Evolution of Industrial Drainage
Many industrial processors have a hidden headache slowly sapping the efficiency of their operation: old, plugged and dirty drainage. The maintenance and liability costs associated with these aging drainage systems are revealing the flaws inherent in 20th century drain design theory. Today these old drain designs are fading away and a new champion is taking their place:
The Slot Drain System.
Slot Drains combine the hygienic advantages of area drains with the accessibility of linear drains into a system that is built for sanitation, safety and efficiency.
The Logic of Grated Trench Drains
Back in the good old days the accepted wisdom in industrial design was to install grated trench drains for the management of liquids and solids.
These simple and economical channel drains were easy to fashion out of cast iron or concrete.
To allow pedestrian and vehicle traffic to move around the production floor, grates were placed on top acting as a bridge between the two sides of the channel.
But grated trench drains come with their own set of problems often harboring bacteria, breaking under forklift traffic and requiring hours of manual labor to clean.
The Reform Towards Area Drains
In response to the inherent problems of grated trench drains the industry moved away from channel drains in the 1990’s and early 2000’s and started to replace them with round or square area drains.
However these drains also came with their own set of problems. A trench drain needs to be replaced with multiple area drains to accommodate the same flow rate.
While trench drains are open and easy to access, area drains just act as an inlet into a maze of hidden and inaccessible underground plumbing.
Instead of solving the problems associated with trench drains, area drains just hid them out of sight. Today many facilities are dealing with clogged and degraded underground drainage that will soon need to be replaced.
The Best of Both Worlds: Slot Drains
So how do processors ditch problematic grates without losing the easy accessibility of linear drainage? The answer is the Slot Drain System. Slot Drains Systems evolved out of the need for a linear grateless drainage solution.
How to Engineer the Most Efficient Drain
The genius behind the Slot Drain System is the simplicity of its design. The slot drain eliminates the need for grates by creating a trench drain with a thin slotted opening that is narrow enough for people and vehicles to travel across without risk.
The narrow opening and teardrop profile of the slot drain create surface tension, causing water entering the slot at lower velocities to cling to the wall of the drain body. This phenomenon is commonly known as the ‘teapot effect’ because when tea is poured at the wrong angle it runs down the teapot rather than forming a solid stream. Slot Drain Engineers have managed to replicate this natural phenomenon inside of Slot Drain Systems to create a self-cleaning linear drain.
Slot Drains Systems are built for efficient liquid management. The drains have a flow rate of up to 27 GPM per foot of drain. The beveled inlet effortlessly accommodates liquids without experiencing the splash back and bridging (when water runs across the grate) that are common to traditional grated trench drains.
Their self-cleaning nature makes Slot Drain Systems ideal for managing many types of solids. Stainless steel surfaces and no-niche design leave no points of contact where solids can accumulate. Solids separation and management is handled through catch basins and strainer baskets which are easy to remove and empty preventing solids from entering your underground piping.
The proprietary shape of Slot Drain Systems has been developed through years of rigorous testing to withstand heavy loads without bending or separating from the concrete. All of our industrial slot drains have been third-party load tested with many boasting a load class E rating. When installed correctly these drains can accommodate heavy traffic like trucks and forklifts without experiencing fatigue or excessive wear.
Advantages of the Slot Drain System
You should buy a Slot Drain System if you want the following benefits:
- Hygienic Drainage
- Less Operational Downtime
- Improved Worker Safety
Grated trench drains are biofilm magnets. This is especially pertinent for food and beverage processors but can apply to any industrial facility where cleanliness is a concern. No one wants dirty smelly drains in their facility.
The heavy grates on trench drains require cleaning crews to take extra time employing special processes to ensure all the nooks and crannies on the grate are clean. In addition to this once they have lifted the heavy grates off of the trench the drain body itself still needs to be cleaned.
By contrast slot drains are the easiest drain to clean. There are no grates so there is only one step required and that is cleaning the inside of the drain body. By using paddles and brushes as well as more advanced tools like Pressure Systems and Clean-In-Place Systems, cleaning crews can easily and quickly sanitize a slot drain.
The difference in cleaning times between grated trench drains and slot drain systems can be the difference between a negative and a positive ROI. In addition workers also face greater risk of injury to their backs and their fingers when lifting and moving heavy trench drains. Slot Drains remove this step leading to a safer drain for employees and lower liability risk for facility managers.
Slot Drain Systems are for Everyone
Grateless drainage isn't just an aesthetic choice; it’s a performance upgrade for any facility handling heavy liquid and solid waste. If you want to eliminate the weakest link in your facility’s hygiene and efficiency, you have to lose the grate.
Ready to upgrade your facility’s flow? Contact the experts at Slot Drain Systems today for a custom drainage layout or to request a quote.
