Wetpour drainage needs a complete water route
Porous wetpour does not guarantee that a playground will drain. Water needs a route through or beneath the rubber, across the supporting construction and to a suitable destination. Before changing the granules, ask the surface contractor to assess that complete route. Bedrock supplies material, not a site drainage design or a guaranteed permeability rating.
Explore the questionsFollow the water, not just the rubber
- Through the surface
Is the installed rubber system designed and maintained to let water pass?
- Through or across the base
Can the supporting construction move that water onward?
- To a suitable destination
Where does it go next: suitable ground infiltration or a designed drainage route?
Porous is not the whole answer
A surface can admit water while the construction below prevents it from leaving.
Keep the design site-specific
Existing levels, ground conditions and drainage provision need the contractor's assessment.
Separate the performance checks
A drainage detail does not establish playground fall protection, accessibility or material conformity.
Applications
Choose the question you want to explore.
Why can a porous surface still hold water?
Letting water enter is different from giving it somewhere to go
The SAPIA wetpour code of practice treats drainage as part of the base and site design. It discusses directing water towards suitable drainage points and, where needed, providing a separate drainage system. The same guidance considers how water leaves the base, not only how it crosses the rubber.
That is the reason to avoid diagnosing ponding from a granule photograph. The proposed rubber system and the existing ground construction must be considered together. For the different jobs of the layers, see where SBR fits in a surface system.
What should the contractor show before installation?
Ask for a water route that connects the surface to the site
Use these questions when reviewing the proposal:
- Surface: what permeability or drainage behaviour is specified for the installed system?
- Base: what construction will support it, and how will water leave that base?
- Levels: how are existing low points and proposed finished levels addressed?
- Destination: where will collected water discharge or infiltrate?
- Handover: who checks the completed work and supplies its inspection and maintenance instructions?
DCM’s wetpour brochure puts suitable drainage and a clear, prepared base in its groundworks checklist. It is an example of the installer information a buyer should request, not a specification to copy to every site.
Can wetpour be installed over existing concrete?
The existing surface needs assessment, not a blanket yes
Existing hard surfaces require a drainage solution suited to their condition and levels. SAPIA’s guidance discusses falls and investigation of alternative drainage with the site or civil engineer where the existing arrangement is unsuitable. It does not justify simply covering a known ponding area.
The RubbaPour installation guide, for example, specifies a porous supporting base for that manufacturer’s system. Different supplier instructions are not interchangeable. Ask your chosen contractor to approve the actual substrate and drainage detail; this article does not prescribe drilling holes, a universal slope or a construction depth.
What should a granule enquiry include?
Send the material requirement after the surface system is defined
Ask the system provider for the rubber grade it accepts, the required size distribution and any other incoming-material limits. Include the intended base-layer use, evaluation requirements, quantity and destination in the enquiry. Keep any permeability acceptance criterion attached to the installed system and its test conditions, not to a sack of loose granules.
Bedrock’s black recycled rubber granules are material options to discuss against that specification. The granule range is not a drainage guarantee. Confirm which material information and evaluation supply can be provided before committing to an order.
Specifying granules for a wetpour base?
Send the system provider's granule requirements, intended application, evaluation needs, quantity and destination. We can discuss the material options and information available.
Discuss your granule specificationCommon questions
Will using larger granules fix a drainage problem?
Do not assume it will. The problem may concern the installed surface, the base or the onward drainage route. A grade change also changes the specified system. Have the contractor identify the cause before changing materials.
Can a raw-granule test prove that my playground will drain?
No. Evidence about a material alone does not establish the performance of the installed rubber, supporting construction and site drainage. Ask what system and conditions any reported result actually covers.
Does this guide provide a drainage design?
No. It gives buyers questions for the responsible contractor or designer. Site investigation, drainage details and applicable playground acceptance requirements need project-specific assessment.