Commercial Plumbing Maintenance for Kitchens & Restrooms
From restaurants and hotels to schools and office buildings, routine upkeep on your kitchen and bathroom plumbing is crucial throughout the year. Calling on authorized technicians to conduct planned maintenance quarterly or semi-annually helps keep everything running smoothly. However, there are small tasks and checkups you can do consistently to help. Below is a commercial plumbing maintenance checklist for commercial kitchens and restrooms.
Check All Drain Lines for Clogs
A small clog might seem minor, but it can grow into a major problem if not resolved. Regularly check drain lines for clogs and clean them accordingly to prevent leaking or bursts. Always check the drains in your restrooms for any blockages and resolve accordingly. In commercial kitchens, check sink and floor drains as well as drain lines connected to refrigeration units, dishwashers, ice machines, beverage machines, combi ovens and any other equipment attached to a water line.
Make sure to warn your staff to avoid dumping food remnants, grease and paper down the drain. These not only can cause massive clogs, but they also can damage drainpipes and fittings. If the obstruction seems too big or has started to cause damage, contact an authorized technician or plumber.
Check Sink Faucets, Sprayers & Pipes
Working sinks are crucial in commercial facilities, whether it’s in the kitchen or restroom. In your bathrooms, check the faucets and drainage pipes at least once a week for leaks. Leaky sinks not only can damage floors and fixtures, but they also can raise your water bill. If repairing or replacing these components is too tricky to do in-house, have it tackled by a plumber.
Conduct a similar check in your kitchen each week. Many commercial kitchens also include sprayers to rinse fresh ingredients. Routinely scrub nozzle holes to remove any clogs caused by hard water deposits. Check your sprayheads for cracks and replace accordingly, as well. A cracked sprayhead can reduce the pressure needed to effectively clean your wares.
Schedule Frequent Grease Trap Cleanings
Grease traps allow you to safely dispose grease in a commercial kitchen. They help prevent FOG (fat, oil, and grease) backup and buildup to your plumbing system. Much like a septic tank, it holds the wastewater with the FOG. When the water cools down, these particles harden and rise to the top of the trap while the water flows to the sewer.
If backed the FOG particles get backed up, they could penetrate through the trap and start to enter the sewage lines. This can damage your kitchen plumbing over time, potentially ceasing operations and creating a foul odor. Contact a professional service to routinely clean and pump the trap. This should be conducted every 1-3 months depending on the volume of FOG your establishment produces.
Replace Water Filters Regularly
Different minerals and particles in your facility’s water can buildup over time, which can alter taste and eventually corrode the pipes and equipment. Areas with extremely hard water can accelerate this damage. Having different types of commercial water filters for your plumbing or kitchen equipment can improve water quality, ensuring fresh taste and preventing corrosion.
Whether they’re attached to your kitchen equipment or plumbing solutions, your water filters should be changed at least once every 6 months. However, if your facility is in an area with hard water, you might need to adjust this to once every 3-4 months.