5 Top Tips to Keep Your Drains Out of Sight and Out of Mind Over Winter
As the weather drops and winter approaches, it comes with a host of seasonal challenges. One of the most prominent challenges is the risk of clogged drains which can lead to frustrating and potentially costly problems.
To prevent these problems, keep your drains functioning smoothly and avoid unwanted surprises, we have created a handy “5 Essential Drain Checks” guide for you to download.
What are the top 5 Things You can do in Your Business to Prevent Drainage Issues?
1. Avoid Disposing of Grease and Oil in Your Drains
One of the most common culprits of clogged drains is built-up grease and oil in your pipes as a result of incorrect disposal. When grease and oil are poured down the drain, they cool down and solidify, which, over time, will build up to create blockages. To prevent this issue, commercial kitchens should have a grease trap or grease recovery unit installed to catch any waste grease.
2. Use Drain Guards and Interceptors
As well as the cold weather, winter also brings more risk of debris entering your drainage systems, from fallen leaves and twigs, to silt washed into drains by heavy rainfall, snow or ice. Several devices are available to prevent this debris from entering your drains and causing issues, one of which is drain guards, which block leaves and twigs from entering your drains. Drain interceptors, also known as petrol or oil interceptors, are another type of device ideal for preventing drainage issues. They work to capture contaminants like oil, petrol and silt that wash into your drains and prevent them from flowing into surface water sewers.
3. Clear Your Gutters
Although the falling leaves of autumn and winter may look pretty, they can collect in your gutters restricting the flow of rainwater. If left unchecked, heavy rainfall can quickly collect, causing the gutter to break and water to overflow. These leaves can also cause water to stay standing in your gutters instead of flowing freely, which increases the risk of your property succumbing to damp and mould.
4. Prevent Frozen Pipes
Frozen pipes can lead to serious issues such as burst pipes and damaged heating systems. To prevent these issues, it’s important install insulation or a trace heating system to prevent them from freezing, especially in unheated areas like basements and external pipes.
5. Schedule Routine Maintenance
Regular maintenance and cleaning of drains, sewage pump stations, interceptors, grease traps and other drainage services can help to keep your system running smoothly and reduce emergency call-outs; especially in winter months when there is more pressure on drains due to increased rainfall and low temperatures. If you suspect there is an issue with your drains, a CCTV drain survey can help to pinpoint the exact problems within your drains and repair them before they escalate, following this with regular maintenance will help protect your drains throughout the winter period.
Following these tips can help keep your drains out of sight and out of mind this winter, and we’re here 24/7/365 with over 500 drainage engineers across the UK. No matter where you are, or the time of day we’re never more than an hour’s drive away and have a local, specially trained engineer ready to help.
Talk to your local Metro Rod specialist
We are always happy to arrange a free site assessment and no obligation quotations for any work you might need. Alternatively, you can call our emergency hotline number on 0800 66 88 00
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