Prevent A Plumbing Emergency In Your Restaurant With These Tips

If you experience a plumbing emergency at your restaurant, especially when you are open, it can cause major issues. Besides shutting down your business, you could lose out on customers and have to deal with bad reviews. You can help avoid plumbing emergencies by following the tips detailed here.

1. Have a plan in place

It may not sound necessary, but you should have emergency plans in place for any situation. This includes when your plumbing goes down. First, designate employees for every shift that will be responsible for handling the emergency. They will be your response team. Then, make sure to include them in some form of training to handle the problem.

You should have one person designated as your media consultant. They should be the only person to speak with news outlets or post on social media. This will help control any negative PR you may get. Your response team should also have someone responsible for contacting an emergency plumber and someone in charge of speaking with customers if any are present.

2. Understand plumbing issues

You don’t have to be an expert in plumbing to know when there is an issue. The goal for you and your team is to be able to know when to shut down and when you can stay open. Here are the two types of emergencies to distinguish between.

Emergencies where you don’t need to close down

Plumbing systems aren’t clean, so you must be sure that you have a problem on your hands that won’t cause health concerns. Small issues can turn into emergencies, so be sure to know the basics about your system. Smaller issues that won’t require you to shut down your restaurant include leaking faucets, clogged sinks, clogged toilets (sometimes), and water heater leaks.

Problems that could turn into emergencies are also possible These include non-functioning water heaters, pipe leaks, clogged toilets, and stopped-up floor drains.

Emergencies where you should shut down immediately

No one wants to have to tell their guests that they will need to leave for any reason. But, in some plumbing emergencies, this will be necessary. Pay attention to see if any of the following conditions are present.

• Flooded floors
• Sewage or water leaking near food and cooking equipment
• Burst supply lines or pipes
• Natural gas odors
• Issues with refrigeration
• Problems with the water heater
• A non-functioning water supply

3. Stop clogs before they happen

Clogs are a common problem in all plumbing systems, but in restaurants, they can be especially harmful. They may start out as small problems that cause your staff to plunge toilets or clear sinks, but they end up being much worse. When clogs cause overflows, wastewater with bacteria can cover the floors. In carpets, this can cause mold or insect infestations. In storage areas, flooding can ruin food, and in your kitchen, it can result in electrocution risks.

To start preventing clogs, you can be sure that sinks do not contain unwanted food products or grease. Next, make sure that no one flushes restricted items down toilets. Finally, make sure your sewer drains are not clogged by getting regular drain cleaning services.

4. Take care of small problems early

Perhaps the best way to prevent a plumbing emergency is to fix the small issues before they become worse. Start by doing a basic evaluation of your entire system. Make sure to have a commercial plumber do this for you. If they find that there have been no recent upgrades or repairs, it is likely you may need some. You should also ask for advice on how to manage your plumbing to help prevent emergencies.

Work with an experienced emergency plumber

Whether you are having a plumbing emergency in the middle of dinner service or you need a routine inspection, Allen’s Tri-State Mechanical is here. Our 24-hour service is available to make sure your plumbing system is in great working order. You can reach us at (806) 376-8345 for more information about our Services.