As a business owner or manager, you know that success depends on meeting and exceeding your customers’ expectations and maintaining a positive environment for your employees.

Keeping the drains in the restrooms, kitchen, and break room flowing freely are important tasks that affect the way your employees and customers experience your facility. We get it.

You probably don’t give the drains in your facility a second thought, but it can be hard to focus on anything else when they’re not working properly. Backed-up toilets, standing water in sinks, or a clogged mainline can stop your business in its tracks and lead to costly repairs.

Lee Company’s plumbing experts are ready to help with 24/7 emergency services and regularly scheduled maintenance that can solve problems before they happen.

Our plumbing experts have seen restaurants shut down, office buildings vacated, and customers turned away all because of clogged drains. Drain issues don’t have to be an inevitable part of owning or managing a facility. These pro tips can help keep your business operating smoothly.

 

1. Stop, look, and listen

A slow drain or a gurgling sound could be a warning that a major problem is brewing in your pipes. Call us right away.

Regular preventive maintenance can stop minor issues from growing into major setbacks. Our preventive maintenance plan covers storm, sanitary, and special waste drains.

 

2. It might be time for jetting service

Power washing can make a backyard deck look almost new. Jetting does the same thing for your pipes. A powerful surge of water washes away the debris that builds up over time and keeps your drains flowing freely.

Depending on the type of facility, we recommend scheduling routine jetting twice a year and up to quarterly for restaurants.

You can schedule jetting as a standalone service or as part of our plumbing maintenance and prevention program. Contact our team today to learn more!

 

3. Clean regularly

Lee Company uses an environmentally safer cleaning enzyme than acid-based cleaners but tough on buildup. The enzyme consumes the strands of hair, food particles, and other organic material that can clog a drain.

 

4. Avoid toilet clogs

Paper towels are the most common cause of clogged toilets in any facility. Unlike toilet paper, they are designed to be sturdy and won’t easily break down in water. Yet, tossing paper towels in the toilet often seems like the most convenient disposal method.

If no trash can is nearby, people will attempt to flush paper towels rather than throw them on the floor. You can avoid this problem by placing trash cans in convenient locations and posting signs reminding customers and employees not to flush paper towels.

 

5. Wake up your drains

If your facility has been closed or operating with limited capacity over the past year, you might notice an odor coming from the drains. When a drain isn’t used for a long time, the water in the P-trap (the gooseneck bend in the pipe under the sink) can evaporate and let sewer gases rise up through the drain. Get rid of the odor by running some water and refilling the P-trap.

That odor might not be the only problem. A drain that hasn’t been used for a while could be at risk of clogging and disrupting your reopening plans. Drains are operated by the flow of water, if water hasn’t flowed through the drain for a significant amount of time, there could be solids sitting in the pipe ready to cause a backup as the facility reopens and the water begins to flow again.

Lee Company can flush out your drains so they operate properly when your facility comes back to life. Make an appointment today.

 

6. Hire the pros

When you need to call a professional plumber, know what to look for.

• Engineers. Lee Company is one of the few plumbing companies with engineers on our team. Engineers can design custom solutions and work efficiently with local officials to obtain any permits your project requires.
• Technology. Our plumbing professionals provide photos and videos of the before and after of every service call. We include a link with your service ticket so you have a visual record of the work.
• Extended hours. Lee Company’s standard hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. You don’t pay overtime charges during our standard hours.
• Experience. Lee Company has provided plumbing services to facilities of all sizes and industries since 1944.
• Ingenuity. No matter how stubborn your drain problem is, we will find an innovative way to restore your plumbing.

 

The risks aren’t worth it – call us today.

A drain problem can mean lost capacity, lost time with customers, and lost revenues. Put these drain maintenance tips from Lee Company to work today and stay in the flow.

We’re ready 24/7 to meet your facility management needs. Call us today.