Signs it is Time for a Professional Trench Drain Cleaning in Your Business
While they can be a handy installation in residential spots such as in front of garages, trench drains can be essential in some businesses, especially those that require a lot of drainage. Unfortunately, while trench drains often allow optimum drainage and usually some easier clean up of the floors for the people up top, they also require a decent bit of maintenance and cleaning to keep working properly.
For the most part, trench drain can actually be cleaned without professional intervention. It is recommended that once a week, you open up the grate and do a little cleaning inside the trough itself. Any large debris should be removed, the trough should go through a quick scrub, and then everything should be thoroughly rinsed. This weekly maintenance and cleaning will go a long way to keeping your trench drains healthy. However, no matter how diligent you may be with keeping debris out of the trough, it is still going to get in there and clogs may happen. However, when you have clogs and slow drainage, it is usually not something you can take care of on your own. You will need to call in a professional to get it taken care of quickly.
Signs a Trench Drain Needs Professional Cleaning
A fully clogged trench drain doesn’t usually come out of nowhere, unless you haven’t peeked inside your trough in awhile. Typically if you are cleaning it weekly, you will start to notice signs that it is getting clogs deeper in. Once this happens, you need to contact a professional drain cleaning service before the issue gets worse. If you just leave it, you may very well end up with standing water inside your business that will definitely lead to much more costly problems. So what should you look for in a trench drain that signals it needs a professional touch?
Standing Water
Well, obviously if there is standing water around your trench drain, it has a serious clog. However, if there is standing water in your trough, that can be a sign of slow drainage and that a clog is forming. If it is only in certain spots, your trench drain may be starting to warp for some reason and that requires professional intervention and investigation as well.
Increased Debris
After a week of work in most places that need a trench drain, like for example the dish room of a commercial kitchen, you should expect debris in the trough. However, if you have began to notice more and more debris during your weekly cleaning, that could be a bad sign that the drain is not functioning as it once was.
Bacteria Growth
Trench drains are designed and installed to provide optimal drainage. This means that there shouldn’t be much moisture in the trough or the drain itself so bacteria doesn’t have a chance to grow. However, if your trough has grown slimy or you spot visible mold growth and discoloration, the drain is not working as it should. Sometimes it is slower drainage that allows bacteria to grow.
Fruit Flies or Stench
If you don’t do regular cleaning on a trench drain, you can expect a little funk when you first open it up. However, funk is a sign of improper drainage of debris and the same goes for insects such as fruit flies. If you have even a minor clog, you’ll probably be able to detect it with your nose.
Are You Seeing the Signs?
Is your Minnesota trench drain at your business displaying any of these signs? Even if you were diligent with weekly cleaning, it will still need a professional clean every so often. If your trench drain needs cleaning, contact us today to see what SOS Drain and Sewer can do for you.
