Blog

Preventive Drain Care

If your facility has drains, odds are you’ve been faced with the dilemma of whether to treat them preventively or wait until there’s a problem.  

No matter which method you choose, the use of good workplace practices to prevent inappropriate materials from entering the drain system is important to any drain maintenance program. This includes proper bussing of food utensils to remove leftover food before rinsing or ware washing, using tallow bins to pour oils and other fats used in cooking and using mechanical devices, such as drain screens, to prevent large materials from going entering drains in areas with large amounts of fats, oils and grease (FOG).

Now, you may be wondering what benefits a preventative drain program has to offer. The clear benefit is not having unscheduled drain clogs or backups. A preventative program will also resolve most if not all malodor and drain fly issues. While these are both promising benefits, it’s important to know that not all drains need a preventive program. In fact, only drains with heavy soils, like those in food handling areas, and drains with a history of clogs or backups need preventive care. If your facility does require a preventive program, it is best to first identify the major soils going down the drain or causing the blockage problems. This determination will be the foundation of the product selection process. 

Another major factor that comes into play during product selection are the regulations in your area. Currently there are no Federal regulations, however, regional and municipal sewer districts regulate what can be discharged into the public sewer systems. It’s important to do a little research and follow any local regulations when treating your drains and lift stations.

Knowledge of any certifications associated with a product can also be helpful when building a drain maintenance program. The two respected green chemistry certifications with drain care categories are the U.S. EPA’s Safer Choice program and EcoLogo, however, there are many others, such as the Design for the Environment certification. When you choose an U.S. EPA Safer Choice certified drain product, you know the product has been screened by an independent third party and found to be safer for the environment and for the workers using it while still maintaining the strictest performance standards. To meet the Design for the Environment certification standards, the product must be manufactured from specific green chemical ingredients. It also must meet physical parameters such as pH ranges and biodegradability of ingredients. Finally, it has to meet performance criteria that show it works for the intended purpose.

For more information on the U.S. EPA’s Safer Choice Program, make sure to check out their page at: https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice