When Do You Have a Full Grate on a Floor Sink?

Uses of Floor Sinks

• Restaurants set floor sinks in kitchens underneath food preparation and dishwashing stations to collect spills and drain them away so the floor stays safe for walking. The basin allows a large amount of liquid to be drained quickly off the floor. Beverage makers use them for the same reason. Hospitals use them for sanitary applications, while businesses and industries use them to wash mops. A dedicated mop-washing sink is necessary for sanitation. Scientific laboratories use floor sinks to dispose of dangerous chemicals directly into treatment facilities to avoid polluting water.

Grates for Foot Traffic

• Any floor sink installed where people walk needs to have a grate to prevent people from falling into the sink. A floor drain underneath appliances or workstations that's never moved doesn't need one. If the appliances are moved, the sink should have a grate, reports the website Wade Drains. A floor sink that has a raised rim can prevent accidents without a grate.

Splash Guard Grates

• Any floor sink used for disposing of dangerous chemicals should have a splash guard, which is a small grate shaped like a half dome and installed inside the sink rather than on top to reduce splashing. Floor sinks used to dispose of merely unpleasant substances can benefit from splash guards too.

Anti-Clog Grates

• If a floor sink is installed in areas where large objects such as food or wood shavings might become mixed with water or other liquid, a grate keeps larger objects from getting washed into the sink and clogging the drain.

Grateless Floor Sinks

• Floor sinks that are meant to wash mops or any other type of equipment cannot have grates installed. Grates would make it impossible to put the equipment in the sink to wash.