No Stains On Your Drains: Why Stainless Steel Is The Perfect Choice For Drain Grates In Disabled Bathrooms
Providing bathroom facilities for people who suffer from disabilities and decreased mobility is a legal (and many would say ethical) requirement in most jurisdictions and industries, and your disabled-friendly facilities must keep certain construction standards to be fit for purpose. One of these standards is the integration of adequate floor drainage in disabled bathrooms and cubicles, preventing users from accidentally flooding your facilities if they find themselves in sudden difficulties.
Like most floor drains, these drains benefit from sturdy covers, and the need for drain grates that provide stable, even ground is particularly important in disabled bathrooms. Consequently, many disabled bathroom floor drains are covered with stainless steel drain grates, and it's easy to see why -- this highly useful metal is well suited to the specific needs of drain covers, and stainless steel grates can provide a number of advantages over aluminium or plastic alternatives:
Durability
Stainless steel is immune to rust and corrosion caused by moisture, a prerequisite for grates intended to be installed in warm, moist bathroom environments. However, while other rustproof material options such as plastics and aluminium do not suffer from corrosion problems, they are not especially durable and can bend and shatter under very heavy loads or as a result of wear and tear.
Stainless steel, on the other hand, retains all of the immense strength and durability of conventional steel, and stainless steel grate covers can put up with tremendous beatings and immensely heavy loads without showing damage. They are particularly useful for bearing the weight of modern mechanised wheelchairs, which can be particularly heavy.
Weight
Drain grates made from lighter materials can pop out of the drains they cover when walked or run over, especially if they are older grates with worn fittings. The added weight of a stainless steel grate helps keep it in position even after extended periods of wear and tear, preventing dangerous trip hazards from suddenly appearing beneath bathroom users.
Easy maintenance
Stainless steel has a smooth surface that prevents dirt from becoming ingrained and is chemically nonreactive enough to be exposed to the harshest cleaning chemicals without damage. Consequently, keeping your stainless steel drain grates is very simple. Stainless steel's eponymous stain resistance also keeps your grates looking shiny and new long after installation, an important quality for customer bathrooms that must look as sanitary as they are kept.
Clog resistance
One of the most important functions of your drain grates is preventing solid matter from infiltrating your drains and causing clogs. However, in many cases, solid matter trapped between the bottom of a grate and the drain floor can contribute to blockages and flooding, especially if your grates are made from weak materials (such as plastic) and must be relatively thick to provide adequate strength.
Since stainless steel is so strong, stainless steel drain grates tend to be quite thin, providing the maximum amount of space between your grates and the drains themselves and allowing smaller pieces of solid matter to flow away safely. They still provide excellent protection against large, clog-causing pieces of solid matter.
