Crystal Palace Triangle Restaurant Plumbing Emergency

If your restaurant’s drain blocks on the Crystal Palace Triangle, stop every sink, dishwasher and glass washer that empties into it, because each load adds to what will come back up on to the kitchen floor. Then check the grease trap and the nearest inspection chamber, and call a plumber with drain clearing kit. If the drain is shared with the flats above or the unit next door, it may be Thames Water’s responsibility since 2011. For a leak, isolate the unit’s stopcock and switch off electrics near the water first; for no water at all, check Thames Water’s incident map before assuming it is your pipework.

Why the Triangle has its own problems

The Triangle, the streets formed by Westow Hill, Westow Street and Church Road, is packed with restaurants, bars and cafes in tall Victorian buildings. That combination brings:

• Commercial kitchens in buildings built as shops and houses, with drains sized for a Victorian household, not a busy pass.
• Flats above, sharing the drain, the soil stack and sometimes the water supply.
• Shared drains at the back, where several units connect before reaching the public sewer.
• The top of the ridge. At about 116 metres, the Norwood Ridge has lower mains pressure, which shows in a busy kitchen when everything is running at once.

And one thing that catches people out: the Triangle sits where several boroughs meet. Crystal Palace straddles Bromley, Croydon, Lambeth and Southwark, with Lewisham close by. Your licensing, environmental health and business rates go to whichever council your unit is in. Water and sewers are Thames Water’s whichever side you are on.

Blocked drain mid-service: what to do

1. Stop running water into the blocked drain: sinks, dishwasher, glass washer, floor washing.
2. Switch off any equipment that pumps out into it.
3. Put a wet floor sign out and keep staff away from any backing-up gully.
4. Check the grease trap. If it is full or has not been emptied recently, that may be the cause.
5. Lift the nearest inspection chamber cover, wearing gloves. Full of water means the blockage is further down.
6. Ask the unit next door or the flat above whether their drains are slow too.
7. If the blockage is on a drain shared with others, report it to Thames Water.
8. If it is on your own run, call a plumber with rods or a jetter.

Do not pour chemical drain cleaners into a commercial drain full of grease. They rarely clear it and make the job unpleasant and unsafe for whoever clears it next.

Fat, oil and grease

Thames Water names fat, oil and grease as one of the main causes of blocked drains. In a restaurant they come from:

• pans and woks rinsed in the sink;
• fryer oil, even in small amounts;
• plate scrapings and sauces;
• dishwasher discharge, carrying fats in hot water that set further down the pipe.

Keep them out:

• scrape plates into a food waste bin;
• fit sink strainers and empty them;
• have the grease trap emptied on a schedule and keep a log;
• store used oil for collection;
• train new staff on day one.

Leaks and bursts

• Find the unit’s stopcock: under the staff sink, behind the bar, in the cellar, or by the water meter.
• Turn it off clockwise. If it will not move, do not force it.
• Switch off the electrics for the affected area, especially near fridges, coffee machines and lighting.
• Move stock and keep customers away.
• If water is coming from the flat or unit above, tell them and the building manager straight away.

No water at all

If the whole unit has no water:

• try the cold kitchen tap; if it works but nothing else does, the problem is inside your plumbing;
• ask neighbouring businesses whether they have water;
• check Thames Water’s website for incidents by postcode;
• if only you are affected, check your stopcock is fully open and call a plumber.

Who pays?

• Your own drain run and internal plumbing: usually the tenant or landlord, depending on the lease.
• A drain shared with the flats above or the unit next door: since 1 October 2011, Thames Water’s.
• The public sewer and water main: Thames Water’s.
• Water damage to your unit: your business insurance, and possibly the landlord’s buildings insurance.

We write up what failed and why, which helps with insurers, landlords and Thames Water.

What to tell us when you call

• Your business name, address and postcode.
• Whether it is a blocked drain, a leak or no water.
• Whether the water is off and whether you are trading.
• Access arrangements, including any cellar or rear yard.
• Who can approve the work.

When to call

Call us for blocked kitchen drains, grease trap problems, leaks and burst pipes. We cover commercial plumbing in Crystal Palace, including blocked drains in Crystal Palace. See all our commercial plumbing services and the Crystal Palace area page.

Gas ranges and gas water heaters need a Gas Safe registered engineer. We do not work on gas. If you smell gas, get everyone out and call National Gas Emergency on 0800 111 999.

Need a plumber now?

Call 07868 281022 and tell us your postcode, what is blocked or leaking, and whether the water is off. Tell us it is a restaurant so we bring the right kit. We agree the price with you before any work starts.