A retail park can’t close its toilets or block off its service yards whenever the drains need attention. So at this local retail park in Swindon & Wiltshire, our drainage team carries out planned maintenance out of hours, once the shops have closed and the customers have gone home.
Why out-of-hours drainage maintenance?
Busy commercial sites put their drains under constant pressure. Customer toilets are used all day, every day, and service yards collect silt, leaves and litter. Working outside opening hours means we can get properly stuck in, lifting grates and opening up pipework, without getting in anyone’s way.
Behind the washrooms
Much of the work on this visit was in the service corridor behind the customer toilets. This is where the washroom waste pipes and traps run, out of sight of the public.
When we opened the pipework up, it was clear why regular maintenance matters. Sections of waste pipe were packed with hard scale and sludge, and the traps were full of built-up waste and hair. Deposits like this narrow a pipe a little more every week until it slows down, starts to smell or blocks completely.
We cleared and descaled the affected pipework and traps so waste could flow freely again. Working by head torch in a tight service corridor isn’t glamorous, but it’s the kind of job that stops a washroom being taped off with an “out of order” sign the next day.
Clearing the channel drains
Outside, the service yard has channel drains that carry surface water away. Over time these had filled with silt and soil, to the point where weeds were growing in them. A blocked channel drain can’t do its job, and surface water soon ends up pooling across the yard and around doorways.
We lifted the grates, dug out the build-up by hand, then jetted the channels through so water could drain away properly again.
More than a one-off clean
Planned maintenance is about keeping on top of a site’s drainage, not just reacting when something goes wrong. Depending on the visit, our work can include CCTV inspections to check the condition of the pipework, high pressure jetting to clear debris and descaling to remove hardened deposits.
The result
The washroom pipework is flowing freely again and the channel drains are clear, all without disrupting the shops or their customers.
Planned maintenance for your business
For retail parks, care homes, offices and other commercial sites, a regular maintenance programme is one of the simplest ways to avoid emergency call-outs. We can work around your opening hours and focus each visit on the areas that need it most.
Want to talk about planned drainage maintenance for your site? Call our Swindon office on 01793 878 636, or visit our drainage services page. You can also read how we look after a local retail outlet with monthly drainage maintenance.
