Drain Covers
HERMEQ drain covers seal a drain grid quickly to stop oil, fuel, chemicals and polluted water entering the drainage system. The range is used on construction sites, industrial premises, yards and loading bays. It covers mechanical drain seals, magnetic drain covers, adhesive polyurethane covers, clay drain mats and neoprene drain mats.
The range spans several sizes, for spill response from a vehicle or standing protection at a high-risk drain. The covers go down and lift off by hand, and most are reusable. All five are manufactured in the UK and held in permanent UK stock for next day delivery.
Drain seals, drain mats and magnetic drain covers
Each type holds to the drain in a different way, and that grip decides which drain and which spill it suits.
Mechanical drain seal
The mechanical drain seal, also known as a mechanical drain blocker, clamps onto the drain grid so that it cannot shift when liquid pools around it. It is the choice for a drain at a low point, beside a fuel store or in a yard where a spill would collect and stand against the seal.
Magnetic drain cover
A magnetic drain cover holds to a metal grate by magnetism, so it goes down in one movement and lifts cleanly once the spill has been dealt with. It grips a steel or cast iron grate that is clean and free of debris. For plastic gullies, concrete channels or heavily soiled grids, the adhesive polyurethane cover or a clay mat is the better match.
Polyurethane drain cover
The polyurethane drain cover has a sticky contact face that bonds to the grid and the surrounding ground, sealing into the corners of the drain and across uneven surfaces. Carry handles make it quick to take from a vehicle or store and lay over the drain. It is made in a lightweight and a heavyweight version, and the flood water guidance below explains which job each one suits.
Clay drain mats
Clay drain mats are the drain plug of the range: a flexible clay sheet that presses into a worn, uneven or damaged grid and the broken surface around it, and seals as soon as it is pressed down. They fit most drains and resist oil, water and most chemicals.
Neoprene drain mats
Neoprene drain mats are the lightest and fastest option in the range. A mat rolls out over a drain to stop a small spill, or goes down as a second layer over another cover when a larger spill is on its way. They resist oils, solvents and chemicals, and they stay usable after several years in a vehicle or spill kit.
Drain covers for oil spills, chemicals and flooding
What the drain has to hold back narrows the choice: oil and fuel call for a cover that goes down fast, chemicals for one that resists the substance, and flood water for a cover heavy enough to stay put.
Oil and fuel spills
Clay mats, neoprene mats and the polyurethane cover all resist oil and go down by hand. The cover holds the fuel back at the drain, and spill absorbents or the contents of one of our spill kits then soak it up for disposal.
Chemical stores and loading bays
Drains beside chemical stores, wash areas and loading bays face acids, alkalis and solvents as well as oil. The magnetic cover resists acids and alkalis and suits the steel grates found in many industrial yards, while the mechanical seal holds where a leak from a dropped container pools around the drain. Where a store holds a known substance, match it against the resistance given on the product page before a spill happens.
Flood water
When water is the threat, the heavyweight polyurethane drain cover is the version made for severe flood situations, and the lightweight version is for standard pollution control.
Sizing and fitting a temporary drain cover
With the type settled, a temporary drain cover seals only when it is sized to the grid and within reach of every drain a spill could reach.
Measuring the drain grid
Measure the outer edge of the frame and choose a cover that overlaps the frame by a clear margin on every side so the seal sits on solid ground. The range runs from covers for small gully grids to mats up to 1.4 m long. Long channel drains take a mat that runs their full length, or several mats laid end to end with each one overlapping the next.
How many covers a site needs
Walk the route a spill would take from each fuel store, refuelling point, chemical store and delivery bay, and count every drain and gully on the way, including those on the road outside the site boundary. Each of those drains needs a cover within reach, with at least one spare for a second spill or a cover damaged in use.
Drain seal storage and drain marking
Drain protection on a site is either carried or standing: neoprene mats and the polyurethane cover, with its carry handles, travel in vehicles and spill kits, while the accessories below keep a cover permanently at a fixed drain and identify the drains that need one.
Mechanical drain seal wall bracket
The wall-mounted bracket for the mechanical drain seal fixes to a wall beside a vulnerable drain, such as a fuel store, a tanker delivery point or a chemical bay, and holds the seal there for immediate use. It is made for long-term outdoor storage.
Wall-mounted box for clay drain mats
The wall-mounted box for clay drain mats is a powder-coated steel box that mounts on a wall at a high-risk drain. It keeps the mats outdoors through the seasons, ready at the drain they protect.
Drain marking kit
The drain marking kit is used before work starts to trace where each drain runs and mark the grids to be covered. Non-toxic tracing dye shows where a grid discharges, and the degreaser, cleaning pads, stencil board and marking paint clean each grid and mark it so every team on site knows which drains to cover. The grids are cleaned before the dye or paint goes on.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is a spill drain cover the same as a manhole cover?
No. A spill drain cover is a temporary seal laid over an existing grate or manhole cover to stop liquid entering the drain beneath it, and it is lifted again once the spill has been cleared. It does not replace the cast iron or steel cover fitted in the frame, which carries foot and vehicle traffic.
Can drain covers be cleaned and reused after a spill?
The mechanical drain seal, magnetic drain cover, polyurethane drain cover and neoprene mats are all made for repeated use. After a spill, remove the spilled material, rinse the cover, let it dry and check the sealing face for cuts or contamination before it goes back into storage.
Do drain covers work in freezing weather?
Yes. The clay mats, the magnetic cover and the mechanical seal all carry ratings below freezing, and of those three the mechanical seal is rated to the lowest temperature. Ice or frost on a grid stops an adhesive or magnetic cover gripping, so clear it before the cover goes down.
How should drain mats be stored?
Store mats flat or loosely rolled and never folded, because a crease can stop a mat lying flat over the grid. Keep them clear of sharp edges and heavy items stacked on top, and keep the sticky face of the polyurethane cover free of dust and grit.
Which drains should be covered first during a spill?
Cover surface water drains first, because they usually discharge to a stream, river or soakaway without treatment, while foul drains run to a treatment works. Start with the drain nearest the spill on its downhill side, then work along the route the liquid is taking. If it is not known which system a drain joins, treat it as surface water.
What else should be kept with a drain cover?
Drums and IBCs on site should stand on drum and IBC containment, so that a leaking container is caught before its contents reach a drain. HERMEQ supplies containment, spill kits and absorbents alongside its drain covers.