Water Conservation Tips for Food Service in Englewood, CO

Water Conservation Tips for Food Service in Englewood, CO

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For several decades, Garvin’s Sewer Service has been synonymous with professional plumbing and drain cleaning service near Englewood. So it stands to reason that we know a thing or two about sewer systems and water supply in and around Denver – particularly, how important it is to conserve water and increase the overall system’s efficiency. 

The Case for Water Efficiency

In the last decade, the costs of water and wastewater services have increased considerably nationwide, mostly due to the fact that cities have begun moving away from bygone supply systems and towards state-of-the-art solutions. While in the long run this overhaul should provide an excellent return on investment, there are things we can do right now that will benefit the average business’s water bill. Let’s use the food service industry as an example because water usage – especially hot water – is significantly higher here than in other trades. Energy is required to “create” hot water, and that’s something that restaurants use a lot of. Consider water-intensive equipment such as dishwashers, basins, sinks, and dipper wells, which run almost continuously during business hours. Replacing outdated, inefficient foodservice equipment with water-efficient upgrades is one of the biggest steps a food service establishment can take towards increased water efficiency, especially because the investment in new equipment will soon be recouped via lower monthly water bills. 

Another advantage of implementing water-efficiency solutions in the food service industry is increased customer satisfaction and respect. Consumers want to do business with companies dedicated to green initiatives, and water conservation is an area where food service entities can have a massive environmental impact. 

Tips for Running an Efficient Food Service Operation 

  • Upgrade appliances such as dishwashers, ice machines, and steam cookers to extra-efficient models proven to reduce water and energy use. 
  • Inspect systems such as pre-rinse and food disposal, as well as everything boiler-related, i.e. combination ovens, steam kettles, and steam cookers, to identify where water usage can be decreased. Our local plumber serving Englewood is happy to provide some suggestions. 
  • The impact of proper dishwasher prep and loading is oft-overlooked, which is a shame because executing these steps properly can lead to impressive reductions in water usage. Foodservice managers and owners who make a small investment of time and money to train employees in this area will be more than pleased with the results. 
  •  Toilets, bathroom faucets, urinals, and everything else in a lavatory can be upgraded to more water-efficient solutions. In fact, some independently certified models have shown to be almost 20 percent more water-efficient than previous-generation models. 
  • The automatic sensors found on today’s faucets, toilets, and urinals might be small, but they can be a big obstacle to water conservation when not functioning properly. Check these periodically to ensure they’re operating correctly and not needlessly wasting water. 

Start Conserving Water Today

In the foodservice industry, the vast majority of water usage stems from equipment and the processes followed by employees during daily tasks. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to increase efficiencies in both categories. Contact Garvin’s Sewer Service today and let’s talk further about water conservation, and professional drain cleaning near Denver, and much more.

Tips For Keeping Your Restaurant Drains Fresh

Tips For Keeping Your Restaurant Drains Fresh

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If you’re running a restaurant you know just how many things there are to keep track of. One thing that you may not be thinking of is your drains, but we’re here to tell you just how important proper drain care is. At Garvin’s Sewer Service, we offer commercial drain cleaning Englewood residents can rely on, and we can help you keep the drains at your restaurant clean too. Here are some tips that can help you take care of your drains and avoid health hazards.

Keep the Grease Traps Clean

This is one of the best ways to keep your drains in top shape. The grease traps are designed to stop certain materials from entering your plumbing system and gumming up the works. The main culprits here are oils and fats, both of which can cause plumbing problems if they’re allowed to progress past your grease traps. Knowing how often your grease traps to be pumped, and when the grease trap line needs to be cleaned is key. Both depend on how much grease you dispose of so find an interval that works well for you.

Use More Natural Solutions

If you do have a minor clog, don’t just reach for a chemical drain cleaner. While they can be effective, the harsh ingredients and compounds they use to break down clogs can end up causing other types of problems. We’re talking about potentially expensive damage here. Instead, use a mixture of baking soda and vinegar, which work together to tackle grime and grease. You can also try hot water and bleach to clear smells. And, the best of all, these solutions don’t damage the pipes.

Get Rid of Food Scraps

Even small food scraps can cause problems if they go down the drain. Have employees clean off plates thoroughly into a trash can so that you don’t have to worry about this waste causing clogs and drain issues. A little extra time spent on cleanup could save you a headache later.

Install a Drain Cover

A drain cover or grate can keep out large debris, ensuring that your pipes and grease traps stay cleaner. It doesn’t cost too much to install one and it could end up paying for itself over time if you can avoid costly plumbing problems with its assistance.

Run Some Hot Water

Here’s a simple trick. Even if you’re being careful, some oil or grease is likely to get down your drain. If you run hot water down your sink after using it, you can start to liquefy these materials and prevent them from causing a major clog.

Bring in a Pro

If you do encounter a major issue, don’t delay. Talk to the pros at Garvin’s Sewer Service right away! We even offer emergency drain cleaning services, so we can help you if a problem suddenly pops up and you need it fixed quickly. We can often get out to you less than two hours after you make the call, and we don’t even charge extra for emergency service! We’re here for you all day, every day!

The Commercial Drain Cleaner You Can Rely On in Englewood, CO

So if you’re in need of a reliable drain cleaner, we’re ready to help. Contact Garvin’s Sewer Service today and see how easy it can be to properly care for the plumbing at your restaurant, without breaking the bank.

Tips for Keeping Drains Clear at Hair Salons

Tips for Keeping Drains Clear at Hair Salons

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In residential situations, hair clogs are among the most common issues that homeowners deal with in their sinks and shower drains. So, it’s not hard to imagine the sorts of plumbing nightmares that can occur at a hair salon, where hair of every length, size, and thickness can find its way into just about any corner of the building, including sinks and drains.

Knowing how much loose hair exists at a business like this, it seems like a reasonable thing to suggest some preventative measures to ensure that major plumbing issues don’t occur. Here at Garvin’s Sewer Service, we’ve had more than our fair share of service calls to hair salons, so we recommend the following actions to cut down on how many of those calls are necessary over the course of a given year.

#1 Catch Hair Before it Reaches the Drain

On its own, hair can be the bane of any hair stylist’s existence, especially considering how much shampoo mixes with the loose hair that ultimately enters these drains. The best way to ensure those gunky clogs don’t form in your drains is to catch the hair before it gets there. That means investing in some sort of hair stopper, mesh screens or hair traps. Some sinks have stopper assemblies with screens built in. Catch all that soapy or gelled-up hair and clean the stoppers regularly to ensure those clogs never form in the first place.

#2 Be Smart About Troublesome Chemicals

Hair salons deal with a number of chemicals which are required for coloring or setting hair, and while much of those chemicals go down the drain, an existing clog can create big-time headaches for the salon owner. We don’t recommend using a liquid drain cleaner to unblock those clogs because the combination of chemicals can be very corrosive. Regular drain cleanings can help ensure this doesn’t happen.

#3 Flush Your Drains

One preventative approach is to regularly flush your sink with a full basin of hot water. To do this, simply fill up a five-gallon bucket with hot water and dump the whole thing down the drain. Sometimes the low-pressure water of everyday use isn’t enough to flush away minor clogs. A bigger flush may do the trick.

#4 Get Regular Drain Cleanings

One of the best things you can do to make sure you don’t end up with major clogs is to schedule regular drain cleanings with Garvin’s Sewer Service. Not only can we flush out whatever gunk may be building up in a drain long before it becomes problematic, but we also can do a quick check for other problems that may be lurking beneath the surface. It’s an affordable service that goes a long way toward ensuring all a salon’s sinks and drains continue working as expected.

If you are in need of commercial drain services in Englewood or any of the surrounding areas, contact us here at Garvin’s Sewer Service so we can get you on the schedule and unclog any drain, no matter what the reason may be for its blockage. Even if you don’t need our services immediately, we suggest doing the aforementioned things in your hair salon to minimize the need for plumbing services. Just know that if you ever need us, we’re just a phone call away!

Sink drain cleaning

Clean Your Drains Regularly Before They Drain You

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The drains in your home aren’t necessarily something you can see, but they are essential in ensuring that water is carried away from the home rather than pooling on the floor somewhere and/or dripping from the ceiling. Ideally, homeowners would not have to deal with leaky or damaged drains because they’d all work perfectly all the time, but the fact is since they are hidden behind walls it’s almost impossible to know that something is wrong until it’s too late.

That doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do to prevent leaks and damaged drains. The easier thing to do is hire a professional drain cleaning service in Denver, CO to make sure your home’s drains are cleared out and working properly. Even if they aren’t causing backups, dirty drains can build up bacteria and germs, which is gross, unsanitary, and potentially corrosive to your pipes.

Four Reasons to Clean Your Drains

#1 To Prevent Major Plumbing Issues

The most important reason to have your drains cleaned regularly is to avoid major plumbing emergencies. A minor issue can become a major issue pretty quickly, especially when it comes to blockages. What starts as a bit of grime can build up into a full blockage, and then you’re looking at sewage backing up and a potentially very expensive series of repairs. Grease, soap, fat, and hair are the most common culprits, and regular drain cleanings keep those from turning into much larger issues.

#2 To Boost the Longevity of Your Plumbing System

And that’s the other major advantage. If you’re preventing major issues, you’re also boosting the longevity of the system as a whole. Blockages put strain on pipes and drains, and buildup can be corrosive. Rather than spending a small amount of money for a cleaning, homeowners can spend huge amounts on full system replacements. Clean drains prolong the inevitability of that.

#3 To Reduce Foul Odors

These blockages are, quite frankly, gross. They look gross, feel gross, and smell gross, and the longer these clumps of fat and grease are allowed to sit there and build bacteria and mold, the more likely they are to stink up the house whenever you use that sink or shower. No one likes these types of unpleasant smells, and a drain cleaning can prevent them from happening.

#4 To Prevent the Spread of Bacteria and Germs

Those bacteria have another negative outcome: turning your sink into a cesspool that can work its way onto food and otherwise clean dishes. Bacteria and germs in this context are not good for anyone, but a cleanout can prevent them from infesting your sink.

Hiring a Drain Cleaning Plumber Near Englewood, CO

If you find yourself in need of a drain cleaning plumber in or around Englewood, CO, contact Garvin’s Sewer Service so we can inspect your drains and schedule a cleaning if necessary. There are so many important reasons to make sure your drains are clean and working functionally, because the financial burden of resulting major plumbing issues simply isn’t worth the hassle or the expense.

Why You Can’t Ignore Drainage Issues in Your Restaurant

Why You Can’t Ignore Drainage Issues in Your Restaurant

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It’s one thing to experience drainage issues at home, when you have a good sense of where the problem may be located and who may have caused it, but if you’re the owner of a restaurant, that often goes straight out the window. There are so many moving parts in a restaurant business —and so many people who work there dine there—that it can be hard sometimes to determine who or what exactly caused the drainage problem.

Here at Garvin’s Sewer Service, we have seen our fair share of clogs and leaks in restaurants throughout the Denver area, and unfortunately, many of the most severe problems occur because the business owner, or GM, leaves them untended for too long. Put simply, restaurant owners cannot afford to ignore any drainage issues they have in their building, as the long-term impact can be enough to close down your restaurant business for a time while the fixes are underway.

In an ideal world, business owners would be able to identify what’s wrong with their drainage early enough to identify the problem and call a commercial drain cleaner to make sure everything works as it should. There are several things that could go wrong with a restaurant’s drainage, but the following are the most common:

Grease Clogs

The most dangerous of restaurant drainage issues is grease buildup. For places that sell burgers and fried foods, the grease will be worse, but all restaurants can see grease build up in their drains. The worse this gets, the bigger the drainage problems can be throughout the building. If you’re concerned grease is a problem for you, Garvin’s can help.

Sink Clogs

Grease isn’t the only thing that can get washed down a drain. With food prep comes a lot of food debris, and if employees are washing too much of that debris down the sink, they can clog up, too. Frankly, the sinks in customer restrooms can end up with foreign objects in the pipes, too.

Toilet Problems

Another problem that can come courtesy of customers is the toilets. The biggest difference in your home is that you control what goes into your toilets, yet you have no control over that at your restaurant. Customers can be a little absent-minded when it comes to this, so even if you have signs about where certain types of waste goes, you may still end up with overflowing toilets and clogged plumbing.

Sewer System Issues

Sometimes, the problem is under the surface and has to do with the sewer system as a whole. If you are operating in a new suburb, the sewer lines are likely fine, but restaurants in older buildings might see problems that can only be caused by years of use and can only be fixed by professionals like those at Garvin’s Sewer Service.

Contact an Experienced Plumber

Of course, no matter how well you take care of your kitchen and its drainage system, problems are almost sure to arise. When they do, don’t hesitate to reach out to the professionals at Garvin Sewer Service. We’ll make sure small problems don’t turn into bigger problems so your business can run the way it was intended without any unexpected major expenses or, worse, temporary business shutdowns.