Seven independent laboratories across four continents. Every figure on this site traces back to a report with a number, a laboratory and an accreditation.
The usual question about any drain seal is this: how well does it stop air and aerosols travelling back up from the sewer into the room above? Green Drain had that measured at SGS-CSTC, a laboratory accredited under CNAS L0604.
The test was run on the GD3 model, report QDF25-0049810-01, over three rounds. In each round MS2 bacteriophage (ATCC 15597-B1) was aerosolised below the seal — a non-pathogenic virus used in aerosol transmission research as a surrogate for human respiratory and enteric viruses. Air above the seal was then sampled and plaque-forming units (PFU) counted.
| Condition | Detected above the drain |
|---|---|
| Control — no seal fitted | 18,000 – 72,500 PFU |
| With the GD3 fitted | below the detection limit (<5 PFU) |
| Retention | over 99.9% in all three rounds |
The figure describes how the seal behaves physically against an aerosolised viral surrogate under laboratory conditions. It is not a measure of protection against real pathogens or against infection. Green Drain is a supporting engineering control that complements, and does not replace, infection prevention programmes.
Plenty of products claim to "block sewer gas" or "stop odours". Those are descriptions without a measure. The SGS report gives a number that can be reproduced and checked, under accreditation, so products can be compared instead of promises.
A seal that stops aerosols but throttles the drain is no use in a commercial building. Flow for every model is tested by IAPMO to ASSE 1072-2020.
The GD4 — four inches, the most common commercial floor drain size — sustained 276 L/min over a continuous ten-minute run. Across the range, flow goes from 30 L/min on the GD1.25 to over 550 L/min on the GD6. Every model is sized above the maximum expected flow for its pipe diameter.
The one-way silicone membrane is not a filter or a mesh. Water pushes it open and passes through the full cross-section of the drain. Nothing collects on a screen, and capacity does not fall away over time — the membrane is either fully open or fully sealed.
A seal has to hold under the pressure differences that occur in real plumbing: wind loading on the building, ventilation, stack effect, fluctuations in the sewer. The Danish Technological Institute (DTI) tested Green Drain to EAD 180020-00-0704, the European assessment document for waterless trap seals.
| Test | Report | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Odour tightness | DTI 226049 | 200 Pa with no pressure drop |
| Mechanical resistance | DTI 226049 | over 700 Pa for most models |
| Vacuum and positive pressure | DTI 957187 | over 400 Pa in both directions |
For comparison: building plumbing in normal operation sees differentials of 25 to 100 Pa. In extreme conditions — high wind, stack effect in a tall building, several fixtures at once — you reach 150 to 250 Pa. Measured resistance of 400 to over 700 Pa leaves a substantial margin.
The silicone membrane is the only moving part. How long the seal lasts depends on its mechanical properties. CRT Laboratories (Orange, California) tested it to ASSE 1072-07 (2013), section 3.9.
| Property | Measured | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Split tear strength | 23.38 kN/m | 0.25 kN/m (ASSE 1072) |
| Temperature range | −40 °C to +100 °C | no brittleness at −40 °C |
| Elongation at break | 656% | — |
Tear strength is 93 times above the minimum the standard asks for. Elongation of 656% means the silicone stretches to more than six and a half times its length before it fails — which is what lets the membrane open fully under water and return to the sealed position when flow stops.
A single measurement tells you how the material behaves today. Cycling tells you how it behaves after years of repeated stress.
The seal went through more than 1,500 thermal cycles, alternating 93 °C and 15 °C. It kept its self-cleaning behaviour, the membrane went on opening and closing, and the seal stayed intact. That corresponds to years of hot-water washdown in a professional kitchen.
ASSE 1072-2020 requires testing across thousands of open-close cycles. Green Drain completed 2,500 cycles, the number the standard requires, and the opening force stayed at 32 grams throughout — the same on cycle 2,500 as on the first. No stiffening, no fatigue.
Expected service life of the silicone membrane in normal use is about five years. A periodic visual check is recommended as part of routine building maintenance.
Floor drains take cleaning agents, disinfectants and food-waste acids every day. The membrane has to cope without losing its properties.
Green Drain does not self-certify performance — every test was run by an independent accredited laboratory.