Down the drain

Peter Molloy, Managing Director at Metro Rod offers some advice to FMs on ensuring drainage problems don’t turn into to time wasting and costly blockages

Drainage systems are often out of sight, out of mind – that is until there is a complication. This type of attitude is costing UK businesses tens of millions of pounds each year. In fact, recent reports show that the UK spends £100 million per year clearing blockages created from congealed fats and waste – funds that could be better spent elsewhere.

Not only are drain repairs an unwanted expense, but if drainage is not looked after, serious blockages can occur. This can cause significant health and safety issues and at worst force businesses to shut down until the problem is resolved. It is therefore vital for FMs of commercial buildings to put plans in place to minimise the likelihood of issues, helping to make the management of drainage easier and more cost effective, freeing up budget elsewhere.

PREVENTING ISSUES FROM ARISING
The best way to ensure the drainage systems around your building do not become blocked is by educating the users of your building on drain best practice. And with a quarter of employees in the UK believing it is not their responsibility to correctly use drainage systems at work as they are not paying the bill, this has never been more important.

We have all seen the signs in company bathrooms advising on what not to flush down the toilet, but it seems that this methodology is not having the intended effect, because malpractice is still happening every day in buildings all over the country. This may be due to a lack of employee involvement when it comes to environmental practices within the workplace. In research carried out by Metro Rod last year, almost a half of people said they were not involved at all in their company’s environmental policies with two thirds saying they’d be much more likely to stick to the rules if they played more of a role in making them.

With this in mind, another way to ensure things aren’t slipping down the drain that shouldn’t is by showing photos highlighting what happens every time food waste slips through the plughole or wet wipes are flushed down the toilet to the people using the building. Fat, grease and non-biodegradable items like wet wipes combine to form a congealed mass, commonly known as a fatberg. Fatbergs cause blockages which impacts the integrity of drainage systems meaning they are not able to work at full capacity and cause surface water flooding, foul smells and in worst case scenario, subsidence, cracks and structural damage.

PRE-PLANNED MAINTENANCE
In order to prevent any unexpected and costly issues, FMs can put in place a programme of pre-planned drainage maintenance. This is a vital process which allows any areas of concern to be highlighted by a drainage specialist before a tailor-made programme of maintenance is introduced with regular work carried out at convenient times for the business.

As part of a pre-planned maintenance plan, an engineer will carry out a site survey to analyse previous drainage problems and highlight areas of concern. They will then conduct an initial clean which will return the pipework to full flow and optimum performance. At this point, a bespoke programme is prepared showing which parts of the system will require more frequent attention, ensuring drainage problems will be reduced in the future.

DRAIN INSPECTIONS
Achieving a balance between meeting customer expectations and handling repairs without going over budget is a particular challenge facing FM professionals. As a result, when a drain blockage is suspected, accurate inspection and diagnosis is critical to ensure it does not become a bigger, more costly, issue during winter.

CCTV technology can be used to conduct an in depth survey of a building’s drains. The footage collected during these surveys is reviewed to assess any current damage or signs of potential wear and tear inside a drain. Routinely conducting these surveys allows problems to be detected early and any problems to be rectified.

From here, the drainage provider will advise on the most suitable course of action, whether that is high pressure water jetting or electro-mechanical cleaning, to ensure the problem is rectified quickly. The advances in the speed and accuracy of the reporting of blockages help to minimise downtime for businesses, ensuring FMs are able to keep organisations running, keeping customers happy and saving costs by reducing the need for expensive repairs later down the line.