BLÜCHER stainless steel drainage systems for commercial kitchens fulfills all functional hygiene requirements
May 1, 2020
Numerous factors need to be considered when designing and installing drainage systems for commercial, industrial and residential kitchens to ensure high standards of hygiene, safety and durability, according to Blucher, a leading manufacturer of stainless steel drainage systems.
The Denmark-based company, in association with its UAE-based distributor for the residential and commercial sectors Mac Al Gurg, has completed a number of prominent projects in Dubai and Abu Dhabi that have been carefully planned and executed with these factors in mind.
Installation of high quality floor drainage is vital to avoid clogging, bad odour and formation of biofilm, a glue-like film that forms when dirt accumulates and encourages the growth of bacteria such as Listeria.
“Bad drainage design will cause bad odour to emanate from the sewer; it will lead to the accumulation of dirt that results in water backflow and pooling on the ground,” Ahmad Roustom, Regional Country Manager MENA for Blucher, tells Gulf Construction.
These floor drainage systems should be made of stainless steel for a number of reasons, he stresses.
“Stainless steel is a non-corrosive, self-repairing material, thanks to the protective layer that is formed naturally – the chromium present in stainless steel reacts with oxygen to form chromium oxide which protects the stainless steel from corrosion and self-repairs continuously if corroded.
“To enable the self-repairing process to take place, however, the surface of the stainless steel should not contain any impurities such as dirt or free elements. Hence, it should undergo acid-passivation, which involves submerging the material completely in acid to eliminate all the impurities from its surface,” he explains.
“Another important factor is that stainless steel exhibits high resistance to adherence, which means that biofilm and Listeria are least likely to adhere to stainless steel[1].
“In addition, stainless steel has a relatively low surface friction[2] which increases the flow capacity of the water within the floor drainage which, in turn, avoids bacterial growth, simply because water will be drained to the sewerage rather than be accumulated inside the drainage,” he explains.
A good floor drainage system should comprise modular elements, water traps, gratings and filter baskets. A modular system is one in which the drainage comes in different parts that complement the fixed part. It allow for height adjustability, rotation of upper parts and features waterproofing membrane flanges which integrate with the existing waterproofing membrane in order to prevent the bloating of the flooring.
A drainage water trap prevents bad odour from the sewerage network from rising above ground, thanks to a water seal. Blucher’s water trap has a water seal of a minimum depth of 50 mm (as per the European Standards EN1243), which can be removed from the floor drain and disassembled into two parts to enable cleaning, unlike the conventional water trap.
To achieve higher hygiene standards, the spokesman says, welded grating should be avoided as the welding will have small voids where the dirt can accumulate and promote the formation of biofilm and growth of Listeria. Therefore, a non-slip casted grating with sufficient openings for the dirt to fall through to the filter basket, which should be fitted into the drain, rather than kept lying on top of the grating.
Citing an example of such an installation in the region, the spokesman says, Blucher’s casted HygienicPro grating has been installed at a food processing plant for Alshaya in Dubai Industrial Park. The grating features openings of 26 mm and a filter basket of a depth of 125 mm and a removable two-part water trap with a flow capacity ranging from 3.0 to 6.0 litres per second.
Integration with the flooring
Another important aspect in designing drainage solutions is to ensure that the systems integrate with the flooring. Blucher, therefore, takes into account the challenges encountered during floor installation and provides a sufficient frame height (minimum 12 mm) to ensure an efficient bond between the flooring and the drainage.
As for the shape of the drain, Blucher recommends using a square shape for tiles and a round shape for resin flooring as the drain would not have any pointed edges that may lead to the detachment of flooring.
Key areas to keep in mind when designing a kitchen layout are access protection channels, channels and drains for preparation areas, channels for cooking and washing areas and hygienic areas and floor drains for trafficked areas.
Blücher’s stainless steel drainage channels for commercial kitchens meet all the functional and hygiene requirements of projects in the region. The company traces its origins back to 1965 when it was established in Vildbjerg, Denmark. Today, it is a leading manufacturer of stainless steel drainage systems with sales offices around the world. Its sales office for the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region is based in Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai.
Commenting on its projects in the region, the spokesman says Blucher and Mac Al Gurg have successfully completed several drainage system installations in the UAE. These include the commercial kitchens at the St Regis Hotel, Emirates Flight Catering, Fakeeh Medical Centre and a residential kitchen at a luxury villa at Emirates Hills, all in Dubai; and the Maryah Plaza, The Galleria Al Maryah Island and Al Maryah Central in Abu Dhabi.
At The Galleria Al Maryah Island mall, Mac Al Gurg supplied Blucher’s kitchen channel drain system, which comprises the grating, channel body, removable water trap and filter basket.
“Our aim was to meet the client’s requirements for a hygienic kitchen drainage solution,” says Ahmed Fathallah Elsheikh, Division Head for Mac Al Gurg, which is part of Dubai-based Easa Saleh Al Gurg (ESAG) Building Materials Division.
Thanks to the versatility of the solution, the system required only minor modifications to the length to match the site measurements, he adds.
Moreover, Blucher has supplied drainage systems in Dubai and the UAE for key kitchens of leading food and beverage (F&B) brands operating in the region such as PF Changs, The Cheesecake Factory, Texas Road House, and Shake Shack.
Its systems have been used by several interior fit-out firms in the region. Among them is Bahrain-headquartered Havelock One Interiors, which continues to rely on Blucher products, thanks to their versatility of the range.
“Blucher always has a standard product to fit our site challenges and I can always rely on them for high quality and delivery time,” says Nishanth Karoth, MEP engineer at Havelock One Interiors.
Other projects in the region for which Mac Al Gurg has provided Blucher’s drainage solutions are the Bluewaters Development (bespoke Floor Drainage solution for Plant Room), Atlantis, Palm Jumeirah (customised shower channels), and ICD Brookfield Place (floor drains), all in Dubai; and two drainage solutions for industrial projects in Kizad, Abu Dhabi, namely National Food Products Company’s (NFPC) mega Plant and Black Forest Food Industries.
REFERENCES
[1] Effects of Diverse Water Pipe Materials on Bacterial Communities and Water Quality in the Annular Reactor J. Microbiol. Biotechnol.2011; 21(2): 115~123
[2] Friction and Friction Coefficients. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/friction-coefficients-d_778.html
[1] Effects of Diverse Water Pipe Materials on Bacterial Communities and Water Quality in the Annular Reactor J. Microbiol. Biotechnol.2011; 21(2): 115~123
[2] Friction and Friction Coefficients. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/friction-coefficients-d_778.html
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