Oil Drain Pans

Do I need an oil drainer?

If you are a mechanic or fitter working in a garage, you will likely be doing a lot of oil changes. When changing an oil filter you must first let the old oil drain out of the engine to enable work to continue and new oil to be put in. In order to do this, you will need a suitable receptacle , which is where oil drain pans come in.

These trays are low profile, meaning they are short enough to easily fit underneath a car in order to be positioned under the source of the oil. In this way, the oil pan is able to collect the waste oil with the minimum risk of a spill.

These pans differ to a drip tray in that they are expressly design for the draining on engine oil and many of them have extra provision for oil, such as and anti splash lip or carry handles for ease of removal.

As old engine oil can contain particles, some of these pans have integrated grids that will filter out the lumps and particles, leaving you with just the oil to safely dispose of. Once full, there are options for how best to empty the contents, this could either be in the form of a gravity drain tap or a sump plug in the base of the container.

Many of these products are made with tough plastic, which creates a corrosion resistant and lightweight container. These type tend to be highly mobile and suitable to be transported between sites or used out on the road. The trolley drainers are made from steel and mounted on wheels, meaning they can be rolled under a vehicle with the integrated handle. These type are more suited to staying in the workshop as they are heavier and less easy to transport.