¹²L.K. Spink, in his book Principles and Practice of Flow Meter Engineering, notes that drain holes intended to pass solid objects may be useless in small pipe sizes, where the hole is so small it will probably become plugged with solid debris and cease to provide benefit. In such installations he recommends re-orienting the pipe vertically instead of horizontally. This allows solids to pass through the main bore of the orifice without “damming” on the upstream side of the orifice plate. I would add the suggestion to consider a different primary element entirely, such as a venturi tube. The small size of the line will limit the cost of such an element, and the performance is likely to be far better than an orifice plate anyway.