By Matthew Baring-Gould, Kingscliff-based drainage plumber. Servicing Tweed Heads for 4 years. 5.0 stars across 173 Google reviews. Licensed NSW 383340C and QLD 15036450. ABN 74 605 392 348.
Commercial food court in Brisbane. Four or five dumpling and Asian cuisine shops shared the main drain. Years of fat deposits. After-hours job for obvious reasons.
Why after hours
The food court was open during the day and we could not close any walkways. The only sensible way to do the job was to attend after hours when every shop was closed, work through the night, and have everything cleared before trading resumed in the morning.
What we did
- Attended at closing time, gained access to the service corridor downstairs under the building.
- Hydrojet the main shared drain and every branch line serving each kitchen.
- CCTV survey of every line to make sure nothing was going to re-block within weeks.
- Flushed with hot water assist on the heaviest fat sections.
- Cleaned up and left before opening.
Preventive schedule
A food court with 4-5 kitchens should jet their shared drain once a quarter minimum. The grease trap servicing contract will cover the pit, but the shared drain beyond the pit is often forgotten. If it has been more than 12 months, it is already building up.
Takeaway
Commercial food court drains fail quickly and fail badly. A quarterly maintenance jet is dramatically cheaper than an emergency during trading hours.
Call Matty on 0447 188 394 for drainage work across Tweed Heads, the Northern Rivers, the Gold Coast and inner Brisbane.
Customer names and addresses have been withheld. Individual results vary. Drain Masters Plumbing is licensed in NSW (383340C) and QLD (15036450).
Frequently asked
Who pays for shared drain cleaning in a food court?
Usually the body corporate or landlord, with charges often passed through to tenants proportionally. Specific arrangements vary by lease.
Can one kitchen cause the whole drain to fail?
Yes. One business skipping grease trap servicing can build enough fat to compromise the shared main for everyone. This is why body-corporate-level maintenance contracts work better than per-tenant arrangements.
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