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Everyone visits grocery stores regularly in order to buy the most essential of items. The industry, above most others, truly is where society goes to survive. To that end, grocery stores should be convenient, sanitary, safe, and well-stocked.
Each grocery store is different, but they all tend to have the same general infrastructure. Important appliances such as refrigerators and freezers are some of the more prominent features, but they are not the only standard features found across supermarkets nationwide. Floor drainage is another common feature – one that is essential to maintaining a clean and sanitary store.
WHY GROCERY STORE DRAINAGE MATTERS
Whether it's grease on the kitchen floor or spilled milk in the dairy aisle, it is vital to keep all fluids and leaks off of a grocery store floor. Otherwise, they can cause many issues, including:
SAFETY ISSUES
With nowhere to go, standing fluids can create puddles and wet floors. By having a drain to take these fluids from the surface, floors can dry faster, making it safer for employees and customers to move throughout the store.
BACTERIA AND CONTAMINATION
Another concern of standing fluids and spilled food products is bacteria and, in turn, contamination. Spilled milk, blood from leaking meat or poultry packages, and broken beverages aren't just safety issues with slipping – they also lead to bacteria and contamination issues.
PESTS
Pests like mice and insects are always a concern for grocery stores. Spilled products are an easy way to end up having a big issue. And with pests come further concerns of bacteria and contamination.
WHAT YOU SEE IN GROCERY STORES
You may not see these drainage systems, but they are everywhere throughout a grocery store. In the kitchens where workers make freshly prepared goods, food scraps, water, oils, and grease can all hit the floor and make big messes that will flow through a drain channel to the appropriate outlet.
The areas under refrigeration and freezer systems also benefit from having some form of drainage. Spilled and leaking products are a common issue, and a floor drain can help catch these spills and prevent them from forming puddles on the grocery store floor. Aside from helping to catch product spills, a drainage system will also catch fluids if the refrigeration and freezer systems experience any leaks.
MINIMIZING MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVING SAFETY
Grocery stores take a great deal of work to manage and maintain. The goal of any grocery store owner is to minimize the amount of maintenance they have to do–and create the safest environment possible. Here are some drainage grocery store improvements that can help make that possible:
1. CHOOSE A BACTERIA-RESISTANT SYSTEM
The prevention of bacteria and contamination is a primary concern in grocery stores, so you want a system that features a bacteria-resistant design. The material should be nonporous and, preferably, have no seams or grooves that make cleaning difficult.
2. FIND A SYSTEM WITH CLEAN-IN-PLACE (CIP) CAPABILITIES
The easier the maintenance of the drainage system, the better. A CIP system will allow workers to plug the drain channel and fill it with water, cleaning agents, and sanitizing projects–significantly cutting down on cleaning time.
3. MAKE DURABILITY A PRIORITY
Durability is a vital feature for grocery store drainage systems. The durability of a system does not just refer to its load capacity. It also refers to the system's ability to withstand corrosive materials like salts, acids, alkaline bases, and cleaning agents. An ability to withstand extreme temperatures is another testament to a system's durability.
4. LOOK AT FLOW RATES
All drainage grocery store choices should feature high flow rates. Ideally, it would be best to choose a system with a higher flow rate than you need in order to avoid overflowing.
5. FIND AN EASY TO INSTALL SYSTEM
Drainage systems aren't all the same, and some are more difficult to install than others. Whether you are looking for a system to put in a new grocery store or planning to retrofit a new system into an existing store, you want it to be as easy as possible.
FOODSAFE DRAIN OPTIONS
FoodSafe Drains makes floor drainage solutions for the food industry. They offer different solutions, and the 10,000 Series Slot Drain System is a sleek, linear system that is unobtrusive, which makes it an excellent option for grocery stores. The 10,000 Series is NSF-certified, comes preassembled with a seamless design made from nonporous, food-safe T304 or T316 stainless steel.
The stainless steel design also makes it a highly durable system that can withstand corrosive materials, extreme temperatures, and heavy loads without the fear of damage occurring.
Unlike other systems, the Slot Drain's slim channel opening does not require a drain cover. The openings come in three sizes, from 1/2-inch to 1 1/4-inch wide, making them small enough that large objects will not fall into the system and prevent it from working. A catch basin helps to catch smaller objects and prevent them from causing issues.
Even with the slim opening, Slot Drain's design still allows for high flow rates, ranging from 11 to 27 gpm (per foot of drain).
Finally, the FoodSafe Drains Slot Drain System is easy to install and maintain. The open design makes it easy to use tools like a brush and paddle, but with a CIP system, the job is more automated to drastically reduce cleaning time.
GROCERY STORE DRAINAGE DONE RIGHT WITH FOODSAFE DRAINS
A grocery store requires the same consideration as any food-related facility. It needs to be free from harmful bacteria and contamination, and a large part of that relates to maintaining a clean facility. By utilizing the right drainage system, a grocery store will be cleaner, more sanitary, and safer for everyone.
The Slot Drain System from FoodSafe Drains is an excellent option that is sanitary and highly reliable and will make a significant difference in how much is spent on cleaning and maintenance. Contact FoodSafe Drains today to find the perfect drainage solution for your grocery store.
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