Drainage Cells For Underdrain

Rainsmart’s Nero Cell is a new and innovative product that is designed for many underground drainage applications, one of which being for use as an underdrain in areas with a high water table. In an underdrain application, these cells are covered by a layer of geotextile membrane and provide for quick groundwater capture and transportation to eliminate the build-up of hydrostatic pressure beneath the surface.

The unique cup structure in nero cells allows them to hold water before it is transported to drainage outlets and the surrounding membrane ensures that the captured groundwater is clean and free of sediment.

Like our soakaway crates, nero cells have a 95% void ratio and they also feature a 140-tonne loading capacity per square metre, with each cell covering 0.3 square metres. This makes them ideal for underdrains in areas with heavy vehicle traffic including beneath roads, car parks and buildings. Nero drainage cells are easy to install and slot together which pits them as an efficient alternative to a traditional gravel drain.

Underdrain Diagram Nero Cell

What Is An Underdrain?

An underdrain is an underground drainage application that is used to capture rising groundwater and transport it to a surface drainage outlet. They are designed to keep roadsides dry and prevent groundwater from saturating the surface of the road as well as ditches and banks along the side of the road. Underdrains provide a range of benefits including separating clean spring water from road runoff water and cutting maintenance costs and time of wet roadsides.

In the case of nero cells, as groundwater rises up towards the surface, it will reach the bottom of the laid nero cells, which should be lined with geotextile membrane. The membrane will allow water to enter the cells but not before it is cleaned and cleared of any sediment. Since the water is clean, it is able to travel along the underdrain and arrive at a drainage outlet at a faster rate, making for a more efficient underdrain system than one that would use gravel.