To ensure that water properly drains into the sewer and does not spill everywhere after heavy rains, drainage is essential for your home and yard. Sewer covers, which are also essential to keep the sewer holes covered and prevent people from falling into them, come along with this while offering an access point via a manhole cover.
Some property owners may be fortunate enough not to have a sewer hole on their property, while other unfortunate ones regrettably have a sewer cover in a visible location. A manhole or sewer cover can detract from the beauty of your garden by protruding directly in the middle of an unattractive location.
In our guide, you can learn the best ways to make your yard aesthetically pleasing again and how to hide sewer cover. By the end, you’ll have plenty of options to get your creative juices flowing and find how to legally cover the whole area or ensure there is still easy access. (Learn How To Fix Water Pooling In Yard)
What Are Drain Covers?
These lids are typically made of heavy materials such as cast iron and used to cover access holes in your garden. They shield the atmosphere in your backyard from wastewater’s unpleasant odor.
More significantly, they cover the gaps where sewage enters the water, preventing the incomprehensible mess around your house and garden that runoff would otherwise create. Drain covers stand out even though this covering serves a purpose.
Can You Build Straight Over a Sewer Cover?
Before beginning any project or modification work on your sewer covers, you should make two important considerations. Making sure you have all the permissions to change your sewer covers is the first thing you need to do.
So, you’ll need to consult with and check local municipal laws or the rental agreement if you’re renting. It is preferable to be aware of this in advance rather than discover it after the fact and find you have covered one with raised garden beds, and you need to remove these from your yard, or you face legal repercussions.
Second, access to drains is required for maintenance by water utility companies. So, if you cover one, they would dig another hole in your yard to gain access. If that wasn’t bad enough, what you thought was a good idea, could leave you with a hefty bill.
Best Ways To Disguise Drain Covers
If you need some ideas on covering a drain, here are some of the best that can still leave sufficient access when needed.
1. Use Plants To Cover
The simplest way for hiding your drain covers is to use plants. No matter how you grow about the arrangement, a few plants will do as long as they have broad leaves.
For two reasons, it is advisable to grow cover plants in containers:
If you tire of your plants, switching to newer ones is simpler. Moving potted plants around makes it simpler to get to the hole whenever you need to. (Read Best Way To Pick Up Pine Needles)
2. Fake Rocks Make Great Drain Covers
Another idea to disguise drain covers is to hide them using a fake rock or two. These characteristics render plastic rocks a workable replacement for conventional cast iron manhole covers.
You can cover unsightly garden structures like electrical boxes and pipelines with fake rocks, so they are highly adaptable. If you use fake rocks, ensure they don’t slow water into the drainage system, or you could waterlog your garden.
3. Paint Drain Covers
Try painting drain covers to match your grass, rocks, or outdoor structures if you like colors. Painting drain covers will be a temporary solution as the paint could chip, leaving the metal underneath to rust. In addition, cast-iron drain lids would need priming before painting.
After priming, let the cover dry for a day before applying the first coat of paint. Follow paint container instructions, and use a paint roller to make work easier.
4. Cover Drains Using Fake Grass Lid
Artificial turf is an effective and low-maintenance alternative to grass. Install turf above the lid and cut the edges to resemble natural grass. You solve your drain cover problem and get more lawn area.
Using a tracer wire, mark where you’ll cut a sheet that covers your drainage system.
5. Make A Feature With A Small And Mobile Pond
You know why it must be a small and mobile pond. Yes, so repairmen can look down the drain. Small ponds come in endless shapes and sizes, like other options. One of the most popular ponds is a rocky feature that you fill with water and place where you want – in this case, the drain cover.
If a ready-made pond you like doesn’t completely cover the lid, add plants for a landscaping touch. Don’t be shy about adding plants to your pond if it covers the lid. The mobility of the pond is the most critical factor in this situation because the plumber must have easy access to your drainage system.
One of the most creative ideas to use something that would otherwise be unused is to transform a rusty drain cover into a lovely pond. Growing some plants will give your small pond natural color and still offer maintenance access.
6. Mask Your Drain Cover With a Birdbath
If mobile ponds are too much effort, consider a bird bath instead. They are just as beautiful even though their span does not completely cover the lid. It really is as easy as it seems. Put your choice of lovely birdbath atop the cover.
There’s a chance the bath’s base won’t completely conceal the entire lid, but that’s alright. With the extra room, you can add extras like pot plants or decorations that, along with the bath, will create a stunning display in your garden.
Select a heavy birdbath to stay stable in the weather, whatever you decide when birds land on it. However, it shouldn’t be one that weighs too much because that could harm the cover or make it sag in any way.
7. Make Your Drain Garden Art
You can unleash your creativity and show off your garden art skills by covering your ugly drain cover with lovely mosaic art in your backyard. Make sure to use vibrant colors to grab your visitors’ attention.
You can install a more extensive cover over the current one or another that is the same size when creating art. Whatever you do, don’t use your artwork to paint the original drain cover. (Learn How To Cover Mud In Yard For Dogs)
Make The Cover Invisible By Blending Into Your Surroundings
Do you simply want your drain covers to vanish? We have already seen ways to hide them, but you can also blend a drain lid in the middle of the lawn.
However, what if the cover is in a tiled or gravel area? There will be some searching for ideas at the local garden center to find tiles, gravel, or other materials surrounding your drain and combine and match them until you locate an exact match.
For instance, your drain is in a section of white gravel. Grab a handful of white gravel. You have two options: scatter the fresh pieces over the cover in a thick layer until it is entirely covered. Swift and simple.
You can also fill a tray with gravel and place this over your drain covers to hide the sunken lid. These changes can be costly, and there might be negative legal and financial repercussions if you later learn that they weren’t permitted.
Second, the drain must always be accessible to the water utility company. If they find a permanent cover but still need to use the hole, they’ll probably dig a new entrance and charge you for it.
With plants, the options are endless! You can keep it simple by adding a few plants or creating an elaborate arrangement depending on how much money you want to spend on the project. Here are a few more well-liked options for hiding your drain cover with plants.
Put a few potted plants on the cover. Select plants with broad, hanging leaves or even floppy shrub-like plants. These will make the cover invisible. If the utility company needs to open the drain, potted plants are also simple to move.
Another benefit is that, unlike other methods for concealing a drain cover, you can switch out the plants if you tire of the current arrangement.
Drain covers spoil a real grass garden lawn.
Plants, artwork, garden gnomes, or other accents like birdbaths and ponds can all be used to cover drain covers. Make sure you have permission to change the cover before you start.
The water utility company needs access to all drains, so any modification, such as covering with soil and laying grass, cannot be permanent.
Frequently Asked Questions about Drain Covers
How do you remove rust from a drain cover?
Surface rust can be removed using a solution of lime juice and salt. Salt should first be sprinkled over the damaged area; then, lime juice should be applied and allowed to start. After a few hours, use a wire brush to scrub the cover to get rid of the rust.
How do you loosen a stuck drain cover?
Fill in the spaces where the cover and the hole’s opening meet with some water. Once the cover is loose, gently tap it with the hammer. Add more water if it doesn’t budge.
How do you find a drain cover?
Use a metal detector if you can’t locate the drain cover in your garden. It probably has a thin layer of dirt covering it.
Can I cover my drain with a fire pit?
It isn’t advisable to cover drains with a firepit for several reasons. Gasses that rise could be flammable, and there could be off-putting smells in the area, which aren’t nice, especially if you are cooking on the fire. (Learn How To Dig A Trench For Drainage)
Conclusion
To maintain proper water drainage and prevent people from falling into the drainage holes, sewer covers are required. The sewer hole covers are sore because their design is more functional than attractive and makes out in the middle of your lovely yard.
We are here to help you conceal your unsightly sewer covers, so don’t be discouraged by them. There are countless options to hide your garden drain, so as long as you don’t cover it with soil, you have many ideas you can try.
