DRAIN HUBS

ESSCO Drain Hubs meet EPA Regulation requirements for QQQ, B-1, Hon, NSPS and Storm Water Phase II. ESSCO Drain Hubs are being used as the preferred alternate to P-Trapped drain hubs by refineries and chemical plants on new construction projects. The ESSCO Drain Hub eliminates many of the problems associated with P-traps. P-traps by design can and will plug and are very difficult to clean. A major refinery engineer once stated, “It’s not a question of if a P-trap will plug, but rather when it will plug.” The water seal in a drain must be visible to ensure that the drain is in compliance. A P-trap can appear to have a water seal when in fact the water level is low enough to allow hydrocarbons and combustible gases to pass through the P-trap, thereby leaving the drain out of compliance and susceptible to a sewer explosion from any external ignition source. The ESSCO Drain Hub puts the water seal at grade level where it is always visible. Hydrocarbons will collect on the water seal on both the ESSCO Drain Hub and the P-trapped drain hub. Those hydrocarbons must be removed prior to issuing a permit for hot work or when environmental testing finds the drain out of compliance. Removing hydrocarbons from a P-trap drain is very difficult, if not impossible. A P-trap drain would have to somehow be vacuumed or completely sealed to prevent escape and possible ignition of combustible gases. Sealing or cleaning a P-trap drain is more difficult when several lines are draining into a single drain hub. Removing hydrocarbons from the ESSCO Drain Hub is as simple as removing the cap and flushing the drain with water.