WE PROVIDE 24/7 EMERGENCY SERVICE
WE PROVIDE 24/7 EMERGENCY SERVICE
PLUMBING & DRAIN SERVICES IN BARRIE
Restaurants can be harder on plumbing than many other commercial properties. Kitchen sinks, dish washing areas, floor drains, restrooms and hot-water systems may all be running simultaneously for many hours each day.
When problems arise, they can quickly impact food preparation, cleanup, employee efficiency and customer service.
Sureflow Plumbing & Drain offers restaurant plumbing in Barrie to local independent restaurants, cafes, bars, fast-food establishments, commercial kitchens and other food-service businesses. Our services include drain clogs, plumbing repairs, leaks, fixtures, hot water problems, pumps and emergency plumbing when an issue can’t wait.
Restaurant Plumbing Services We Provide in Barrie
Restaurant plumbing can be more complex than repairing a leaky faucet.
Commercial kitchens often have many drains, sinks and water-using appliances working together. There can be public restrooms in the dining area. Behind the scenes, there may be equipment in mechanical rooms that provides additional support for the building.
These are some of the restaurant plumbing services we offer:
The exact service your restaurant needs will depend on the issue at hand and which areas of the restaurant are affected.
Water is essential in commercial kitchens day after day.
Prep sinks, hand sinks, dish areas and more may drain into the same pipe. Often, when one drain becomes clogged, others are affected.
Commercial kitchen plumbers have to think about how the entire system functions together.
If multiple fixtures are draining slowly, it could be further down the line.
Blocked drains are some of the most common problems that occur in restaurants and other food-service establishments.
Grease, food debris and other elements can stick to the inside of pipes. At first, the drain might still run properly.
Eventually there will not be enough space for water to run through at capacity.
Cleaning drains in your restaurant can help you restore flow and identify if part of your system is affected.
Grease can be especially troublesome for kitchen drains.
It can go down the drain when hot and liquified, travelling through the first few feet of pipe. As grease travels down the line, it begins to cool and solidify against the inside of pipes.
The drainage begins to narrow as more grease and food sticks to the original buildup.
Slow draining and clogs are the final results.
Some restaurant drains present bigger challenges than simply removing a clog.
If grease and sludge have coated a more extensive section of pipe, hydro jetting might be an option. Powerful water streams can blast buildup from the inside of appropriate drainage lines.
However, hydro-jetting isn’t always necessary every time a drain in a restaurant clogs.
Consider the condition of the pipe and what’s actually causing the blockage before deciding what drain-cleaning method makes the most sense.
A mechanical drain snake can clear many blockages in restaurants.
This may punch through the obstruction and re-open up drainage without the need for more intensive cleaning.
However, if the issue involves pervasive grease, sludge, or frequent buildup along a significant portion of the pipe, hydro-jetting can be considered.
Professional drain cleaning wants to match the solution to the problem. Just because powerful tools are available doesn’t mean they should always be used.
Floor drains are an essential part of commercial kitchens.
Cooking areas produce a lot of dirty water that needs to go somewhere. Without working floor drains, kitchens can quickly find themselves with pools of standing water on the floor.
Food particles, grease and sediment will find their way into floor drains over time.
When one floor drain continues to clog, the problem may be further down the pipe than the visible drain.
If you suddenly have a floor drain that fills with water when you flush your toilet, you most likely have a blockage somewhere in your system.
If water comes up in the floor drain when you use your sink or dishwashing machine, they likely drain into the same line.
Don’t send any unnecessary water down your drain while you’re waiting to have the problem diagnosed. Water you use from other sinks will seek the lowest level and come out of that floor drain.
Restaurant sinks do see a lot heavier use than most home sinks.
One prep sink could be dealing with food residue all day long while the dishwashing area dumps huge amounts of wastewater into your drain system.
When only one sink is draining slowly, the clog could be near that fixture.
If multiple sinks all start to drain slowly at once, look into the bigger branch line or even the main drain.
Kitchen prep sinks will need good water pressure and drainage when the kitchen is busy.
Having a slow prep sink can clog up everyone’s workflow even if the drain hasn’t completely filled up with standing water.
Supply line leaks, faucet leaks and drain connection leaks should all be repaired before water damage occurs.
If your prep sink frequently gets clogged, it may benefit you to investigate further down the drain line. Avoid treating the problem as if it happens to that sink every time.
Heavy dishwashing can push lots of water through your drain lines.
If the drain behind the dishwashing area is already partially clogged, it may become more noticeable when large amounts of water are introduced to the line.
Water coming up around sinks or floor drains in the kitchen during heavy dishwashing could indicate a problem with the drains sharing that line.
That drain line should be cleaned before water starts pooling around the kitchen.
Commercial dishwashers require good connections for water supply and drainage.
Leaks can happen on valves, hoses, fittings or even other plumbing behind your appliance.
Drain issues can cause problems washing equipment too. Water left behind by a drain problem may not drain out of your dishwashing area properly.
When you suspect the problem is your building’s plumbing and not the dishwasher itself, contact a commercial plumber to have the water supply and drain lines checked.
Commercial kitchen faucets see a lot of use.
Spray heads can become worn down from constant use, as can cartridges, handles and spray assemblies. While a faucet dripping every now and again may not seem like a big problem, a faucet that constantly runs can waste water and prevent you from running your kitchen efficiently.
The shut-off valves beneath the sink should function properly as well.
There’s not much sense in repairing a faucet only to leave a frozen up or leaking shut-off valve in its place.
Water leaking inside a restaurant isn’t limited to the plumbing department.
By the time a water leak is noticed, water may have spread to underneath equipment, into walls or onto finished floors. Water lines can leak behind walls or underneath cabinets and sink leaks may go unnoticed until water pools onto the floor.
Leaks can occur along water lines, valves, fixtures, sinks, and even where equipment is connected to the plumbing. When water is running freely and can’t be isolated to a particular section, the leak needs to be repaired before more damage is caused.
Just because water is pooling underneath restaurant equipment does not mean the equipment is to blame.
Connections behind the equipment could be causing the problem. Nearby water lines, drain connections, shut-off valves, and even plumbing fittings could be responsible for the leak.
Commercial kitchens usually have numerous fixtures and plumbing connections close together. Start by finding the leak before trying to replace parts that may not need replacement.
Shut-off valves should operate correctly at all times.
If something starts leaking under a sink or on a piece of equipment, there should be a valve nearby to isolate that fixture. Having a shut-off valve that is stuck, leaking or fails to close properly can turn a simple plumbing repair into a headache.
Owners should know where all of their shut-off valves are located in case of an emergency.
Restaurant operators should know how to control the main water supply.
Access to the main shut-off may be necessary during a serious plumbing emergency if a smaller shut-off valve can’t isolate the leak.
Closing off the water to the entire building will obviously disrupt business, so sectional shut-offs can provide peace of mind when they’re available.
Ideally, you’ll know where the valve is before disaster strikes and water is flooding your restaurant.
Customer bathrooms and employee washrooms are also critical to restaurant plumbing.
Clogged toilets, leaking fixtures or toilets that continually run can take bathrooms out of commission.
If one toilet is clogged, the problem may be isolated to that drain. But if several toilets are backing up at the same time, there could be a larger issue on the shared line.
Restaurant bathrooms will likely see use at all times of the day, especially during peak hours.
Restaurants need toilets, urinals, sinks and faucets that will stay reliable for both customers and employees.
Some common issues that can affect washroom plumbing are:
If multiple bathrooms or toilets regularly clog, there may be a problem with the sewer lines themselves.
If more than one toilet is backing up at a time, it’s best to approach the problem as a whole.
The issue could be further up with the building’s main sewer line or a shared drain.
Flushing more toilets will only add more wastewater to an already established blockage.
Limit the use of your restaurant plumbing until a professional can assess the larger system.
Few things can disrupt a restaurant like a sewer backup.
Raw sewage can work its way up through floor drains, toilets, or other lower fixtures.
The kitchen, bathrooms and other locations can be affected by a sewer issue, depending on where the clog is located.
If sewage is backing up into your restaurant, limit water usage.
The less water that goes into your pipes, the less sewage will come backing up into your restaurant.
All sinks, floor drains and toilets feed into the main restaurant drain line.
Some drains eventually tie into bigger lines that they share with other fixtures.
When the main line becomes clogged, problems can manifest at multiple places within the building.
The lowest drains on the property often become affected first since rising wastewater will drain into any available area.
If a drain continues to have problems after cleaning, further inspection may be required.
When multiple fixtures share the same line and it keeps getting clogged, sometimes a sewer camera can diagnose issues further down the line.
Buildup, roots, damage and other obstructions can usually be identified by camera.
Keep in mind that the camera does not clear the drain but can help diagnose the issue when standard cleaning does not appear to fix the problem.
Grease is not always the cause of a recurring drain problem.
Pipe damage, roots and other issues can also compromise your sewer line and slow or stop drainage.
While hydro-jetting can clear certain types of buildup, it cannot fix fractures or collapsed piping.
The condition of your sewer line should be checked if repeated drain services seem to provide only temporary relief.
Hot water may be used extensively within your restaurant.
Employee handwashing, facility cleaning and dish washing can all utilize hot water on a daily basis.
For this reason, restaurants can be more affected by the loss of hot water than smaller businesses without the same demand.
Leaking hot-water equipment should be repaired and the capacity of your current system should be evaluated if it cannot meet your needs.
Restaurant water heater repair may be needed for a variety of reasons. Water-heater issues can range from leaks to temperature problems or not enough hot-water capacity.
If the equipment is leaking, it may dump water into the mechanical room or onto floors near the heater.
When troubleshooting low hot-water production, determine the cause of the problem instead of assuming the equipment needs to be replaced.
The issue could be with the water heater or another component of the connected plumbing system.
There will come a time when water heater repair is no longer an option and the heater needs to be replaced.
Keep hot-water needs in mind when picking out a new heater. Do not just install the same size unit because that is what is being replaced.
Restaurant kitchens use hot water at a much higher rate than many other types of commercial properties.
Design the new water heater around the needs of the restaurant to help prevent capacity issues from cropping up down the road.
Low water pressure can impact faucets, sinks, restaurant dishwashing equipment and restaurant restroom facilities.
If the issue is only with one faucet, it is probably a problem localized to that fixture.
When an entire restaurant experiences low water pressure, it is possible that the main supply, valve or pressure regulator is affected.
Follow the pattern of the problem to help figure out what components to check.
Restaurants can have numerous potable cross-connections to commercial equipment.
Backflow prevention devices may be used on these properties to provide protection for the drinking-water system.
Check the plumbing and equipment layout before deciding on backflow prevention devices.
Make sure devices that have been installed are not buried behind renovations or commercial equipment.
Maintenance technicians will need access to service these devices.
Backflow prevention devices that are testable will need to be monitored by the owner or property manager.
Just because a device looks okay on the outside does not mean the internal parts are functioning properly.
Testing these devices can help prevent issues before they become noticeable like leaking.
Keep a list of what backflow prevention devices are on the property and when they were last serviced.
Some restaurants have basement areas or below-grade mechanical rooms that use a sump pump.
If the pump shuts off and water is still going into the basin it will flood.
If your sump pump suddenly runs all the time, won’t start or can’t keep up with the flow of water getting into the basin there could be a problem.
Don’t wait for the water to come up to floor level. What may have been a simple pump repair can escalate to an emergency situation.
Some basement bathrooms or kitchens require a sewage pump if waste can’t flow to the sewer system by gravity.
If that pump fails, water will begin to fill the basin and backup into any drains that feed into it.
Immediately stop using any plumbing that drains into the affected area.
Sending more wastewater into the basin will cause the backup to become much worse.
Just because two restaurants both have three bathroom sinks doesn’t mean they will have problems in the same places.
One prep sink may clog with grease more quickly than others. A floor drain may become sluggish after years of use. An older faucet may start leaking regularly.
Being aware of problem areas can help you target which parts of your plumbing need regular maintenance.
You can often avoid the headaches of dealing with a clogged drain by scheduling service before the busiest shift of the week.
Having to close because your main restaurant drain is clogged is never ideal.
But for restaurants with particularly troublesome plumbing, prevention can help.
If one drain repeatedly clogs with grease you may want to schedule regular cleanings.
This can help ensure that you don’t have a nasty surprise on a busy night.
Every restaurant will have a different ideal cleaning schedule.
It will depend on how often the line is used and how quickly problems return.
Some restaurants are located inside plazas, malls or multi-tenant commercial buildings. That means the plumbing problem may involve both the restaurant and shared building systems. Property managers should know which drains and water lines serve the tenant and which ones are part of the common building infrastructure. This becomes particularly important when several neighbouring units experience symptoms at the same time.
Commercial plazas can contain restaurants along with retail stores, offices and other businesses. The restaurant may place much greater demand on drainage and hot-water systems than neighbouring tenants. If a blockage develops in a shared line, however, more than one business may be affected. Determining whether the problem is inside the restaurant or farther into the building system helps avoid unnecessary work.
Cafés may have smaller kitchens than full-service restaurants, but their plumbing can still receive heavy daily use. Sinks, coffee equipment, dishwashing areas, floor drains and washrooms all depend on reliable water and drainage. A small space can also mean even a minor leak interferes with a large percentage of the operation. Fast identification of the problem can help reduce disruption.
Bars and pubs often combine kitchen plumbing, glass-washing areas, floor drains and heavily used customer washrooms. A drain problem during evening service can quickly interfere with operations. Leaking fixtures and clogged washrooms can also create problems in customer areas. Commercial plumbing should account for both the kitchen and front-of-house systems.
Busy fast-food restaurants have periods of high-volume use all day long.
Kitchen sinks, cleaning stations and washrooms may all be used nearly non-stop during peak hours.
Repeated drain clogs are a problem that should be investigated instead of just clearing the same blockage each time.
If your restaurant knows where the troublesome drains are, a regular maintenance plan may be recommended.
Takeout restaurants may be small, but the commercial kitchen can still create heavy drain and hot water usage.
Since most of the work happens in the kitchen, a drain clog can impact your operation from top to bottom.
Regular drain cleaning, fixture repairs and leak detection should be performed like any other commercial kitchen.
Size of the dining room doesn’t matter. Your kitchen can still put heavy use on your plumbing.
New restaurants or restaurant renovations can include many changes to plumbing.
Installing new kitchen equipment, additional sinks or dishwashing stations, new bathrooms or bars.
All of these can change where your water and drainage lines should run through your restaurant.
Plan your plumbing before any equipment or permanent fixtures are installed.
Make sure to allow access to shut-off valves, drains and any future plumbing service areas.
Commercial spaces that have been offices or stores will not have plumbing laid out for a restaurant.
New restaurants have different plumbing requirements such as more sinks, larger drains, more hot water and more.
Just because your building has water and drains doesn’t mean they will meet your needs.
Evaluate what is there early on to avoid costly upgrades later.
Kitchen additions or expansions take some planning when it comes to the plumbing.
Sink locations, floor drains, water lines and equipment hooks-ups should coordinate with the existing building drains and water lines.
Long drain runs and difficult access can dictate where fixtures can actually be placed. It’s much easier to work out those issues ahead of time during design and rough-in instead of after cabinetry and equipment are installed.
Heavy use can cause normal wear and tear on restaurant plumbing fixtures.
Faucets, sinks, toilets and valves may need repair or replacement just due to how often they are used. Fixture replacement is also an opportunity to inspect water connections and shut-off valves serving the fixture. Older valves that no longer work reliably can cause headaches next time repairs are needed to that fixture.
When something goes wrong with restaurant plumbing, it isn’t always convenient for plumbing repairs to be made.
A broken pipe, large leak, sewer backup, clogged floor drain or failed sewage pump float can disrupt normal business very quickly. If water or sewage is flowing freely, your first step should be containing the damage and reducing water usage if possible.
Sureflow offers emergency commercial plumbing services when your business needs immediate plumbing repairs.
There can be lots of water when a water pipe breaks.
The water can travel under equipment, into dining areas and even through walls and ceilings before the break is located. If there is an accessible shut-off valve close to the break that can be safely used, go ahead and turn it off. Otherwise, you may have to shut off the entire restaurant’s water supply from the main valve.
The last thing you want is a plumbing emergency during lunch or dinner service. These scenarios force restaurant owners to make tough decisions.
On one hand, you may have a faucet leaking water. This issue may not require shutting down the entire restaurant. However, if sewage is backing up through floor drains your next steps will be much different.
The severity of the problem and which areas of the restaurant are affected should factor into your game plan.
If you experience a sewer backup in your restaurant, take the following steps:
Floor drains begin spraying up sewage or toilet water:
Stop use of sinks and toilets that aren’t being used.
Keep employees and customers away from sewage water.
Avoid continuing to flush toilets just to see if the drain will take it.
Identify which drains are backing up.
Disconnect any equipment that pumps large amounts of water into the sewer line if possible.
Call a commercial drain cleaning company.
The less wastewater you allow to enter a clogged sewer line, the better your chances of containing the backup.
Your commercial kitchen has electrical components all over the place. If you happen to have a plumbing leak that is moving toward an electrical panel, outlet or piece of equipment that has power running to it – keep your employees away from the water.
Don’t be in contact with electrical equipment if you are standing in water.
The leak will need to be turned off, but you shouldn’t have an employee risk getting electrocuted trying to plug the leak.
Every restaurant wants plumbing issues to be fixed with as little downtime as possible. One thing you can do to minimize downtime is to fix “yellow signs” before they become “red signs.”
Drains that are slowly draining, leaky valves, low water pressure that changes often and sewer pumps that are behaving differently can all be signs that something is wrong. Having your employees know where all shut-off valves are can also help.
Restaurant drains rarely get clogged overnight.
Here are some symptoms that might indicate a problem:
Repeated problems are often a sign that something needs further attention than an isolated clog that happens once.
If the main sewer starts having problems it will usually affect multiple areas at the same time.
You may see more than one toilet running slow or experience wastewater draining out of floor drains.
If you have clogs in multiple kitchen sinks at once, you likely have a main sewer issue.
The more fixtures that are affected, the more they have in common.
Typically, if multiple fixtures are affected they will all share the main sewer line.
Servicing each individual drain will usually not resolve the issue.
Having the drain cleared will fix the issue you encountered, but you should try to discover why it happened.
If the line was obstructed due to grease buildup, an extra scrubbing may be beneficial.
If your drain keeps getting clogged after cleaning, we can snake the drain and insert a camera to see what’s going on in your pipes.
Your drains should feel dependable, not like you’re constantly expecting another clog.
If you have any questions regarding restaurant drain service, we will want to know these details.
Is it just a kitchen sink, floor drain, washroom, or the main sewer? Is there water leaking? Are multiple drains backing up at once? Has this problem occurred previously? Is the restaurant open?
The more you know going into the service call, the easier it will be to determine the cause.
For stubborn drain problems, knowing when the drain was last cleaned may help us as well.
Restaurant plumbing systems work hard in an environment where kitchens, washrooms, drains, grease traps and hot-water tanks can be operating hours each day.
A clogged restaurant kitchen drain, leaking fixture or sewer backup can disrupt restaurant operations much sooner than many other types of commercial businesses.
Sureflow Plumbing & Drain provides restaurant plumbing services in Barrie for restaurants, cafés, bars, carry-out businesses and other commercial food preparation and service businesses.
Restaurant plumbing services from Sureflow can include:
Call Sureflow Plumbing & Drain at 705-503-7996 for professional restaurant plumbing in Barrie.
Yes. Sureflow provides restaurant plumbing and plumbing services for restaurants in Barrie and the surrounding area.
Yes. We clean restaurant kitchen drains, floor drains and larger restaurant drains.
Commercial drain cleaning services, including hydro jetting can sometimes be used to break-up grease and buildup in restaurant drains, depending on the condition of the pipe.
Yes, commercial hydro jetting can sometimes be used in restaurant drains with heavy grease buildup or sludge depending on the condition of the pipe.
Yes. Commercial drain and sewer services can often be used to fix sewer backups and main-drain lines in restaurants.
Yes. Leak repairs can be performed on water lines, valves, fixtures, connections and other sources of leaks in restaurant plumbing.
Yes. Restaurant renovation plumbing can include adding new sinks and drains, moving plumbing fixtures, installing new water lines and connecting restaurant equipment.
Yes. If you need emergency restaurant plumbing we can offer commercial emergency service for issues such as major leaks, sewer backups, burst pipes and other urgent plumbing issues.
