Importance of Commercial Drain Cleaning

For many businesses, blocked or odorous drains is a sure sign of neglect and mismanagement. For customers, there's nothing more off-putting than the smell of raw sewage when services or goods are purchased. This is especially true when those goods are edible.

If you run a hotel, bakery or public house, commercial drain cleaning really is non-negotiable for these very reasons. Many an otherwise fine establishment has fallen foul of negative online reviews written in response to foul smells omitted from blocked drains.

Many businesses are required by law to provide patrons with a public toilet. If your business falls under these requirements and you have a high 'footfall,' it's likely your toilets will 'take a battering' in the course of a year. This 'battering' also extends to the pipes that connect to your toilets. Over time, it's easy for these drain pipes to block. If you sell food or some other personal service, this situation could hurt your reputation amongst your customers.

The many causes of blocked drains

Unfortunately, drain pipes become faulty for many reasons. Blockage due to high usage is perhaps the most common reason for drain malfunction. This is when grease, minerals, soil, debris and dirt hinder the flow of wastewater into the sewer line. Fortunately, this is perhaps the easiest problem to fix and the easiest problem to avoid through the use of adequate maintenance. Other common causes of drain malfunction include clogged and corroded pipes, root intrusion, collapsed pipes and cracked pipes.

Furthermore, problems may be due to faulty sewer lines. This is the section of your drains that connect them to the outside sewer. Unfortunately, many businesses are responsible for the state of their sewer line, rather than the appropriate water authority in your area.

To avoid these problems or to apply corrective action before it's too late, why not contact RPD NW today on 0151 201 3455. When you contact our office, we will likely advise you invest in a bi-annual maintenance contract. Why? Because this bi-annual maintenance contract will allow our engineers to clean your drains before debris builds up. Since we may carry out a CCTV inspection, we'll also pick up on the signs of corroded or collapsing pipes before the issue becomes an emergency.

Below we outline some of the techniques we employ when carrying out your maintenance contract. Some of these points should be considered 'best practice' and come under the general heading of 'advice'.

#1. Water jetting

Water jetting is a common method of removing sediments from bocked drains. Our engineer uses a concentrated flow of water to remove all dirt and debris from blocked drains. When you receive the benefit of bi-annual drain maintenance, an engineer will clean your drains using water jetting to ensure a blockage does not occur.

#2. Grease trap cleaning

A 'grease trap' is used in commercial kitchens to filter out grease contained in wastewater before it reaches the sewer line. This means grease does not block up your drains or the connecting sewer line. The rationale is that it's easier to clean your grease trap than pipes or the connecting sewer line.

Over time, the grease trap becomes filled with grease. This means you must clean your grease trap from time to time. This prevents grease from escaping from the grease trap into the sewer line. When you opt for our drain maintenance services, we ensure your grease trap is cleaned at regular intervals. This prevents your grease trap from clogging up.

#3. Drain cleaning solutions and powders

RPD NW makes use of powerful drain cleaning solutions when carrying our your drain maintenance work. Why? Because the chemicals contained within these solutions and powders break up dirt and debris so that the resulting 'mush' is easily removed using water jetting. These solutions and powders are either acidic or alkaline in nature.

Alkaline-based solutions include sodium hydrochloride or potassium hydroxide. The most common acidic solution is sulfuric acid. If your pipes are composed of plastic or fibre, you must not select acidic solutions since this has the potential to damage your pipes.

#4. Handled augers and drain rods

Handled augers and drain rods allow us the ability to mechanically remove debris and grease without the use of chemicals.

Drain rods make use of hydraulic pressure to remove blockages. This is achieved through the use of a rubber plunger that's attached to the end of the drain rod. Our engineer uses the drain rod to prop the debris away using sharp bursts. High-pressure drain jetting may also be used to help loosen debris. This process is repeated until the blockage is removed.

#5. Hydro-mechanical cleaners

The final method of drain maintenance we shall discuss concerns the use of hydro-mechanical drain cleaners. Hydro-mechanical equipment is used to generate a powerful force. This force is used to remove debris and grease that's built up along narrow pipes. Hydro-mechanical techniques rely on water, rather than chemicals. This means hydro-mechanical techniques are eco-friendly.

Conclusion

We hope you agree that it's essential to invest in the health and upkeep of your drains. Blocked or damaged drains is truly one problem you should try to avoid. How? Through the use of several 'best practice' steps we outline above coupled with our bi-annual drain inspection service. Together, these steps mean you will avoid blocked drains and the associated negative effects this may inflict on your business.  For Wirral drain maintenance, contact us today on 0151 201 3455.