Your commercial plumbing is designed to handle extensive use each day. In a restaurant, bathrooms are high-traffic areas, and kitchens are constantly in use. But your complex system isn’t indestructible; flushing or draining products that can’t break down in your piping may cause clogging and prevent use. To help your system last longer and avoid a need for plumbing repairs, here are a few of the items to advise your staff and customers to dispose of in the trash instead of your sinks and toilets.

Common Causes of Restaurant Plumbing Clogs

1. Cotton Products 

Cotton products do not dissolve in water like toilet paper. Never flush any cotton-based items such as feminine hygiene products, tissues, body wipes, and paper towels. To avoid clogs, post signs in your bathrooms politely asking that customers refrain from flushing these items. You can also protect your commercial plumbing by providing trash cans in every stall so customers have alternatives.

2. Leftover Foods 

A garbage disposal can handle small pieces of fruit, leftover meat, and most soft vegetables. However, damaging foods like fruit rinds, coffee grounds, and bones of any size can get trapped in your pipes, causing other disposal-safe foods to get stuck as well. Only drain biodegradable scraps, have your staff run your disposal regularly, and dump larger pieces of waste in the bin instead.

3. Grease & Cooking Oils 

Cooking oils and grease from foods can block your pipes. As the liquid cools, it hardens and stops moving, preventing other items from flowing through the piping. For this reason, always dispose of grease in the trash. Have your kitchen employees drain the liquid into a plastic tub and let it harden. Then, simply toss the firm product into your garbage.

If your commercial plumbing needs the attention of an expert, turn to ES Systems, Inc. Located in Rochester, NY, their 24-hour service department has the skills and equipment to complete jobs for industrial plants, hospitals, and every commercial building in between. Serving Monroe and Ontario counties, their mechanical contractors assist with plumbing, HVAC, and fire protection to keep your facility running smoothly. Learn more about their plumbing work on their website, or call (585) 473-9300 to schedule a timely repair.