Care & Maintenance Tips
Stainless steel does an excellent job standing up to variable temperatures, caustic materials, and heavy usage, but your drains will still require maintenance from time to time. This page features all of the tips you might need in order to ensure that your drainage system stays in perfect shape for the entire lifespan of your facility.
REGULARLY EMPTY STRAINER BASKET
- Preventing clogs and maintaining proper flow is a major part of drain maintenance. Our specialized strainer baskets are designed to make removing solids a simple process, but they have to be checked for debris on a regular basis to ensure that clogging and backflow does not occur. Having a scheduled clean out helps to make sure that your strainer baskets stay empty and fluids are able drain properly.
ENSURE CATCH BASIN LIDS, AREA DRAIN LIDS, AND TRENCH DRAIN GRATES ARE PROPERLY SEATED
- The lids of our FoodSafe Catch Basins and Area Drains, as well as the grating on our FoodSafe Trench Drains are all rated Load Class E for heavy duty traffic – forklifts included. However, it is important to ensure that these drain covers are seated properly on the drain bodies to avoid damaging the drain and reduce risk of injury. Please replace all drain covers after uncovering, and check that they are seated properly.
KEEP DRAIN TRAFFIC LIMITED TO THE DRAINS PROPER LOAD RATING
- Our FoodSafe Drains are all purpose built to follow official DIN/EN load classifications, however it is important you know which rating your facility’s drains can handle. We recommend following these guidelines when planning your floor traffic, and not exceeding the suggested load ratings as this can risk long term damage to your drains, which increases the likelihood of potential injury or bacterial threat. If you are unsure of your drain’s load rating, please check out the Technical Information tab on the product’s page, or visit our Load Ratings page by clicking here.
REGULARLY CLEAN DRAIN BODY OF DRAINS
- While the stainless steel bodies of all FoodSafe Drains are resistant to microbial growth, it is still vital that a regular cleaning schedule be maintained to ensure that the drains remain completely sanitary and flow properly. FoodSafe Drains can be easily cleaned by moving solids from the drain body to the Catch Basin using the fitted Cleaning Paddle, followed by foaming or spraying the drain with the same caustic or sanitizer used on the rest of your facilities equipment. Finally, simply scrub the drain body with the specialized Cleaning Brush, and rinse. Performing this clean as part of regular maintenance will help reduce the risks of any potential bacterial threat.
PERIODICALLY INSPECT DRAINS FOR SCRATCHES AND DAMAGE
- One of the great reasons we manufacture using stainless steel is its self healing properties, owed to the metal’s oxide layer. However this does not mean that the drain is immune to the risks brought on by damage. Deep gouges or scratches are immune to rust, but still pose a potential risk as harboring points for microorganisms. It is important to regularly inspect your drain’s body for any major damage that could pose a threat to either your product or workers.
AVOID CLOGGING THE OUTLET BY INTRODUCING FOREIGN DEBRIS
- While the FoodSafe Strainer Basket protects your drains and plumbing systems from rouge solids and debris, it cannot protect against the purposeful introduction of refuse which puts the drain at potential risk of clogging. If your facility is at risk of such, we recommend that the outlet be fitted with our Tamper Proof Magnetic Secondary Strainer. Doing so will ensure that access to your underground plumbing is reserved for those that you entrust with the specialized Mag-Lock key.