minor repairs or maintenance of your car without leaving home. Of course, it is correct to plan the construction of an inspection pit before the construction of the garage itself, but often they are already being created on the basis of the finished building. Before proceeding with construction activities, it is necessary, on the basis of measurements, to make a project for a future garage fixture. Professionals in this business give many answers to the question: how to mark the inspection pit in the garage? The dimensions of the inspection pit should ideally correspond to some parameters. You can rely on the dimensions of your particular car, if the structure is intended purely for the repair of one car. But nevertheless, it is worth thinking about the fact that over time you can change the car, and it will be completely different dimensions, and the garage will remain the same. Therefore, it is recommended to add a stock of about 1 meter to the dimensions of the car, this will make the workplace even more convenient.

The length of the inspection pit is most often 4-5 meters, plus a margin. Such dimensions allow you to have enough space for the implementation of repair chores.

The width of the structure varies depending on the distance between the wheels of the machine. For passenger cars, the standard is approximately 80 cm.

The depth of the hole is usually determined by the growth of the owner. But this does not mean that it should be very deep or vice versa. It is still better to find a middle ground based on the previous dimensions. Determination of the dimensions of the inspection pit implies the further production of a drawing, which in the process is implemented by the stage of excavating a foundation pit.

Do-it-yourself earthworks in the manufacture of an inspection pit

One of the most voluminous and demanding efforts is considered the stage of excavation in the manufacture of a viewing hole in the garage with your own hands. To dig a hole of a standard size, you need to dig about 10 cubic meters of earth. Usually, the markup of the future structure is marked with pegs. The excavated bottom is checked with a building level, which allows you to determine whether the surface of the earth is evenly excavated. A correctly dug pit, in compliance with all sizes, is considered a guarantee of future functionality, reliability and convenience of the construction of a viewing pit in your garage.

Making the walls and floor of a garage pit with your own hands

Before starting work on the floor and walls of the garage pit, it is worth checking all the measurements again. It is recommended that the top of the pit be slightly wider than the bottom.

Most often, the floor of the inspection pit is poured with concrete. This process must be carried out in two stages: first, fill in half, then another one. Previously, the floor is prepared for concrete pouring in this way: 5 - 6 cm of sand is poured onto the ground, which is tamped by hand.

When concreting the floor, reinforcement or fine mesh is used, which provide the concrete pavement with durability and reliability.

The peculiarities of making the walls of the inspection pit with your own hands depend on the selected material for work. For the construction of walls, one of two common materials is usually chosen: brick or monolithic concrete.

Inspection pit made of concrete

To build a pit for a garage, you must prepare the following tools and materials:

1. Saw, bayonet, level, wire cutters, square, hammer, bolt cutter, etc.

2. Nails, concrete, timber for formwork, reinforcing mesh, gravel, etc.

We dig a hole in size, as described above, and fill in the concrete floor. After the concrete has completely dried, the stage of work on the formwork begins. In advance, you need to think about shelves for tools and scrap materials. Formwork is usually assembled from planks or other wood-based materials. When the formwork structure is completely assembled, it is cemented with a layer of about 40 cm. It is recommended to add a metal mesh to each layer.

When all the finishing work has been carried out with the walls, then a mortgage frame is justified from above, the main function of which is considered to be to insure the wheel from falling into the pit.

The peculiarity of the inspection pit made of concrete lies in the correct implementation of the stages of work with the solution itself, on which the strength and durability of the structure depends.

Remember, in order to avoid unpleasant inconsistencies and hassle, you need to prepare in advance the project of your inspection pit for the garage.

Inspection pit made of brick

Similarly to the first option, the first process of building a garage pit out of bricks is to fill the floor. When the floor is ready, you can start working directly on the walls themselves. Features of the inspection pit made of brick are in the following points of work.

When planning, it is worth choosing in advance the location of niches for tools, etc. It is better that such indentations are located on the sides of the building. When laying out the walls, you can choose the thickness - whole or ½ brick. When preparing the solution, it is recommended for beginners to add liquid soap to the finished mixture, as it prolongs the setting time, which is very beneficial for the work of inexperienced builders.

When laying bricks, it is important that everything is neat and level. For this, a stretched cord is used, with which the verticality is checked.

As practice shows, the upper rows of bricks lend themselves to rapid destruction. Therefore, they need to be protected with metal corners.

Do-it-yourself waterproofing of the inspection pit

The presence of a viewing hole in the garage is, of course, very convenient and so on, but also very dangerous for the equipment itself. If you miss such an important point as the waterproofing of this structure, then the room will be humid and damp, and this is a direct road to corrosion and other negative points.

Do-it-yourself waterproofing and insulation of the inspection pit in the garage are considered quite controversial even among professional craftsmen. And the thing is that different types of materials are used to create waterproofing:

Waterproofing works can be conditionally divided into primary and secondary.

The primary stage includes the following processes:

1. The first layer for concrete should be covered with gravel about 15 cm.

3. Initial protection of walls, before waterproofing, requires surface treatment with greasy clay.

Secondary waterproofing, it is also the main one, consists in the use of materials suitable for burial.

The first type is bituminous materials. They are usually produced by manufacturers in specially formed rolls. The use of bitumen requires the additional use of the correct brand of solvents. Such bituminous materials as roofing material, euroruberoid, rubemast are considered popular.

The second is polymer membranes. The service life of this type is practically unlimited. Waterproofing membranes are available in single-layer and multi-layer types. They are very resistant to physical and chemical influences. One important point is that this material is quite expensive.

Penetrating materials are renowned for their maximum resistance to moisture penetration. Special lubricants must be applied to a damp surface. Due to their properties, they penetrate deeply and are firmly sealed.

A commonly used material for waterproofing is liquid rubber. It is very easy to use and can be applied under various temperature conditions. In addition, it is a very profitable product: only 2 mm of liquid rubber is almost completely compensated by four layers of bituminous materials.

The work on waterproofing the inspection pit must be carried out in several steps. It should be borne in mind that each layer of used materials for waterproofing, one way or another, takes away from your garage structure, albeit minimal, but space. Therefore, it is very important to make the dimensions of the dug hole with a margin, taking into account all the processes. Installation of waterproofing directly depends on the selected materials.

As for the insulation of the inspection pit, many say that the best option is a heated garage. But if this is not an option and you need to choose some kind of material, then it is best to take - expanded polystyrene.

Do-it-yourself additional equipment for the inspection pit

If an inspection pit is available in the garage, it is very important that it is closed outside of working hours. To do this, the owner needs to take care of additional equipment in the inspection pit. The roof of the inspection pit, even with waterproofing in the recess, still protects the car from possible high humidity.

Lighting is considered a controversial issue regarding the equipment of the inspection pit. Some car enthusiasts say that this is a necessity, others believe that a simple carrying with a light bulb is enough. Remember the voltage of 220 V is life threatening when used in the inspection pit. For such premises, special lamps are used.

The presence of a viewing hole automatically makes the car owner's garage multifunctional and convenient.

For detailed information on the design and construction of an inspection pit with our own hands, we suggest watching the video:

Before you build inspection pit in the garage do it yourself, let's figure out what it is.

Observation pit- this is a motorist's workspace, which should be as comfortable as possible, allowing you to turn around and stand up to your full height. If these conditions are not met, fixing even the smallest problem becomes a nightmare, which should not be allowed.

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

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

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

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

And finally, the last parameter - depth... It is calculated from the calculation of the growth of the motorist, to which 20 cm is added. The obtained parameters need increase by 30 cm, which will make up hydro and thermal insulation. After calculation, you can compose drawing pits in the garage.

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

Building

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

Construction work is as follows:

1. Preparation of the pit. We mark the land plot according to the received dimensions. Before digging a hole in the garage, we stock up with shovels and a level. The hole must be of the correct depth and with a flat bottom.

REFERENCE: How to make a viewing hole in the garage when it is already built? We mark the floor, and then, according to the marking, with the help of an electric tool we cut the screed, after which digging work is already carried out.

2. Formation of smooth walls. It is also necessary to carefully tamp the bottom of the pit.
3. Arrangement inspection pit in the garage: floor, walls and niches.

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

We put a crushed stone pillow on the ground, on top of which, about 5 cm, pour sand, tamp it.

The next layer in this "pie" is 30 cm clay... A reinforced mesh is already placed on the clay, which becomes the backbone of our structure, strong, reliable, and durable.

The mesh is poured concrete... We mix sand with cement, in a ratio of three to one, and fill it with a thickness of 7 cm.

We are waiting for the concrete to harden and only after that we process the floor bituminous mastic solution... We put roofing material and glue the joints with bitumen, be sure, hot.

Styrofoam is laid on the roofing material, and then the whole structure is generously poured with concrete, about 15 cm. And again we wait until the concrete dries.

After the concrete is dry, you can proceed to the design of walls and niches:

1. The walls are coated with clay, then polyethylene is laid, which is well attached to oily types of clay.
2. A layer of roofing material is applied to the film and again, as in the case of the floor, we pass the joints with bitumen.
3. We repeat the technology for creating the floor, and attach the foam layer to the walls using any construction glue.
4. The hardest part of the job is formwork... The formwork is made of plywood, if you want to get a more durable structure, then from boards, at a distance of 7 cm from the walls.
5. We carry out reinforcement along the perimeter of the wall and fill it with concrete.

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

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

As in the construction of the floor and walls, when constructing niches, we use fittings and clay... But here we no longer need concrete, there will be an inspection pit in the garage with our own hands brick with which niches are faced. If you do not like this option and you are still interested in how to lay out a viewing hole in the garage, then use ceramic tiles, it will be more effective.

See how to do inspection pit in the garage with your own hands- Photo:

Hydro and thermal insulation

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

Today we can choose from a wide range of materials:

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

The frame must be covered geotextile... Polymer plates, if they are with a self-adhesive base, are installed with an overlap of 30 cm, if the membranes are not self-adhesive, then the overlap is made by 10 cm. The joints between the polymer plates are necessarily processed with a special adhesive.

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

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

Bituminous insulation is applied in a double layer.

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

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

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

IMPORTANT: do not forget to always glue the joints, be it polymer material, bituminous material or some other. Failure to comply with this condition may result in to the destruction of the entire structure and nullify your labors.

Thermal insulation is an equally important issue, because in our country warm weather is established only for five months, while the rest of the time - rains, cold and bitter frosts.

At installation of an inspection pit in the garage, the material can act as a durable, effective insulation polystyrene... The positive properties of the material are the minimum percentage of water absorption, versatility, and excellent thermal insulation characteristics. Minus - fragility, about 10 years.

Finishing touches

As the finishing touches, we will designate:

• safety (iron grating for the pit);
• niches;
• lighting;
• ventilation.

Safety involves the installation of an iron grate on the pit.

Inspection pit in the garage - how to close it? In no case should it be always open. You can think, forget, not see ... the consequences of such inattention are usually deplorable. Therefore it is better trellis during the absence of repair of the inspection pit in the garage.

Niches in the wall are needed in order to store tools in them, so as not to run upstairs every time for pliers or a screwdriver. Niches also serve as a decoration for the room, creating an indescribable atmosphere conducive to work.

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

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

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

Now you know how to do inspection pit in the garage do it yourself. Believe me, this is not at all as difficult as it seems, looking at such a voluminous instruction. And, finally, it remains for us to wish you only patience and kindness!

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

The garage is a "sacred" place for almost every man. Most car enthusiasts try to equip it as functional and practical as possible. Any car owner needs an inspection pit in the garage, since to repair a car, you need to create conditions for access to the chassis and the bottom of your pet.

Moreover, a viewing hole can be made even if the garage has already been built: FORUMHOUSE users are sure that sooner or later it will be needed. This can be problematic though. 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 the case of high ground waters. But, if no special difficulties are foreseen, you can start construction - you still have to repair your iron horse someday.

We draw up a project

Before you start digging, you should know exactly what the inspection hole in the garage will be, its size and depth. It is best to make a computer model, but a simple drawing project will do as well.

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

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

When deciding on the size of the pit, take into account the thickness of the walls. Leave the "allowance": half a meter - on the walls and 30 sentiments - on the floor.

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

We prepare the material

When the inspection pit in the garage is ready at the design stage, the building materials should be taken care of.

What building materials will be required:

Moisture is the insidious enemy of underground structures. Therefore, it is important to provide waterproofing of the structure, it will be especially relevant at the time of melting snow and prolonged rains.

To do this, you need roofing material and clay.

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

domk

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

Now the water in the garage of a forum member comes easily, but just as easily leaves. Someone is pumping water out with pumps. Alternatively, you can make a global drainage - considers domk- or a caisson (expensive and time consuming). He has "resigned himself and lives in harmony."

Also, the inspection pit in the garage needs ventilation. Many 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, markup is performed using a tape measure and beacons. Digging a hole. By the way, do not rush to throw away all the soil at this stage of excavation. Leave a small amount to cover the walls after pouring. The floor of the excavated pit must be flat. After that, a layer of crushed stone with sand is poured onto the bottom and carefully tamped.

DimaVSmith

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

All work is a layering of 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 parts of the walls (approximately 10-15 cm).
• concrete mortar is poured with a layer of roofing material.
• a metal mesh is placed on the flooded and slightly dried floor and poured with a cement solution (this will make the structure strong). The layer should be thick enough (6-7 cm). Only when the floors in the pit are firmly seized can the walls be taken up. A small layer of clay is applied to them, then a layer of roofing material.

Formwork assembly and backfill

The next step will be the assembly of the formwork from the boards for the construction of the walls. When you collect it, be sure to consider the location of the shelves for the tools that are in the project. When the formwork is assembled, it is poured with thick layers of cement (35-40 cm). Remember to tamp the material while pouring. Add a strip of metal mesh to each layer.

The mortise frame is installed on top of the walls when they are all completely poured. To secure the anchor, you can use steel rods half a meter long. Set the frame so that there are low curbs around the edges of the pit. They will serve as belay so that the wheel does not accidentally jump off the edges of the pit.

When the concrete has finally set, you can start backfilling the walls. The soil should be tamped down as best as possible, crushed stone should be poured on top and, with the help of concrete, level the surface with the floor. The inspection pit in the garage with your own hands is ready.

We carry out lighting
Also, lighting can be carried out into the structure, this will greatly help when repairing a car. The wires should be placed in a corrugated tube, and the socket should be in a sealed case. The ladder for the pit does not need to be fixed - you can take it out as needed.

Correct operation of the inspection pit

Many car owners are familiar with the problem: in rainy weather, a dirty car is put into the garage, and all this gets into the room or, even worse, straight into the inspection pit. In this regard, the user FORUMHOUSE Smith2007 gives his suggestions.

Smith2007 at FORUMHOUSE

Make the floor slope in the garage "to the inspection pit" (envelope). Along the perimeter of the structure - a ditch 4-5 cm wide and 2 cm deep (lay out with tiles). Then drill channels from the bottom of the groove down into the inspection hole with a 40 mm long auger. The exit of the hole will be on the wall of the inspection pit. Make several such channels, from 5 to 8 pieces. Insert sewer pipes into the holes formed, which all are connected into horizontal ones (almost at the floor or slightly higher with a slope). At the bottom of the structure, make a recess for a container of 10-20 liters, bring the entire drain into it. A drainage pump can be installed in the tank, which can be turned on as the tank is filled to pump out water.

The members of the forum suggested that the system would be clogged with sand and other debris. Therefore, it is better to just cover the pit with a shield, making a small convenient side around it, and organize the floor so that everything merges out.

But here another problem is possible: if you make a 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 such a tile trap, shallow and with a slope. Only not along the perimeter of the pit, but along the perimeter of the car. And to clean the dirt by hand. Well, or if your system is muddied, with a drainer and a container, then daily wash off the dirt from the floor with a hose.

Vzik plans to install a tray in the garage with a sand trap and drainage of water into the filter well. Then it will be possible to wash both the car and the garage.

Inspection pit in the finished garage

Forum user Las9w tells how the inspection pit was built in the garage with his own hands.

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

fidel1970 advises to lay out the walls of the hole in one brick (“it’s safer, and it’s easier to make niches for tools and lighting”), and on top make a strapping with a metal corner. Also, the forum member recommends filling the space with clay instead of earth.

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

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