Signs Your Commercial Kitchen Drain Is Blocking
Commercial kitchen drains rarely fail without warning. The kitchen usually sends quieter signals first — and busy teams are skilled at working around them until a Friday night backup makes the problem impossible to ignore.
Early signs to take seriously
- Sinks that drain slower at the end of service
- Floor drains that gurgle or smell after hot water
- Odours near the grease trap or external gulley
- Recurring need to plunge or chemical-dose the same run
- FOG residue visible when the trap lid is lifted
If several of these appear together, you likely need more than a hopeful clean of the sink strainer. Drain jetting may be required to clear compacted FOG from the line, alongside a proper grease trap cleaning.
Why FOG blockages feel sudden
FOG cools and sticks. A line can narrow for weeks while still “mostly fine”, then a busy service pushes the last margin away. That is why venues in Fulford and Bishopthorpe often call after events or seasonal peaks rather than on a quiet Tuesday.
What not to do
Repeated harsh chemical dosing can mask symptoms, damage older pipework, and still leave the FOG mass in place. If you are unsure whether the issue is the trap, the run, or both, book a kitchen drainage survey.
After the clear
Restoring flow is step one. Step two is changing the interval or habits that allowed the blockage. Otherwise you will meet the same drain again.
Better to keep the schedule than pay for another emergency clear.
Speak to us to request a kitchen drainage survey or arrange jetting and a trap clean in one planned visit.
