Do you own or manage a commercial building? Do you lease a commercial space to operate your business? Then you need to pay close attention to your drains. The typical commercial plumbing system is under substantial stress every day, and without proper drain maintenance, the system will inevitably develop problems over time.

Fortunately, commercial drain cleaning, when performed on a routine schedule, can help prevent some of the most common plumbing problems in busy businesses. The experts at Drain Blaster Bill’s Sewer & Drain Cleaning explain how below.

1. Backed-Up Floor Drains

Commercial kitchens, food processing warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and other commercial operations often have serious struggles with recurring floor drain clogs. Why? Because solid and oily materials routinely flow into floor drains in these types of businesses, and no one bothers to prevent it from happening.

If you own, operate, or manage a facility that deals with chronic floor drain blockages, taking preventive measures is key. Install grates over floor drains to prevent solids from entering the pipe and educate employees on proper oil and grease disposal. These two standard preventive measures alone can make a big difference in the frequency of backed-up drains.

In addition to installing grates and practicing proper waste disposal, you should also seriously consider scheduling routine commercial floor drain cleaning. Annual camera drain inspections and pipe cleanings will help keep drains free of solid debris and oily residue.

2. Burst or Damaged Pipes

Burst pipes and less severe pipe damage can be both hazardous and expensive for any commercial operation. Even minor plumbing leaks can cause water contamination, low water pressure, water waste, and ultimately, building damage if they go undetected.

Burst pipes, on the other hand, can cause significant flooding, moderate to severe water damage, and lengthy interruptions in daily business operations. That’s why keeping a close eye on your building’s plumbing system is absolutely critical.

When you schedule routine commercial drain cleaning appointments, your specialist will perform a camera drain inspection to assess the condition of your pipes. If he locates anything questionable during the inspection, he can alert you to potential issues so you can address them promptly before they devolve into serious problems.

3. Backed-Up Toilets

Toilet clogs are super common in commercial buildings simply because toilets in these locations see a high volume of daily activity. Furthermore, many commercial buildings don’t have posted guidelines for proper waste disposal in bathroom stalls. Without signage, building occupants and guests assume it’s fine to flush hygiene products, which can accumulate quickly and cause substantial drain blockages.

To help prevent clogged toilets in your building, consider posting waste disposal instructions if you don’t already have them. In addition to posted signage, scheduling routine commercial drain cleaning appointments can also make a huge difference in the frequency and severity of toilet drain blockages.

Do you regularly deal with backed-up drains in your business’s restrooms? If so, check out the most common culprits behind bathroom drain clogs and what you can do to prevent them from occurring.

4. Main Sewer Line Blockages

When you run a busy business, chances are you don’t often think about the condition of your building’s main sewer line. But that’s a huge mistake. A backed-up or failing main sewer line can be an absolute nightmare for your business.

Not only is this plumbing problem unsanitary and smelly, but it can also seriously impact daily business operations. Depending on the severity of the clog, you may have to close your doors while you deal with it. You lose business, your staff loses hours, and ultimately, you might lose a little sanity from the stress of it all, too.

Routine main line sewer cleaning performed by a commercial drain cleaning specialist is the best way to prevent main sewer line clogs from forming. Specialists use a technique called water jetting to thoroughly clean the interior of the line, which prevents debris from accumulating and clogging the line.

How often should you schedule service? That depends on how frequently you use the drain. Ideally, you should have a professional camera drain inspection and a thorough cleaning at least once per year.

5. Stinky Drains

No matter what kind of business you run, malodorous drains can present several problems.

If you own or manage a commercial kitchen, the stench from dirty drains can infiltrate dining areas and make customers question your sanitation practices. If you operate an office, odors wafting up from bathroom drains can leave a negative impression in both your employees’ and clients’ minds.

Luckily, preventing stinky drains is relatively simple since they’re often caused by one of two things: a dry p-trap or backed-up debris inside the drainage pipes.

To solve the first issue (if you know that’s the culprit) simply run some water into the pipe to refill the p-trap and prevent sewer gasses from wafting up through the plumbing system. To solve the second issue, make sure you instruct employees to avoid tossing trash into drains.

Provide trash bins in stalls, so staff members can dispose of hygiene products properly. And consider posting signage near drains that reminds employees to be careful about what they flush or rinse down the sink.

6. Slow Drainage

Even if your staff is super diligent about keeping clog-causing items out of the drains in your building, partial blockages can still form. Tap water naturally contains a small amount of sediment and minerals, which can settle along the interior of your building’s pipes as the water passes through.

Over time, that sediment naturally accumulates and may begin to slow the passage of water through the plumbing system. When that happens, you may notice sinks, toilets, and floor drains start to drain slower than normal, and if you don’t address the issue, it’ll only get worse.

To be proactive and keep your building’s drains flowing freely, consider investing in annual cleaning service from a professional drain cleaning specialist. If your pipes are in good condition, commercial water jetting can thoroughly remove any sediment or residue within them, which will allow water to flow through as easily as possible.

7. Slow Leaks

If you operate your business in an old commercial building that hasn’t been updated in some time, you may have tiny plumbing leaks you don’t even know about. And if that’s true, those tiny leaks can cause big water damage problems over time if you don’t find and eliminate them.

How do you find tiny leaks in sections of pipe you can’t see or access? With a drain camera inspection. A drain cleaning specialist can insert a tiny camera into your building’s drains, which provides a real-time visual of the interior of the pipes. If there are any questionable areas, a pro can point them out and give you recommendations on taking care of the problem.

Schedule Commercial Drain Cleaning With Drain Blaster Bill’s Sewer & Drain Cleaning

If your building experiences chronic clogged drains, get in touch with our team at Drain Blaster Bills to schedule commercial drain cleaning services. Routine drain cleaning can dramatically reduce the frequency of drain blockages and help keep your commercial plumbing system functioning optimally.

To learn more or schedule service, you can request a free estimate or call our Stillwater, MN office at 763-913-8719. If you have questions, feel free to send us a message, and we’ll be in touch.