When you think about owning a restaurant, all you focus on is a cozy interior, a professional chef, trained staff, and delicious food. However, restaurant owners often tend to forget about the plumbing problems which can arise in a restaurant. Since a restaurant is a commercial unit, the volume of water flowing through the plumbing fixtures is huge. The amount of work plumbing fixtures like grease traps, sinks, and toilets need to do is far greater compared to a domestic unit. This is the reason why having information about some of the common plumbing problems in a restaurant can give you a better chance of handling them. Plumbing problems in a restaurant, if left untreated, can lead to plumbing disasters in no time.
Some of the common plumbing problems in restaurants include the following:
Clogged Kitchen Drains
Kitchen sinks are probably one of the most used plumbing fixtures in a restaurant. While it is primarily installed for washing dishes and food items, often times, it is also used for the disposal of leftover food. Small amounts of food and oil can go occasionally go down the drain, but once it starts happening on a regular basis, it can lead to serious plumbing issue. If large quantities of food and grease go down the drain, grease and oil can solidify due to the cold water flowing in the pipes. This forms a trap for food particles which stick with the grease in the pipes and form a clog.
It is important to try and avoid this problem by installing grease traps and a garbage disposal. Also, it is important to train the employees responsible for doing the dishes. They should not let any oil and left-over food go down the drain. Despite precautions, if the kitchen drains get clogged, it is not a DIY job. It requires assistance of a professional plumber who is trained to handle clogged drains in restaurants.
Backed Up Toilets
Bathrooms are often the best reflection of the hygiene standards. This is especially true for restaurants. Toilets in a commercial setting like restaurants are always in use. Unfortunately, not all the diners follow good etiquettes when it comes to using toilets in the restaurant. Some of them might end up throwing paper hand towels, sanitary products, and other disposable items in the toilet instead of the bin.
Paper hand towels and toilet paper are two different things. Toilet paper can dissolve it water, however, paper hand towels when thrown in the toilet is a major plumbing concern in restaurants. Paper hand towels are not designed to break down like toilet paper, and flushing them down can lead to clogged toilets. If left untreated, this back up in the toilets can create serious hygiene issues in the restaurant.
Some of the ways to prevent backed up toilets is by placing bins in the bathroom. Another more expensive measure is to install dryers in the toilets. This will minimize the use of paper hand towels which can clog the toilet. Despite taking the mentioned steps, toilets in restaurants can also back up due to the extensive usage. Thus, it is important to seek help from a professional plumber who can maintain all your plumbing fixtures including toilets.
Faulty Gas Lines
Most restaurants in Arizona rely on gas stoves and ovens for cooking, baking, and heating food. Maintaining gas lines in restaurants is, therefore, a priority. In case of a faulty gas line, dealing with gas lines on your own can be risky. It can lead to fire which can destroy the entire restaurant. Thus when dealing with a faulty gas line, it is important to seek the services of a professional plumber. They ensure that there are no leakages in the gas lines. So if you own a restaurant, ideally you should go for regular repair and maintenance of gas lines to avoid any sort of emergency.
Broken Grease Traps
A grease trap is a plumbing device installed to trap grease and solid waste before it enters the septic tank. Domestic households do not need a grease trap because of the limited volume of water which flows through the kitchen. However, most commercial food businesses need to install grease traps. This helps avoid leftover food particles and grease from entering the septic tank.
Unlike clogged toilets, customers cannot notice dirty or broken grease traps, but this can be a major plumbing problem in a restaurant. If the grease trap is not functioning properly, it can lead to grease and other food particles to enter the sewerage system. As a result, it can get blocked causing back up in toilets and kitchen. Once this occurs, it can create very unhygienic conditions in the restaurant. From awful smell to toilets which don’t flush, a broken grease trap can lead to a plumbing disaster.
However, this is not a DIY task. You need to seek the services of a professional plumber to fix a broken grease trap.
Your Solution
Plumbing problems which can arise in a restaurant cannot be solved by everyone. You will need to rely on the services of a professional plumber, who can deal with plumbing problems on a commercial scale. Restaurant owners in Arizona do not need to worry when it comes to plumbing problems. Mesa Plumbing Company provides solutions to all the plumbing problems which can arise in a restaurant. We have a team of qualified and experienced plumbers who can provide all sorts of commercial plumbing support. From drain cleaning to gas line repair and replacement, our professional staff is available 24/7 to help identify and solve all your plumbing problems. To know more about our services, visit our website or call now at 480-832-1660.