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WINERY & VINEYARD EQUIPMENT November 2018 WINES&VINES 35 Thompson said they're considering all options to replace the flooring entirely. Starting from scratch When building a new cellar floor, Kuhn said that at BAR Architects, a firm that also specializes in LEED- certified and sustainable building designs, concrete is the typical first choice for him and his colleagues. "It's durable, sealable and handles the necessary loading requirements from typical winemaking requirements such as forklifts, hand trucks and point loads from barrel racks and other equipment," he said. Robert Morris, co-owner and general manager of one of Sonoma County's newest custom-crush facili- ties, Grand Cru Custom Crush in Windsor, Calif., said all of those factors played a part in his decision to choose concrete when he and his business partner, Todd Gottula, designed their new building from scratch. The winery, which opened in December 2017, is now host to 19 clients producing about 28,000 cases annually. Because of the large volume of machine and foot traffic as well as the amount of wine being made, Morris said that concrete, which was sourced and installed by Miller & Elwood Concrete in Rohnert Park, Calif., was the obvious choice for his building. When asked about the sensitivity of concrete, its tendency to corrode when exposed to acids (like that found in grape juice and wine) or high-pressure water (like that found in most winery cleaning sys- tems), Morris said these are non-issues for him. "Concrete doesn't like acidic liquid ... but with the amount of acid in wine, it takes a long time for con- crete to actually erode." Architect Kuhn agreed, saying that in his experience building wineries, "spilt wine is less of a concern as the impact of the acidity is often negligible when the floors are cleaned/sprayed down often in these spaces." At Grand Cru Custom Crush, Morris said they use a KEW Poseidon 7-67 portable electric hot or cold high-pressure with a Hydro Twister floor cleaner, which is operated like a lawn mower, gently scrubbing the surface and using very little, if any, chemical solution. "It's the only pressure washer to order," he said, adding it "works like magic." Both items are sold by AaquaTools. One thing Morris said to be wary about is the finish of the concrete. "When concrete is brand new, it's pretty smooth, and you do have to worry a bit about excessive amount of juice ... and grape skins. Nothing is slicker than grape skins," Morris said. To prevent slippage, Morris had the concrete contractors apply a broom finish to the crush pad flooring — a process in which the still-wet concrete is wiped with a broom to create a subtle ridge texture. In the production area of the facility, Morris went one step further with a trowel finish — the same process as a broom finish but utilizing a steel trowel for deeper grooves. "I've seen forklifts actually slide on fresh concrete when not finished," Morris said. Installing a drain system Morris called his choices for draining pretty straight- forward. For areas without easily maintained slopes and those that do not experience constant heavy water flow, simple area drains are sufficient. At Grand Cru, Morris sourced stainless steel area drains from StainlessDrains.com out of Greenville, Texas. But for the bulk of the custom-crush facility, he chose to install trench drains from ACO Drain. These modular trench drains are made from corrosion-re- sistant stainless steel, specifically meant to handle high-acid materials, like grape juice or wine. Morris said the modular-style draining systems are ideal when installing really long runs of concrete that in- corporate the gradual, gentle slope essential to a barrel room's foundation. Architect Kuhn said, in general, trench drains are preferred for winery production areas because, since they run linearly along the front of fermentation tanks, they're easier to clean. Also, trench drains are less likely to become backed up from the solid matter found on production room floors, such as stems, grapes and leaves. Lastly, as mentioned by Morris, Kuhn said that trench drains more easily accommo- date the gradual slope grade needed to maintain balance for the various types of winery equipment. Morris explained that during construction when the bare ground is exposed, the first step is to run the piping — another important component to a winery facility's flooring. Morris stressed the importance of choosing chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) pip- ing. Unlike conventional polyvinyl chloride (PVC) piping, CPVC is altered by free radical chlorination reaction, increasing the chlorine content of the piping material. The chemical makeup means that CPVC can withstand higher temperatures (up to 200° F com- pared to 140° F). "If you use regular pipes, they can melt in the ground from all the high-temperature washing that goes on in a winery," Morris said. Once piping is in place, the next step is to install the trench draining system. Using the modular style, the lengths of drains are put together and locked into position, and what Morris calls a "rough layer" of concrete is shot underneath them. Once the bottom layer of concrete is dry and the draining and piping lines are secure, the top layer of concrete slabs is laid on top. "In the drawing stage, you can calculate the slopes needed for the concrete slabs," Morris said. "The architect will work with you to make sure you don't exceed the recom- mended slope." The Wines & Vines Product Focus feature is not intended to provide a definitive listing of all available products in a particular segment or provide any comparative analysis, but rather serve as an overview of what's new or available and also of potential interest to readers as determined by the magazine's editorial staff. STAINLESS DRAINS The EZ-STOP-LOCK was de- signed to secure drain compo- nents with the use of a magnetic lock. According to the manufac- turer, this eliminates the possi- bility of garbage or debris being pushed down the drain and po- tentially clogging the trunk line. The magnetic locking device comes with a corresponding key that releases the lock when nec- essary for routine cleaning and maintenance. Because only the assigned key can open the lock, the drain is protected from being opened with wrenches, crowbars or pliers. stainlessdrains.com ACO DRAIN The stainless steel trench drains by ACO are specifically built for drainage systems where corro- sion resistance, hydraulics and durability are required. The stainless steel channels are avail- able with either a constant depth or sloped configurations and can incorporate corners and branches as well. The systems are available from modular to fully custom-designed solutions in a continuous slot or with re- movable grates. acodrain.us EPOXY FLOORING Brew Floor III epoxy floor sys- tem is a two-layer acid- and chemical-resistant system best used in areas where chemicals, acids, bleaches and cleaners would affect standard epoxy floors, such as commercial brew- eries or wineries. The kit in- cludes the two-part epoxy primer, two-part topcoat with non-skid additive and all the tools needed for application. brewfloors.com. Winery tank room with installed trench drains by ACO Drains.