Safety at the workplace is essential, especially if you are dealing with chemicals. If any chemical splits on you by mistake, you need to take care of it as soon as possible. You can wash off the chemicals with an emergency shower or a drench hose. Maybe you have heard of them before, and that is why you want to know the differences. A comparison between the drench hose vs emergency shower can be helpful for you.
The main difference between a drench hose and an emergency shower is the area they cover while cleaning. An emergency shower rains on your whole body and cleans the chemicals. A drench is for cleaning any specific area of your body where the chemicals have split.
Throughout this article, we have explained all the differences between these hoses. The knowledge will help you to decide which one you need more. Also, this article will help you learn when to use which washing station.
What Is a Drench Hose?
A drench hose offers cleaning a targeted area on your body. For example, you have split chemicals on your palm. Now you can use a drench hose to clean this specific part.
Usually, the drench hoses come in a wall-mount design. You also can find a portable drench hose with eyewash.
How to Use a Drench Hose
The main purpose of a drench hose is to wash away the chemicals from your body. If you have dropped chemicals in a specific area of your body, then a drench hose can be helpful.
Take a hose and turn on the water line to use a drench hose. Point it towards the target area first. Continue spraying for at least 15 minutes to wash away the chemicals completely.
Using Drench Hose Video Step
What Is an Emergency Shower?
An emergency shower is like a regular shower. You can use it to wash your whole body from chemicals. When you need to wash your whole body, an emergency shower can be helpful.
Emergency showers remain fixed in one place. But the portable emergency shower is also available in the market. You can carry them around the lab to use them where necessary.
How to Use Emergency Shower
First, you need to know where in your office there is an emergency shower station. The. Whenever you split some of the chemicals on your body, immediately go to an emergency shower.
Turn on the shower and let it water your whole body. Keep standing and cleaning your body for at least 15 minutes. The chemicals will be gone within this time limit.
Drench Hose vs Emergency Shower: Quick Comparison Chart
| Basis of comparison | Drench hose | Emergency shower |
| Coverage area | Small | Whole-body |
| Portability | High | Low |
| Purpose | Clean any specific part of the body | Clean the whole body |
| Efficiency | Good | Excellent |
| Usage | Use to clean a small amount | Use to clean greater amount |
Drench Hose vs Emergency Shower: Key Differences
Whether you have your own lab or work in an office, having any safety measures is essential. Chemicals can harm your body. That is why it is crucial to clean them from your body immediately.
The following are the key differences between a drench hose and an emergency shower:
Coverage Area
The coverage area or the focus area for a drench hose is small. You can spray water on a specific area, and it will take a lot of time to cover the whole body.
But an emergency shower does not focus or cover any specific area. It doesn’t matter where the chemical split on your body. You can wash away chemicals for your whole body with an emergency shower.
Portability
Drench hoses have high portability. If not mounted on a wall, you may carry them around. But the emergency showers are usually fixed in one place. Though some portable models are also available, those can cost pretty high. That’s due to the necessity of carrying a source of water too.
Purpose
The major purpose of both these equipment is to wash away chemicals from the body. But a drench hose has a more specific purpose. It can clean chemicals from a part of your body, such as the eyes. You can point the hose end towards your eye and clean them. But you do not get that facility with an emergency shower. The purpose of an emergency shower is to clean every part of your body and wash away the chemicals.
Efficiency
Both of these equipment are efficient. But when you can point out a specific part for cleaning, a drench hose offers more efficiency. When the chemicals have split on a large part of your body, the efficiency of the emergency shower is better.
Usage
Though you already should understand when to use which one, let us mention it too. Use an emergency shower when chemicals have split into different parts of your body. But when a little amount of the chemicals have dropped on a single point of your body, you can use a drench hose. But, if only one option is available near you, you can go for that one due to safety concerns.
How Do You Activate the Eyewash Drench Hose?
Eyewash enables you to clean your eyes from chemicals. When the chemicals have gotten into your eyes, an emergency shower may not be much efficient. You need to go to an eyewash station in these situations. Eyewashes usually may attach a drench hose with it.
How do you activate the eyewash drench hose? First, ensure the water supply is on and can flow water for at least 15 minutes. Also, make sure that the water pressure is not too high or not injurious to the eyes. The water valve is likely turned on. This is how you activate an eyewash drench hose. Now you can use it whenever necessary.
Best Drench Hose:
Do you need a drench hose for your lab? There are many options available in the market. You can either go for a wall mount design or the one with an eyewash. If you need a good one, here are our top picks:
1. Speakman GravityFlo SE-4300 Portable Eyewash with Drench Hose
Highlighted Features:
- Portable design
- 15-minutes of water supply for washing eyes
- You can mount it anywhere
- It has a side drench hose
Speakman GravityFlo always provides high-quality safety equipment for labs. This Portable Eyewash with Drench Hose is an excellent option.
Speakman GravityFlo Eyewash with Drench Hose Review:
It comes with a portable design, so you do not need any plumbing to use it. There is no necessity for a sink or faucet for this model. This is basically an eyewash but comes with a drench hose.
The drench hose in this eyewash enables you to clean any part of your body. This machine serves two purposes with drench. It can be an excellent addition to your lab.
2. Guardian Equipment G5026 Wall-Mount Drench Hose
Highlighted Features:
- Wall-mount design
- Dual purpose: eyewash and drench
- Durable stainless steel valve
- 3/8″ NPT male swivel-type inlet
- The working pressure is 275 PSI.
Are you looking to mount the hose on your wall? Then this Wall-Mount Drench Hose from Guardian Equipment can be your best choice.
Guardian Equipment Wall-Mount Drench Hose Review:
This one has two gs-plus spray heads so that you can use it as a drench as well as an eyewash. The hose is PVC material, and the length is 8 feet. It comes with spring clips to mount and hold the unit onto the wall.
There is a locking clip mechanism to enhance the convenience of usage. You can use this for cleaning chemicals from anywhere—a pretty good wall-mount drench hose on a budget.
Conclusion
We hope you have understood the differences. A drench hose vs emergency shower, both are necessary. Safety is crucial, and you should never compromise with it. Both of these are efficient, and you can have both of them in your lab. Use the drench hose for small amounts of chemicals and use the emergency shower to wash your whole body.
