What's the surface above the drain?
Concrete or asphalt driveway, paver patio, garage slab, parking deck, restaurant kitchen floor — start with the page that matches the surface, not the building.
Trench Drain Applications
The surfaces, properties, and problems we solve. Pick the match closest to your project.
Pick the right page
Two questions get you to the right application
What's the heaviest thing crossing it?
Foot traffic → A15. Passenger car → B125. Pickup or SUV → C250. Delivery van or fire-lane → D400. Loaded truck or forklift → E600 / F900. Pick the page whose load class matches.
Residential
Driveways & Laneways
Linear surface drainage designed for long runoff paths, sloped driveways, and vehicle traffic.
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Garages
Trench drains installed at garage entrances capture runoff before it reaches the door.
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Patios, Walkways & Hardscapes
Low-profile surface drainage designed to protect finished outdoor spaces without altering elevations.
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Pool Decks & Recreation Areas
Low-profile drainage designed to manage splash water and seasonal moisture without disrupting recreation spaces.
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Commercial Parking & Loading
Heavy-duty surface drainage engineered for commercial traffic, runoff volume, and year-round reliability.
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Auto Repair & Dealerships
Surface drainage designed for service bays, drive-through lanes, and vehicle handling areas.
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Restaurants & Food Service
Drainage designed for kitchens, prep areas, wash zones, and service corridors.
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Gas Stations & Fueling Areas
Surface drainage designed for fueling lanes, forecourts, and high-exposure pavement areas.
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Warehouses & Industrial
High-capacity drainage engineered for large floor areas, equipment traffic, and industrial wash-down conditions.
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Quick reference
Load classes at a glance (EN 1433)
The number on the grate decides everything else — channel body, anchoring, concrete thickness. Match the class to actual use, not 'just in case'.
| Class | Test load | Typical surface |
|---|---|---|
| A15 | 1.5 t | Pedestrian, residential patios, pool decks |
| B125 | 12.5 t | Residential driveways, garages, light commercial |
| C250 | 25 t | Curbside, parking lots, light truck zones |
| D400 | 40 t | Commercial parking, gas stations, fire-lanes |
| E600 | 60 t | Container yards, industrial loading docks |
| F900 | 90 t | Airports, ports, heavy industrial wheel loads |
Reference: EN 1433 European standard, used by every reputable channel manufacturer (ACO, NDS, Zurn, Mufle, Stegmeier). Canadian projects don't have a separate national standard for channel grates — the EU classes are the de facto language.
Why these nine pages
What changes between applications, in plain terms
Residential surfaces
Driveways, garages, patios, pool decks. Mostly B125 or A15. Cured concrete, polymer concrete or PVC channels, decorative grates allowed.
Commercial drive-on
Parking lots, loading areas, fire-lanes, gas stations. D400 grates non-negotiable. Wider anchoring concrete, frequently a hot-dip galvanized or ductile iron grate.
Wet-floor commercial
Restaurant kitchens, food service. Stainless 304/316 channels and slot grates. Sloped channel sections built in, grease-friendly design, NSF where required.
Heavy industrial
Warehouses, auto repair bays, gas stations with tanker traffic. E600/F900, ductile iron, heavy anchoring. Spec'd from drawings, not catalogue.
FAQ
Picking the right application
I'm not sure which page fits — what should I do?
Send us a photo of the area and a one-line description of what crosses it. We'll point you at the right page and quote it on a free site visit. No application page on this site is more expensive than another — they're how we organise our knowledge, not pricing tiers.
Can a residential channel handle the occasional delivery truck?
No. A B125 residential channel is rated for passenger cars, not box trucks. If a delivery truck regularly drives over it (a long driveway leading to a warehouse, for example), spec C250 or D400. Underspeccing the load class is the most common DIY failure we get called out to repair.
Do you sell the channel and grate, or just install?
We supply and install. Channel and grate spec is part of the fixed-price quote — we source from ACO, NDS, Mufle, Zurn, and a few specialty stainless fabricators depending on the application. We don't install homeowner-supplied product we haven't speccced ourselves.
What if my project is institutional or doesn't fit one of these nine?
Call us. Schools, government buildings, multi-residential, and one-off industrial sites go through MT Drains & Plumbing's commercial group. Same crew, same Master Plumber licence, same number — (647) 558-4885.