4 Specifications of Floor Drains That You May Want to Know
Floor drains are useful in removing excess water from homes. In a lot of older homes, these drains are part of the design of the basement that is built in to prevent water from damaging homes and their contents. Typically, the basement is made with a cement floor where the floor drain is incorporated into it. Many new homes make use of such kinds of drainage system. It is imperative to follow government codes in understanding floor drain specifications. The floor drain’s size and type will depend upon the projected water volume overflow that it could handle. The following are floor drain specifications that you may want to ascertain.
Outlets, GPM Requirements
The usual flow rate in gallons per minute or GPM is essential in your choice of a floor drain. Every type of water outlet demands measurement that should be met by any floor drain. For instance, a bath faucet and a half inch shower head have a GPM of 5.0 while a laundry machine possesses a 4.0 GPM.
Piping System
Together with the rate of flow, other factors include the horizontal pipe length and respective size of pipes. Also, it is necessary to take into account the maximum water accumulation on the floor. Typically, such value is up to 2 inches; however, depends on the size of the pipe or other design matters.
Open Area
The open area of the grate and the size of the pipe are necessary because they can help in fulfilling what is required for the specified drainage system ad rate of flow. The kind of connection is also a significant criterion. Option such as no-hub (NH), spigot (SP), inside caulk (IC), threaded (IP) or neo-loc as the kind of connection type. It is a good idea to utilize a backwater value in reducing drainage backup. Also a sediment bucket can be used for filtering out items which are likely to cause clogs in the drainage.
Traps
A drain trap is a significant portion of the floor drain. This trap is comparable with the traps used under bathroom and kitchen fixtures. The drain pipe is dipped down in a U which is often filled with water. With the trap filled with water, sewer gases won’t be able to back up into homes. Drains that have a trap must also have a vent to the outside air so that the system’s neutral air pressure will be maintained enabling free flow of water.