Polymer concrete channels or drains are the best option for wineries, breweries, etc. The long and slender drain can dispose of most of the spilled liquid. However, it can be slightly tricky to work with concrete channels. In stainless steel trench, drain installations catch basin and grating are provided during drain planning. With polymer concrete drains, it is not that easy. A lot of thought goes to the installation; you need to think of the process temperature, chemical resistance of the process as your top priority. So, what to do at this point? Let’s discuss some tips and learn what to do.
1. Ask Yourself Important Questions
Okay, so why should you use a concrete drain for breweries? Are you running your brewery in a temporary place? Will you be moving elsewhere? It is better not to spend money on stainless steel if you don’t plan to stay in one place forever. Can you use linear drain system through it? Polymer concrete is the one you should consider if you don’t want to stay for a long time in one site. Should linear drain system.
2. Channel for Usage
When selecting a polymer concrete channel, keep in mind that all polymers are created the same. The all standard products from the top four polymer concrete manufacturers are created using a polyester resin. This polyester-based concrete is durable and chemical resistance, but there is a limit of 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Manufacturers, most of the time alternate material that is made from a vinyl ester resin. Vinyl ester resin is tough and resistant to extreme heat and chemicals. Vinyl ester-based ones can handle temperatures up to 180 degrees F and are more aggressive than the polyester resin. However, one drawback of the vinyl ester-based polymer is that the components made by them are very tricky to make during the summer. Therefore think about the day-to-day brewery operations and ask yourself, if you are going to pour liquid, how much hot would it be? Should you be dumping it on the floor or are you going to use a hose? Another thing you can do is coating your floors to protect them from the chemicals and the solutions. If that’s what you want, then use vinyl ester concrete channels.
3. Grating Load Requirements
Ask this, what traffic will the drain face? Which one do you prefer? Will it be foot traffic or have vehicles driving occasionally? These questions might seem redundant, but they aren’t. This way, you would know what you want as a drain. Based on that you can choose the preferred polymer drain. But remember that grating costs increase with the load class. Class A loading is solely for foot traffic. Thin steels and open fiberglass grating are great options as well. For loads that are neither too low nor too heavy, you need a standard ductile iron grate.
4. Grating Corrosion
Corrosion is the biggest issue for any grate. If your drain passage is made with stainless steel, always use a stainless steel grate. For vinyl ester-based channels you can still use stainless edging and grating. Stainless steel is excellent for chemical and heat resistance, giving you a sharp and clean look overall. But stainless steel ones are a little expensive. If that is the case, you can use a ductile iron product. But iron ones can rust easily. However, you can replace them whenever you want.
These are tips to follow while you are choosing a concrete drain. For cheaper options use ductile iron ones as they can be changed every 5 years and look good.