I recently had the opportunity to visit Kansas City again and review the use of trench drain at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs.  Earlier in the year, I visited Kaufman Stadium, the sister stadium and home of the Kansas City Royals.  At that time, we discussed slot drains and radius drains used to help evacuate surface water.  At Arrowhead Stadium, some of these same systems were used.  However, I saw greater variety of products and applications.  In addition, I was able to see some problems encountered with existing products.

To get a good idea of the breadth of products used at the stadium, I took an opportunity to get an “inside look” and go to a football game.  The Pittsburgh Steelers were playing the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football.  The Chiefs were using a substitute QB and had some offensive issues.  The Steelers had offensive issues of their own, just coming off a bye week and being a little rusty.  Both defenses played well leading to a low scoring game with a high turn-over.  In the end, Steelers outlasted the Chiefs in the 13-9 routing of the home team.

Arrowhead Stadium has recently gone through a remodeling, adding a new press area, a founder’s plaza, and a hall of fame.   I was impressed with the changes I saw, having been an employee of the Chiefs organization some 35 years earlier.   Upon entering the stadium, I headed down to the stairs on my way to the field.  At the base of the stairs, I noted Zurn Stainless steel perforated grating used in a Z886 channel.  It was fitting that the drain was at the base of the stairs, which would be a collecting point for the rain and melting snow tracked into the stadium from the barrage of pedestrian traffic.

I also want to point out that due to the high pedestrian traffic at sports venues, drain grating is most always heel-proof, or at least ADA.  That is to say, the open area which makes up the holes of the grate is less than 3/8″ in width.  Also, you will see an effort by the architect to specify a slip resistant surface on the grating.  In the case of the Zurn Grate, the perforations included some raised dimples which made a gripping action for the soles of a wet shoe.   The particular Zurn Grate style is the Z886-PSC.

Making my way to the field, I was able to inspect the field perimeter drain.  This drain runs around the field and about 10 feet from the wall stand.  This particular drain had galvanized steel perforated grating in meter lengths as is common with the European style products such as Polydrain, MEA or ACO drain.  All three of these channel systems are basically identical.  I suspect that this particular product was the PolyDrain system due to the lack of brand identification on the grating.  MEA and ACO drain tend to put identifying marks on their grates.

The evolution of sports broadcasting has had an effect on the trench drain of this stadium and, I suspect, other stadiums.  Originally when this drain was installed, I’m sure the designers envisioned that the loads seen by this grating would be football players, coaches, security personnel and maybe a golf cart of some sort.  Now-a-days, there is constant wheel loads from television camera mobile scaffolding going over the drain grates.  This causes the resultant bellying-out of the typically weak grating.  This is made evident in the photo above.  The groundskeeper of this field would be wise to replace these grates with an ADA cast iron grate or reinforced Perforated grating when they schedule the next maintenance on these drains.

The Founder’s plaza is a grand court at the business entrance and ticket booth at Arrowhead Stadium.  Here, they have a fountain, an ornate hardscape, and memorial paver stone courtyard which requires quite a bit of drainage.   Earlier in the year, I was called by an engineer from a local contracting company, George Shaw Construction, to discuss the replacement of grates that were failing at the Founder’s Plaza.  At the time, the engineer was considering a stone based, reinforced polymer concrete grating called Jonite.  This product proved to be too costly for the Chiefs organization, who decided to live with the broken grates – at least for the time being.

Upon arrival to the Founder’s Plaza, I quickly located the problem trench grating (See below).  I had seen this product earlier in the year in the general admission section of the adjoining baseball stadium, Kaufman Stadium.  When I first viewed this grate, I suspected it was custom because I saw no markings.  But here at Arrowhead Stadium, I was able to pick the grate up and view it in detail.  The grate was an 8″ wide by 24” long galvanized cast iron product made by a boutique foundry out of California named Ironsmith.   The grating pattern, Olympian (9045-8), is meant for pedestrian loads only.

After examination of a broken grate, it was clear to see the root of the failure.  The recess of the trench which held the grate was designed to be one inch deep.  The Ironsmith grate showed a one inch thickness, required to bring the grate flush with the adjacent hardscape.  The grating design incorporated 1/4″ thick corner and edge pads (sometimes called pedestals) which are used to stabilize the grate within the track and prevent rocking.  The actual rail body of the grate was only 3/4 inch thick.  The grate cross bars, attached to the edge rails, are around 3/8” thick.  The pedestals are intended to be ground, if needed, to help facilitate stability.  In this case, however, the pedestals acted as suspension points along the weakest axis of the grate.  At first glance, one would think the strength of the grate would be a function of the multiple 1 inch thick cast iron support member spanning the 8″ dimension.  In fact, the Ironsmith Olympian design is only as strong as the two 3/4″ edge rails that spans 12 inches between any two adjacent pedestals.  This is a weak grate design and can be easily fail under light loads.  No wonder so many of these grates were found broken.

Elsewhere in this same plaza, other types of trench drains were used.  Around the fountain, designers used a trench drain with a slot drain extension rather than a standard grate.  These drain sections were 40 inches in length (one meter), typical of European style products such as MEA and ACO drain.  Both of these manufacturers have a galvanized steel slot extension which is used in place of a grate.  This allows the water to be drained into a 3/8” wide continuous slot that is well hidden from view.   The slots are ADA compliant, as well, but watch out for cigarette butts clogging the slots!!!  They only drain as well as they are cleaned.

One last example of trench drainage is along a sidewalk curb.  This particular product is manufactured by ACO drain as shown by the brand mark.  The grate, Type 494, is plastic and ADA compliant.  It is resting in their K100S channel which is made of polymer concrete and utilizing a galvanized steel edging.  This pre-sloped system is made in the European tradition and is pretty much identical to MEA’s Z1000 channel.

Arrowhead stadium displayed a nice assortment of trench drain products.  At this venue, the exposed grating was heel-proof and ADA compliant due to the high volume of pedestrian traffic.  Product manufacturers included Zurn, ACO, Ironsmith and possibly Polydrain.  I was able to view design flaws of a product made by Ironsmith and see some significant deformation of grating that was under-rated for the application.

If you would like to discuss any of the above products, contact us at Trench Drain Systems (TDS).  We specialize in all aspects of trench drains, channel drains and trench grating products.  Call us toll-free 866-570-2333 to speak to one of our sales specialists.  Or, visit our website www.trenchdrain.biz.

Fiberglass has become a popular grating option for trench drain.  As the price of stainless steel increases, fiberglass is filling the material gap because of its resistance to corrosion, its high strength, and its easy fabrication.  Also, more people are turning to fiberglass as a alternative grating because it has little secondary scrap value and is less likely than is cast iron to be stolen for recycling.

In general, there are two methods used to form fiberglass grating:  molded and pultruded.  The molded fiberglass forming method is usually used for making mesh grating and involves a jig that is the size of the desired final product.  Fiberglass thread is arranged and stretched within the mesh shaped wall recesses of the jig before adding a polymer bonding material.  If desired, an abrasive sand-sized material can be applied to the surface at this time to form a non-slip surface.

Molded fiberglass is made in large sheets (4′ x 8′) that are cut to size to make trench grating.  The load capabilities of mesh grating will be a function of the grate’s thickness and the open area that the grate will span.  Generally speaking, molded fiberglass is used for pedestrian and some light traffic applications.  It doesn’t have properties that would allow it to be a drop-in replacement for heavy duty cast iron.  However, a 12″ wide grate of 1.5″ thick molded fiberglass mesh (1.5″ x 1.5″) has the strength to hold a 2830 pound/sq. ft. load.  (See above.)

Fiberglass grating made from the “pultrusion” method (pulling + extrusion) is strong enough to be used in structural applications.  This forming method involves pulling fiberglass reinforcing through an extrusion die, which simultaneously applies binders, heat and protective coatings to the bar or rod-shaped component.  When this method is used for making I-beams, it can rival the functionality of conventional steel.   In the case of grating, pultruded bar grating has potential to replace cast iron grating of the same dimension, though not at the same price.  To manufacture pultruded grating, fiberglass bar stock is cut to size and fabricated into large sheets with a frequent cross-member supports.  The cross members impart a weakness to the grating.  While the grate is strong on its own merits, and the cross members help to concentrate that strength, if a vehicle’s wheels turn too abruptly while on the grating the cross members can be weakened and compromise the grate’s overall strength This can be an issue in some high traffic applications.

For most common trench drain applications, fiberglass grating isn’t required.  Galvanized steel and cast iron grating are the materials of choice when load capabilities are the main grating requirement.  When corrosion resistance becomes the most important design criteria, the materials of choice are stainless steel, high density polyethylene and fiberglass.  Thereafter, the cost and specific details of the application will dictate which material is best to specify.

Polymer concrete trench drain systems are one of the most common pre-fabricated trench drain systems available in the marketplace.  Each manufacturer offers a fiberglass grating option for their channels.  Hubbell, the manufacturer of the Polycast brand, offers two fiberglass grates that fit their Polycast 500 and 600 polymer concrete channels.  Both grates are bar grating made in the “pultrusion” method and have an added slip resistant top coating.  The difference between these two grates is only in the bar spacing.  The standard fiberglass bar grate, DG0644, has bar spacing on 3/4″ centers which allows it to be used in light automotive applications (Class B).  A heavy duty version of this grate, DG0644SP, uses the same fiberglass bar sections at a 3/8″ spacing.  This tighter bar spacing provides added strength which enables this grating to handle heavier loads (Class C).

For all fiberglass grating, a special locking mechanism is required to keep it secure in the trench drain channel.  This locking device, shown below, is made of stainless steel.  It works by strapping the cross-members of the grate to a center toggle attached to the channel.  Attachment to the cross member keeps the locking device below the surface of the grate and out of the way of traffic above.

Trench Drain Systems (TDS) manufactures a molded fiberglass grate to fit the Polycast and Dura Slope trench drain product lines.  This grating, 4 foot long and 3/4″ thick, has a slip resistant top surface.  And, while it is strong enough to handle light automobile traffic, it is meant for residential use only.  Since it is made from a molded fiberglass, it isn’t designed to be locked down to the channel.  Its uses are best in corrosive or frequent clean-out applications that see only foot traffic, such as kennels or small maintenance facilities.

There are many manufacturers of trench drain.  Trench Drain Systems handles most of them.  Custom fiberglass grating is also available through Trench Drain Systems.  For further information on fiberglass grating and how it can be used in your trench drain application, contact Trench Drain Systems at 866-570-2333.  Or, email us at sales@trenchdrain.biz.

It had been 10 years since I had been to a professional baseball game and even longer since I had been to a game in my hometown of Kansas City, Missouri.  Back in the mid-1970′s, I worked as an usher at Royal Stadium – as it was called then –  with a bunch of my high school friends.  Those were the days of George Brett, John Mayberry, Freddie Patek, Willie Wilson and Amos Otis, to name a few.  It was a great place to spend the warm summer evenings and make a little extra money.  I thought it was the best job in the world.  Go figure, they actually paid me to go to baseball games and work on the club level.  Now back after 30 years, I can see how the place had changed.  The stadium, now called Kauffman Stadium, had recently undergone a well deserved facelift.  A new museum, new seating, new scoreboard and new restaurants are all part of the new landscape.  I was impressed.

I was in Kansas City on business, but it would have to wait.  The Oakland A’s, an old rival of the Kansas City Royals, were in town for a match-up.  I remember seeing the Kansas City A’s play in Municipal stadium back in the 1960′s when owner, Charlie Finley, was in his glory.  The A’s – Kansas City rivalry was initiated the moment Charlie “O” sent the A’s packing for their new home in California.   Of course, this was pre “Moneyball” days for the A’s, but still very much a circus with Finley as the ringleader.  I was looking forward to seeing these two teams slug it out and hoped to walk away with a small portion of revenge.

The warm day was perfect for baseball.  The sun was shining and people were smiling.  We went with some family members and sat a few rows behind the home team dugout.  It just happened to be “Cap Day,” so we were all rewarded with a baseball cap upon entering the stadium.   The Royals Franchise had recently acquired Jeff Francouer and brought in a rookie outfielder, Eric Hosmer.  Both Francouer and Hosmer had hits in the game.  For Hosmer, it was his first major league hit.  The game was exciting.  The score was 3 to 3 in the eighth inning.  The Royals loaded the bases in the ninth inning and won on a sacrifice fly.

Then the game was over.  We hadn’t noticed that it was evening already.  People lingered in the stadium, chatting in a friendly, mid-western kind of way. We watched the light dance in the scoreboard fountains, a delightful end to a wonderful day.  And, though I was unfamiliar with the current team players, it didn’t matter.  This was baseball as it is meant to be.

All of this does lead up to the topic of trench drain.  The only thing that could make this evening more complete, more perfect, was to find a couple of interesting trench drain examples to explore.  The first example was seen near the general admission section of the park, near the Hall of Fame Building.  This particular area is not protected from rain by any sort of roof or canopy, so it gets a fair bit of direct rain water.  There I found a heel-proof cast iron grate that had been arranged to form part of a radius drain.  (See below)  The grate was 8 inches wide and 24 inches long. It was in a painted steel frame (now rusting) and showed no visible locking devices.  It did not display a manufacturer’s marking and, to make things more interesting, was galvanized.   I stood looking at the grate for a while trying to determine the source.  My conclusion…..it had to be a custom product from a local foundry.

Heel-proof cast iron grates are becoming more popular in applications with a high concentration of “professional” pedestrian traffic and light vehicle traffic.  In the trench drain world, “professional pedestrian traffic” refers to situations where women wearing high heeled shoes with small diameters may be walking.  Usually, professional office workers, (lawyers, product managers, engineers, physicians) fit this description.  This type of grate became vogue in an effort to minimize lawsuits associated with tripping hazards.  (Side note:  I’m not suggesting that there isn’t a large amount of professional women strolling the general admission section of a Royals game on a Saturday night.)

The fact that the grate was used in a radius trench drain is not surprising.  The “illusion” can be used on large sweeping radiuses while using a standard grate.  You only need to be able to bend the angle iron railing to the curvature required and install the straight grates.  If your desired radius is 75 feet or greater, you should have no problem making this work since the spacing between the grates will mask the lack of radii.  On radiuses of 60 feet or less, I generally recommend using a grate that has been manufactured to display the proper curvature and non-parallel ends.  From my experience, few radius grates exist that aren’t decorative and are designed for a specific radius.  For more information on this topic visit www.ironagegrate.com.

I learned a little bit more about these grates a month after I visited the stadium.  There was a situation in the stadium next door, Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs football team, where they wanted to replace some grating that was breaking.  An engineer from a local construction company called me to discuss a situation in which the fork trucks delivering supplies to stadium concession stands where driving over 8 inch wide galvanized cast iron grates,  causing them to pop up from the trench frame and eventually break.  The company was hoping to replace all the grates with a custom reinforced stone grating manufactured by Jonite.  In our discussions, it was mentioned that the problem grates were 1 inch thick, were made specifically without a manufacturer’s identification and were later galvanized. The grate was purchased by the plumbing contractor on the job, and I assume it was from a mid-west foundry.  My guess:  we are talking about the same grate.

The second example of trench drain was found in the street that ran in front of the two stadiums. This drain, shown in the photo to the right, actually appears to be a slot drain.  A slot drain can be thought of as an underground drainage pipe that has a slot shaped extension rising from the pipe to be flush with the ground surface above.  The slot forming material can be made from a number of materials and the slot can be a multitude of widths.  The overriding characteristic in all slot drains is the narrow geometry of the slot width in comparison to the underlying conduit. Now I’m not 100 % sure of my guess on this identification. If anyone reading this article can help identify this product, I’d be grateful.

No matter.  I’m familiar with a couple of slot drain products.  The first that comes to mind is the Zurn Z888 family of products.  They have slot drains ranging from 4″ diameter pipe with a 3/4″ slot extension to 36″ diameter conduits with 3″ wide slot extensions.  These products are made of HDPE and come in standard 4 foot lengths.  The slot riser in each Z888 product is formed into the conduit body.  Material options for the riser neck are available in the event you need a ductile iron or stainless steel slot in the finished floor.

A number of the polymer concrete trench drain manufacturers make 3/4″ galvanized steel slot extensions that can be placed on their trench drain channels to simulate the slot drain opening.  These products have the added advantage of being part of a pre-sloped drainage system.  A slot drain, on the other hand, is a non-sloped product by its very nature.  However, if the drainage surface has a natural grade, the underlying pipe will also be sloped.

A number of slot drain making components that allow you to convert standard drainage pipe to a slot drain are on the market.  I’ve seen a polymer concrete “slot riser” made by ABT that is inserted into a longitudinal cut along the length of a 6″ diameter schedule 40 pipe.  Another manufacturer uses the same “slot riser” technique with larger diameter pipe.  If I recall correctly, this product is made from galvanized steel, as well.

Regarding the slot drain shown here, I felt the use of expanded metal mesh for the grating was significant.  This irremovable mesh was part of the neck.  A trench drain would need a removable grate for occasional cleaning.  An immovable grate suggests that there is a large conduit below that would not require constant maintenance.  The 2 inch wide slot also leads me to believe that a large pipe lies underneath the 6 inch long neck.  And, if you saw the streets at this stadium, it is apparent that this is the sole method of storm drainage in this location.  There has to be a BIG pipe connected to this slot.  I just wish I knew for sure.

Writing this article, as was previous blogs, was thought provoking and educational.  It required that I put my thoughts about these topics in order, that I gathered meaningful and factual information to share, and that I communicated in a way that is easy for all to understand.  In the process, I realized that I was silly in high school for thinking the best job in the world was working for the Royals.  As it turns out, NOW I have the best job in the world.  Where else would I be able to travel the world, meet interesting people, see interesting cultures, study drainage systems and products, and then write about a topic I like?  If you have a topic you want me to discuss in a future blog article, send me your request at michael@trenchdrain.biz.  If you have specific questions regarding trench drain products, installation, or recommendations, don’t hesitate to contact us at by email at sales@trenchdrain.biz or by phone at 610-638-1221.  Thanks for visiting this site!