Drip Tray and Splash Guards

What are drip trays or splash guards ?

The drip trays or also called as splash guards are most commonly used in draft beer systems where it is used to catch the drops of beer that is left dripping from the beer faucet after it had been poured. KegMan would be helpful for you if it is the beer's foam that's causing your need for a drip tray as this means you're just wasting beer. There are drip trays that only hold the drops of beer and you manually empty them out while there are those used in commercial bars, restaurants, taverns and pubs that divert these wasted beers to a large reservoir or drain. Basically, there are 6 types of drip trays that are being used in the business of draft beer. They all come in with a S/S base, PVD Brass and they are all made of stainless steel.

DRIP TRAY FINISHES

Not all the finishes for drip trays come in all the styles but most of our trays are with stainless steel that is durable and built to last.

Brushed – To create a matt finish, fine graining is scored into the drip trays metal.

Polished - The drip tray's metal is well polished to have a chrome-like finish. This chrome-like finish will not pit or chip like chrome. It is easy to clean by just spraying with a glass cleaner then wipe it off.

PVD Brass – The stainless steel base is well polished to give it a chrome-like finish then a coating of brass color is applied electronically. This PVD coating makes it tarnish and scratch resistant for several years without the need for polishing as you just spray it with a glass cleaner and wipe it off.

DRIP TRAY STYLES

 drip trays from www.orientequipment.com        drip trays from  www.smithsofthedean.co.uk

Surface Series – These surface series of drip trays are very easy to install. You'll only need a single hole for the drain line on the countertop. This tray is well secured by the use of a nut and a washer that are attached to the drain pipe.

Cut-out Series – The name is derived from its design that follows the tower's flange. The advantage of the cut-out series is that it has a better coverage of drips from the faucets. It only requires a single hole through the countertop for its drain line. It is also secured with a nut and washer that attached to drain pipe.

Recessed Series – It provides a clutter free look for your bar top. The disadvantage of this is with the installation where a large rectangle is needed to be cut into your counter top. It is then secured with a silicon sealant to the counter.

Bevel Edge – This drip tray adds to the bar top a designer touch. There are 45° angle slants on its edges to create highlights near its tower.

Wall – This is an excellent choice if you want a drip tray outside of your walk-in cooler. A shank with faucet is mounted through it directly into your walk-in cooler. We offer you with a selection of pre-drilled shank holes to make it easier to install. For easier PVC plumbing connection, we include a threaded drain.

Rinser – With a rinser, you can simply invert your beer glass and push the built-in sprayer down. That will add some excitement to your beer pouring. Cold water is used to rinse the insides of the beer glass. With a wet beer glass, it is easier to pour the draught beer. The rinser trays are made of heavy gauge type of stainless steel with a durable type of plastic rinser. You'd need a connection for cold water with this style.

Wrap Around – This is mounted under your cantilever and tower just over the edge of the bar. Included in this style is a threaded drain.

DIY Beer Drip Tray

For any home draft beer system, you'd need a working beer drip tray. This is set under your tap as it catches any of the beer drips or spill as you pour the beer to avoid a big mess that will take a long time to cleanup. You can purchase drip trays but they are quite basic so you can just make one at home using a few tools.

Tray Body

Finding a shallow tray to use as the bottom part of your beer drip tray is quite easy. If the look doesn't matter to you, you can just use a small baking pan as long as it's shallow or you can even use plastic containers as long as it is of the right size. But however, since the purpose of having a drip tray is to make your tap area look as clean and neat as possible, you may consider making your own tray body instead. Easiest way to do this is by purchasing a stainless steel sheet or brass and even aluminum. The sheet should be slightly larger than your desired size for the tray. Cut the corners of the sheet forming small squares then fold it to form your own shallow tray. It needs to be sealed with a solder or epoxy on its edges so bear won't leak out. Check for leaks by making sure it is sealed properly and test it with water before using it as your tray body.

Tray Grill

It is necessary to have a tray grill so you can set the glasses down as you pour the beer so they won't be set in the tray for spilled beer. You can make an attractive and effective tray grill in two ways. First method is by soldering pieces of straight and thick wires together to make a pattern for the grid. Then cut the wires to fit the trays lengthwise then bend the ends with a 90 degree angle then cut. Make sure that the entire grid is sitting in the tray properly so that its top flush is with the top of the tray. Make sure you use a wire that is thick enough to handle the weight of full glasses of beer without it ever bending. Make it tight enough too so that glasses won't tip over once placed on top of it. Second method, you can use another plate of the material you used for the tray body. In the same way, cut and bend it just like with the wire grid. Then drill some holes on its top surface so spilled beers can pass through it. Make sure that the metal is strong and thick enough to handle the weight of full beer glasses.