Plastic trench drain grates are compression molded grates from thermoplastics. Thermoplastics are a category of plastic material that can be melted and shaped while in this plastic state. Once cooled a thermoplastic material becomes solid again. The nature of the thermoplastic material is a softer material that is heat sensitive. When used for trench drain grates there are several concerns that should be considered. Plastic trench grates should not be used in areas where there are large changes in temperature or used with very hot liquids. Heat can remelt a plastic trench drain grate. Also, large temperature changes will cause these plastic grates to grow and shrink eventually leading to problems.
A plastic grate can only be used in load class A applications. The soft base material just isn’t strong enough for heavier loads. Plastic trench drain grates are often selected for residential driveways. They will hold this load for a time but eventually a plastic trench drain grate will fail with wheeled traffic.
Plastic grates can be cast in most any color. With a reasonable quantity and lead time Dura Trench can cast special trench drain grate colors. The standard plastic trench drain grate colors are gray, black, and tan.
Plastic trench drain grates have good chemical resistance and do not corrode. This is a major factor in their use. Plastic trench drain grates are the least expensive option when corrosion resistance is needed. If the application has fertilizers, pool chemicals, urine, or other corrosive materials but limited traffic a plastic trench drain grate can be a good solution.
While plastics do not corrode, they are susceptible to ultraviolet light degradation. Plastic trench drain grates should have a UV protection agent molded internally with the product.
