Quick verdict
The end cap for the NDS Spee-D channel drain, the 4 inch trench drain used across driveways, patio edges and garage thresholds, that seals the open end of the channel with a solvent-welded joint so water in the trench goes to the outlet rather than out the end into the slab base. A channel drain with an open end undermines the concrete beside it; a capped end is a sealed gutter. It attaches directly to the channel with no coupling and matches the Spee-D elbows, tees and outlets.
Strengths
- Seals the end of a Spee-D channel run
- Solvent welds for a watertight joint
- Attaches directly; no coupling
- Part of a full system of elbows, tees and outlets
- Cheap, and the detail that protects the slab
Weaknesses
- Spee-D channel only; other brands have their own caps
- Needs PVC primer and cement
- Easy to forget to order with the channel
The overall YardToolLab Score is out of 100. Section scores are out of 10.
The Last Fitting on the Run
A channel drain across a drive collects the sheet of water that would otherwise flood the garage, and sends it along the trench to the outlet. If the far end of the trench is open, part of that water goes out the end into the base under the slab instead, and the slab cracks in a few winters. NDS’s 247 end cap seals the end of a Spee-D 4 inch channel with a solvent weld, directly onto the channel.
This review is based on the maker’s specifications and on how channel drain systems are assembled generally. We have not fitted this cap ourselves.
Fitting
With the channel sections laid out and before anything is concreted, clean the end of the last section, prime it and the inside of the cap, brush on PVC cement and push the cap on square. Hold it a few seconds. The joint is watertight and permanent. If the run drains from the middle, cap both ends; if it drains from one end, cap the other.
Why Solvent Weld
A push-fit cap seeps, and a seep under a slab is a void in a year. Cemented, the cap is part of the channel. Primer and cement are the same ones used on PVC pipe and most installers have them open already.
The System
Spee-D channel comes with 45 and 90 degree elbows, tees, crosses, outlets to 3 and 4 inch pipe, grates in several styles and this cap. A drive, a patio edge, a pool surround or a garage threshold is laid out from the parts and the cap finishes every dead end.
Ordering
The cap is the part left off the order and found missing on the day. Count the dead ends on the plan and add one spare.
Fit
Spee-D profile only. Other channel drains have different profiles and their own caps, and a mismatched cap does not seal.
Who Should Buy It
- Anyone installing NDS Spee-D channel drain.
- Homeowners finishing a run that was left open.
- Installers keeping a spare in the van.
Common Owner Complaints
Forgetting to order it. Count the ends.
Technique Tips
Dry fit the whole run before any cement is opened, so the cap goes on a section that is already cut to final length and nothing is welded in the wrong place.
Alternatives to Consider
An NDS outlet fitting if the end should drain to pipe instead. Caps from other makers for their own channels. Nothing improvised; a mortar plug fails.
Verdict
For a channel drain that sends every drop to the outlet, the end cap is a small part with a big job and the NDS cap welds on properly. Prime, cement, push on square and do it before the concrete.
Full specifications
NDS 247 Spee-D Channel Drain End Cap, Grey, Solvent Weld FAQs
An open channel end lets the water the drain collects run into the gravel and soil beside the slab, which is exactly what the drain was installed to stop. The cap sends it all to the outlet.
Clean the channel end, prime both surfaces, apply PVC cement and push the cap on square. Hold a few seconds. Do it before the channel is set in concrete.
Every end that is not an outlet. A run with the outlet in the middle has two caps; a run draining from one end has one.
No. It is sized to the Spee-D profile. Other makers have their own caps.
