With any production area that is constantly washed down, it is imperative that the floor is laid with the correct fall (slope). This ensures the water flows to the drain. Therefore, by making one part of the floor higher than another, gravity can be relied upon to persuade the water in a preferred direction. A properly sloped floor will carry all water and liquids down to the drain and away from the finish surface. As industrial flooring contractors, PSC have applied sloped flooring to a vast range of companies within the cheese and dairy manufacturing plant sector.
Calculating The Fall
Accurately calculating the fall of your floor is essential to the proper function of your drainage. In domestic terms, areas such as wet room floors, laundry areas, entryways, garage floors and patios may all have a built-in fall to help drain water to a specific point where a drain is located.
The same principle is related to commercial / industrial flooring except the type of drain and positioning of the drain is usually different. Domestic areas usually would have a one point drain situated in the corner of the area. However, industrial flooring is usually in a modern purpose built manufacturing premises. Therefore, a long drain will run centrally along the longest part of the room with all sides slopping towards the drain. This allows for a higher volume of water to reach the drain point in as little distance as possible. Also, allowing the floor to dry quicker and hence less of a slip hazard.
To calculate the fall, the first thing you need to do is take measurements. You need to know the distance from the outer edge of the area to the drain. Then a fall of 10mm for every 1000mm distance travelled is recommended.
Related: Food Grade Anti-Slip Flooring – the key to a safer working environment
Pleased As Cheese
While expanding their business, a cheese manufacturer in Cumbria asked PSC Flooring to quote for reflooring the existing manufacturing facility. As well as the newly built extension.
The brief was to have a food grade, chemically resistant resin screed floor, laid to falls, so water would run to the drains. In addition, the floor needed to be hygienic, easy to clean and hard wearing. Consequently, PSC recognised that this required a three-part process. So, we recommended Polyurethane mortar compound to build up the falls and complete with a 6mm heavy duty polyurethane screed. This is after the 120 sq metre floor received a DPM primer in preparation.
Preparing & Applying Cheese Manufacturing Flooring
The floor was prepared using the diamond grinding preparation system. After that, two coats of Resdev Pumaprime DPM were laid before the falls were built by hand with Resdev pumabulk Polyurethane mortar compound.
Once this was completed and dry, the final flooring finish of 6mm Resdev RT polyurethane screed in a dark grey was hand applied. To complete the space with the food grade, hygienic flooring finishing, the customer had specified a 100mm high coving in a matching dark grey. It was applied to the perimeter of the floor. This involved laying a plastic trim 100mm high around the room and then hand forming the Resdev Polyurethane CG cove system with a 50mm radius up to that trim.
When asked to comment the production manager said:
“The installation of the new floor has not only revitalised the existing building. But, also seamlessly brought the new extension in to feel as if it’s always been here. Installing the falls has meant that the whole floor area is much less slippy and the water naturally drains away to the central drain. In the Cheese manufacturing process we wash down the floor multiple times a day and hence the falls have made this process much less time consuming.”
Are You Looking For Cheese Or Dairy Plant Flooring Contractors?
If you are looking for suppliers of cheese and dairy manufacturing flooring, then get in touch today. PSC Flooring are leading industrial flooring contractors in the UK. We can help you with any questions you have and offer a free site survey. Call us on 01562 702047.
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