Home / Kitchen Deep Cleaning / Guide
Kitchen deep cleaning - kitchen design
A commercial kitchen produces a lot of water and liquid waste, and it has to be carried away hygienically and without blocking - which takes well-planned drainage. Planning it means adequate drains in the right places, the right falls, grease management to stop grease blocking the drains, and drainage that is easy to keep clean. Here is how to plan drainage in a commercial kitchen.
The short answer
A commercial kitchen produces a lot of water and liquid waste - from washing (dishes, equipment, floors, food), cooking, and cleaning - and all of it has to be carried away hygienically and reliably, without pooling or blocking, which takes well-planned drainage. Poor drainage causes real problems: water pooling on floors (a slip hazard and hygiene problem), drains blocking (backing up, a serious hygiene and operational problem), grease clogging the drains and entering the sewer (causing blockages and problems), and general difficulty keeping the kitchen clean and hygienic. So planning the drainage well is important, and it should be done as part of designing or fitting out the kitchen (retrofitting good drainage later is much harder). Planning it involves several things. Adequate drains in the right places: enough drainage capacity, with drains (floor drains, gullies, drainage channels) located where the water and waste are produced (near the sinks, dishwashers, cooking equipment, and wet areas) so that water can drain away where it arises rather than having to travel across the floor. Good placement and capacity means the water drains away readily. The right falls (gradients): the floor and drainage need the right fall (a slight slope) toward the drains, so that water flows to the drains and away rather than pooling - inadequate or wrong falls leave water pooling on the floor, which is a slip and hygiene problem. So getting the falls right is essential for the water to flow away. Grease management: a commercial kitchen's wastewater carries grease (fats, oils and grease from cooking and washing), and grease is a major cause of drain blockages and a problem in the sewer - so grease management is essential, typically through grease traps or interceptors that catch the grease before it enters the drains and sewer, preventing blockages. Planning grease management into the drainage is important, because unmanaged grease blocks drains and causes problems (and there are often requirements around not discharging grease into the sewer). Easy to keep clean: the drainage should be designed to be easy to keep clean (accessible drains and channels that can be cleaned, removable gratings, and so on), because drains and channels need regular cleaning to stay hygienic and clear, and drainage that is hard to clean will become dirty and blocked. So planning drainage in a commercial kitchen means providing adequate, well-placed drains, the right falls, grease management, and easy-to-clean drainage - so the kitchen's water and waste is carried away hygienically and reliably. This is part of designing a kitchen properly, and it connects to keeping the kitchen clean and hygienic (good drainage supports cleaning; and the drains themselves, and the grease management, need regular cleaning to keep working). This is general guidance; kitchen drainage design should involve appropriate expertise and follow relevant requirements.
Key points
Why drainage matters
A commercial kitchen produces a great deal of water and liquid waste, so carrying it away well is essential - which is why drainage matters and needs planning. The kitchen generates water and liquid waste from many sources: washing (dishes and glasses in warewashers, pot-washing, equipment washing, food washing, and floor washing), cooking (water and liquids from cooking processes), and cleaning (the water used to clean the kitchen). All of this liquid has to be carried away hygienically and reliably, and if the drainage is not up to it, real problems follow. So the volume of water and waste a kitchen produces makes good drainage a genuine necessity, not an afterthought.
Poor drainage causes serious problems: water pooling on the floor (a slip hazard for staff, and a hygiene problem - standing water is unhygienic and unpleasant); drains blocking and backing up (a serious hygiene and operational problem - a blocked drain backing up into the kitchen is a hygiene emergency and stops the kitchen functioning); grease clogging the drains and entering the sewer (grease from the kitchen's wastewater causing blockages and problems, in the kitchen's drains and beyond); and general difficulty keeping the kitchen clean and hygienic (poor drainage makes floor cleaning harder and leaves the kitchen wetter and less hygienic). So poor drainage is a real problem - slips, blockages, grease, and poor hygiene - which good drainage prevents. This is why planning the drainage well is important, and why it should be done as part of designing or fitting out the kitchen (planning it in, rather than trying to retrofit good drainage later, which is much harder and more disruptive). So the drainage deserves proper planning as part of the kitchen design, to carry away the kitchen's substantial water and waste hygienically and reliably and avoid the problems poor drainage causes. The following sections cover what planning it involves - adequate well-placed drains, the right falls, grease management, and easy cleaning - each a way to make the drainage carry the water and waste away well. So plan the drainage properly, because the kitchen produces a lot of water and waste and poor drainage causes real problems.
Drains and falls
Two fundamentals of planning kitchen drainage are providing adequate, well-placed drains and getting the falls (gradients) right - together ensuring the water drains away where it arises and flows to the drains rather than pooling. Adequate drains in the right places: the kitchen needs enough drainage capacity, with drains located where the water and waste are produced. Drains (floor drains, gullies, drainage channels) should be placed near the sinks, dishwashers and warewashers, cooking equipment, and other wet areas - where the water and waste arise - so that the water can drain away where it is produced, rather than having to travel across the floor to a distant drain. Good placement means the water drains away readily near its source; poor placement (too few drains, or in the wrong places) leaves water having to travel across the floor (pooling on the way) or with nowhere adequate to drain. So plan enough drains, placed where the water and waste are produced, for the water to drain away readily.
The right falls (gradients) are essential for the water to flow to the drains and away rather than pooling. The kitchen floor and the drainage need the right fall - a slight slope toward the drains - so that water runs to the drains and drains away, rather than sitting on a flat or wrongly-sloped floor and pooling. Getting the falls right (an adequate slope in the right direction, toward the drains) is essential, because water does not flow uphill or on the flat - it needs the fall to reach the drains. Inadequate or wrong falls are a common drainage problem, leaving water pooling on the floor (the slip and hygiene problem). So the floor and drainage must be designed with the right falls toward the drains, so all the water flows away. Together, adequate well-placed drains (so water can drain away near its source) and the right falls (so water flows to the drains) are the fundamentals of drainage that carries the water away - the water arises, flows down the falls to the nearby drains, and drains away, rather than pooling. Getting both right is essential to the drainage working, and both have to be designed in (the drain placement and the floor falls are built-in features, hard to change later). So plan adequate, well-placed drains and the right falls - the fundamentals of water draining away rather than pooling. The following sections add grease management and easy cleaning.
Grease management
A crucial and kitchen-specific part of planning drainage is grease management, because a commercial kitchen's wastewater carries grease, and grease is a major cause of drain blockages and a problem in the sewer - so managing it is essential. The kitchen's wastewater (from cooking and washing) carries fats, oils and grease (FOG), and this grease is a serious drainage problem: as it cools and accumulates, it congeals and builds up in the drains, causing blockages (grease is one of the main causes of drain blockages), and it causes problems in the sewer system beyond the kitchen (grease from many premises contributes to sewer blockages). So grease in the kitchen's wastewater has to be managed, or it blocks the kitchen's drains and enters and burdens the sewer.
Grease management is typically achieved through grease traps or grease interceptors - devices in the drainage that catch the grease before it enters the drains and sewer. A grease trap (or interceptor) works by separating and retaining the grease from the wastewater (the grease, being lighter, is separated and held), so that the water can drain on while the grease is caught and periodically removed, rather than passing into the drains where it would congeal and block. So planning grease management into the drainage - a grease trap or interceptor appropriately sized and placed - is essential to prevent grease blocking the drains and entering the sewer. This is important both for the kitchen's own drainage (preventing the grease blockages that would back up the drains) and because there are often requirements around not discharging grease into the sewer (grease management may be required or expected). So plan grease management into the kitchen drainage - a grease trap or interceptor to catch the grease - as a crucial, kitchen-specific part of the drainage design. Without it, the kitchen's grease-laden wastewater would block the drains and burden the sewer; with it, the grease is caught and the drainage stays clear. The grease trap itself then needs regular cleaning/emptying to keep working (the caught grease must be removed periodically), which connects to the drainage needing regular cleaning (below). So grease management (a grease trap or interceptor) is an essential part of planning kitchen drainage, preventing the grease blockages that are a major drainage problem - and it, like the drains, needs regular cleaning to keep working.
Easy to keep clean
The final part of planning kitchen drainage is designing it to be easy to keep clean, because drains and drainage channels need regular cleaning to stay hygienic and clear, and drainage that is hard to clean will become dirty and blocked. Kitchen drains, gullies, channels and grease traps accumulate the waste, debris, grease and residue from the kitchen's wastewater, so they need regular cleaning to stay hygienic (they can otherwise become dirty, smelly and a hygiene problem) and clear (to prevent the build-up that blocks them). So the drainage needs to be cleaned regularly - and whether that is done well depends partly on the drainage being easy to clean. Drainage designed to be easy to clean (accessible drains and channels that can be reached and cleaned, removable gratings and covers to get at the drains, drainage channels that can be cleaned out, and an accessible grease trap that can be emptied and cleaned) can be kept clean and clear; drainage that is hard to clean (inaccessible, hard to reach into) will tend to be cleaned poorly and become dirty and blocked.
So plan the drainage to be easy to keep clean - accessible, with removable gratings and cleanable channels and an accessible grease trap - so it can be kept hygienic and clear through regular cleaning. This matters because the drainage's ongoing hygiene and function depend on it being cleaned, and easy-to-clean drainage is far more likely to be kept clean and clear than hard-to-clean drainage. So designing for cleanability is part of planning good drainage - it ensures the drainage can be maintained in a hygienic, clear condition over the kitchen's life. This connects to the broader point that the drainage needs regular cleaning as part of keeping the kitchen clean and hygienic: the drains, gullies, channels and grease trap all need regular cleaning to stay hygienic and working, and this is part of the kitchen's cleaning regime. So plan easy-to-clean drainage, and keep it regularly cleaned - both are part of the drainage working hygienically over the kitchen's life. Together with adequate well-placed drains, the right falls, and grease management, easy-to-clean drainage completes the planning of good kitchen drainage - drainage that carries the water and waste away hygienically and reliably, handles the grease, and can be kept clean and clear. So plan all these - drains, falls, grease management, and cleanability - for drainage that works well and stays working. And keep the drainage (drains and grease trap) regularly cleaned, as part of keeping the kitchen clean, so it stays hygienic and clear.
Planned and maintained
So planning drainage in a commercial kitchen means providing: adequate, well-placed drains (where the water and waste are produced, so water drains away near its source); the right falls (gradients toward the drains, so water flows away and does not pool); grease management (grease traps or interceptors, to catch the grease before it blocks the drains and enters the sewer); and drainage designed to be easy to keep clean (accessible and cleanable, so it can be kept hygienic and clear). Together, these give drainage that carries the kitchen's substantial water and liquid waste away hygienically and reliably, handles the grease, and can be maintained clean and clear - avoiding the pooling, blockages, grease problems and poor hygiene that poor drainage causes. This planning should be done as part of designing or fitting out the kitchen, because the drainage (drain placement, floor falls, grease trap, cleanable design) is built in and hard to change later. So plan the drainage properly at design time.
And, as with the whole kitchen, the drainage needs maintaining - specifically, regular cleaning - to keep working hygienically over the kitchen's life. The drains, gullies, channels and grease trap accumulate waste, debris and grease, so they need regular cleaning and (for the grease trap) emptying to stay hygienic and clear and prevent blockages. So keeping the drainage clean is part of the kitchen's ongoing cleaning and hygiene - the well-planned drainage carries the water and waste away, but it stays working and hygienic only if kept clean. This connects the drainage to the kitchen's cleaning regime: the drainage is part of what needs keeping clean, and good drainage (easy to clean) supports keeping it, and the wider kitchen, clean. So plan good drainage (adequate drains, right falls, grease management, easy cleaning) and keep it maintained clean (regular cleaning of the drains and grease trap), and the kitchen's water and waste is carried away hygienically and reliably over the kitchen's life. Good drainage, well planned and kept clean, is part of a properly designed, hygienic kitchen. This is general guidance; kitchen drainage design should involve appropriate expertise and follow relevant requirements, and the drainage should be kept clean as part of the kitchen's hygiene.
Questions
Because it produces a lot of water and liquid waste (from washing, cooking and cleaning) that has to be carried away hygienically and reliably, without pooling or blocking - and poor drainage causes real problems. Poor drainage leads to water pooling on floors (a slip hazard and hygiene problem), drains blocking and backing up (a serious hygiene and operational problem), grease clogging the drains and entering the sewer (causing blockages and problems), and general difficulty keeping the kitchen clean and hygienic. So the volume of water and waste a kitchen produces makes good drainage a genuine necessity, not an afterthought, and poor drainage causes slips, blockages, grease problems and poor hygiene. This is why planning the drainage well is important, and why it should be done as part of designing or fitting out the kitchen (planning it in, rather than retrofitting good drainage later, which is much harder and more disruptive). So the drainage deserves proper planning to carry away the kitchen's substantial water and waste hygienically and reliably. This is general guidance; drainage design should involve appropriate expertise and follow relevant requirements.
Enough drainage capacity, with drains located where the water and waste are produced. Drains (floor drains, gullies, drainage channels) should be placed near the sinks, dishwashers and warewashers, cooking equipment, and other wet areas - where the water and waste arise - so that water can drain away where it is produced rather than having to travel across the floor to a distant drain. Good placement means the water drains away readily near its source; poor placement (too few drains, or in the wrong places) leaves water having to travel across the floor (pooling on the way) or with nowhere adequate to drain. So plan enough drains, placed where the water and waste are produced, for the water to drain away readily. This is one of the two fundamentals (with the falls) of drainage that carries water away - drains where the water arises, so it can drain away near its source. The drain placement is a built-in feature, hard to change later, so it should be planned properly at design time, considering where the kitchen's wet areas and equipment are and placing adequate drainage there.
Falls are the gradients (slopes) of the floor and drainage toward the drains - and they matter because water needs the fall to flow to the drains and away rather than pooling. The kitchen floor and drainage need the right fall - a slight slope toward the drains - so water runs to the drains and drains away, rather than sitting on a flat or wrongly-sloped floor and pooling. Getting the falls right (an adequate slope in the right direction, toward the drains) is essential, because water does not flow uphill or on the flat - it needs the fall to reach the drains. Inadequate or wrong falls are a common drainage problem, leaving water pooling on the floor (a slip and hygiene problem). So the floor and drainage must be designed with the right falls toward the drains, so all the water flows away. The falls, like the drain placement, are a built-in feature (the floor's slope is built in), hard to change later, so getting them right is part of planning the drainage properly at design time. Together with well-placed drains, the right falls ensure water flows to the drains and away rather than pooling.
Managing the grease (fats, oils and grease - FOG) that a commercial kitchen's wastewater carries, to stop it blocking the drains and entering the sewer - typically through grease traps or interceptors. The kitchen's wastewater (from cooking and washing) carries grease, which is a serious drainage problem: as it cools it congeals and builds up in the drains, causing blockages (grease is one of the main causes of drain blockages), and it causes problems in the sewer beyond the kitchen. So the grease has to be managed. Grease traps (or interceptors) are devices in the drainage that catch the grease before it enters the drains and sewer - separating and retaining the grease (which, being lighter, is separated and held) so the water drains on while the grease is caught and periodically removed. So planning grease management into the drainage (an appropriately sized and placed grease trap) is essential to prevent grease blocking the drains and entering the sewer - important for the kitchen's own drainage and because there are often requirements around not discharging grease into the sewer. The grease trap needs regular emptying and cleaning to keep working.
Because drains, gullies, channels and grease traps accumulate the waste, debris, grease and residue from the kitchen's wastewater, so they need regular cleaning to stay hygienic (they can otherwise become dirty, smelly and a hygiene problem) and clear (to prevent the build-up that blocks them) - and whether that cleaning is done well depends partly on the drainage being easy to clean. Drainage designed to be easy to clean (accessible drains and channels that can be reached and cleaned, removable gratings and covers to get at the drains, cleanable channels, and an accessible grease trap that can be emptied and cleaned) can be kept clean and clear; drainage that is hard to clean (inaccessible, hard to reach into) tends to be cleaned poorly and become dirty and blocked. So designing for cleanability ensures the drainage can be maintained in a hygienic, clear condition over the kitchen's life. So plan the drainage to be easy to keep clean - accessible, with removable gratings and cleanable channels and grease trap - and keep it regularly cleaned. The drainage's ongoing hygiene and function depend on being cleaned, and easy-to-clean drainage is far more likely to be kept clean and clear.
Yes - the drainage (drains, gullies, channels and grease trap) needs regular cleaning to keep working hygienically over the kitchen's life. The drains and channels accumulate waste, debris, grease and residue, so they need regular cleaning to stay hygienic (avoiding the dirt, smells and hygiene problems that accumulate) and clear (preventing the build-up that blocks them). The grease trap in particular needs regular emptying and cleaning, because it catches grease that must be periodically removed to keep it working (a full, uncleaned grease trap stops catching grease and can cause problems). So keeping the drainage clean is part of the kitchen's ongoing cleaning and hygiene - the well-planned drainage carries the water and waste away, but it stays working and hygienic only if kept clean. So the drainage is part of what needs keeping clean in the kitchen, and good drainage (easy to clean) supports keeping it, and the wider kitchen, clean. So plan good drainage and keep it maintained clean (regular cleaning of the drains and grease trap) - both are part of the drainage working hygienically. Keeping the drainage clean is part of keeping the whole kitchen clean and hygienic.
Kitchen drainage - the drains, gullies and grease trap - accumulates waste and grease and needs regular cleaning to stay hygienic and clear. Keeping the kitchen and its drainage clean is part of the hygiene our kitchen deep cleaning supports. Ask us about keeping your kitchen clean.
