Did you recently have a commercial drain cleaning specialist remove drain blockages and other buildup from within your building’s plumbing system? Now, the onus of maintaining clean drains is up to you and those who regularly use your plumbing. Fortunately, maintaining free-flowing drains isn’t difficult, but it does require a little diligence and routine maintenance. Let’s take a look at what you can do to maintain clean pipes between commercial drain cleaning appointments.
Floor Drain Maintenance
Floor drains in commercial buildings are notorious for developing clogs since they tend to handle a considerable volume of waste. Here what you can do to help prevent excessive buildup inside the drain after a commercial drain cleaning appointment:
● Don’t let your floor drains dry out. Like most other drains, floor drains have a p-trap that’s designed to prevent sewer gases from wafting into your building. When the p-trap starts drying out, you’ll notice a foul odor emanating from the drain. Pour a bucket of water down the drain to solve the issue.
● Pour soapy down the drain. Pouring a bucket of soapy water down each floor drain can alert you to potential drainage issues before they grow severe. If the bubbles seem to drain slowly, that may indicate an impending clog. A little soap on the regular can also help keep the pipe cleaner than it would normally remain.
● Don’t ignore infrequently used drains. Even the floor drains that rarely see any action should be tended to regularly. If you don’t pour water down these drains, dry debris can accumulate inside them and contribute to clogs in your main sewer line.
Bathroom Drain Maintenance
After you have commercial drain cleaning for a clogged toilet or sink drain in your building, here’s what you’ll want to do to keep those drains functioning well:
● Direct staff members and employees to throw all trash in a designated trash can. This is especially important in ladies’ restrooms where sanitary products tend to end up in toilet drains and contribute to severe blockages.
● Keep toilets at the highest volume flush setting.
● Though it might be a little rougher on the tush, it’s best to opt for single-ply toilet paper in commercial restrooms. Since it dissolves more readily than other types of toilet paper, it’ll help reduce the instance of toilet clogs.
Kitchen Drain Maintenance
Given the volume of waste the average commercial kitchen drain handles, it’s not uncommon for businesses to deal with kitchen drain clogs on a fairly regular basis. After your kitchen drains have a commercial drain cleaning session, here’s what you can do to help reduce your likelihood of developing slow drains or new clogs:
● Educate staff on proper food disposal practices. Food waste should be scraped into the trash; it should never end up in the kitchen sink.
● Educate staff on how to dispose of oils, grease, and other fatty substances. Have kitchen employees scrape or pour anything oily into a designated collection container and empty that container into the trash when it’s full.
● Instruct employees to run piping hot water down the drains when they’re finished using them for the day.
● Have your grease traps cleaned regularly or assign the task to someone on your staff.
Main Sewer Line Maintenance
In between sewer cleaning appointments, there are several things you can do to help prevent drain clogs and keep your main sewer line in good condition. Since this drain handles all of the waste that flows down each drain in your building, its condition depends largely on how you treat your other drains. All of the drains in your building eventually drain into the main line, so here are a few tips for keeping things flowing smoothly:
● Do your best to keep food particles and oil out of kitchen drain lines. Educate your staff members on proper waste disposal procedures for maintaining clean drains.
● Keep an eye on tree roots that may grow close to the main sewer line. Underground roots can puncture your main sewer line and cause severe blockages and pipe damage.
● Only stock toilet paper that dissolves easily.
● Post clear restroom signage encouraging customers and staff to throw sanitary products in the trash rather than flushing them.
Schedule Regular Commercial Drain Cleaning Sessions
Yes, this is a guide for keeping your building’s drains clean in between commercial drain cleaning appointments. However, we’d be remiss not to mention the critical role routine drain cleaning plays in keeping your plumbing system healthy.
That’s why scheduling regular commercial drain cleaning sessions is so important. Depending on the volume of waste your building’s drains handle, you should have them professionally cleaned on an annual basis at the very least. If you own a high-traffic business, you may need to schedule semi-annual drain cleaning appointments to maintain your plumbing system in optimal condition.
Not sure how often you should schedule commercial drain cleaning? Check out our helpful tips on main line sewer cleaning and our breakdown of the five businesses that need commercial drain cleaning more often than others.
Drain Blaster Bills: Your Twin Cities Source for Commercial Drain Cleaning
Are you dealing with slow drains in your commercial building? Perhaps you’re just trying to maintain clean drains year round? Get in touch with our team at Drain Blaster Bill’s Sewer & Drain Cleaning today. We specialize in commercial water jetting for all types of drains in public buildings, as well as commercial sewer cleaning, outdoor drain cleaning, ag drain cleaning, and more. Whether you’re dealing with acute drain problems or you’re looking for maintenance drain cleaning services, we’ve got you covered!
To learn more about our services or schedule an appointment, call our Stillwater, MN office today at (763) 913-8719 or contact us online.