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Karlie.P

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Posted 24 January 2018 - 09:06 PM

Hi all

I'm currently looking into setting up a drain cleaning process for a new section of our facility. We primarily package produce. The new room will have a drain in it.

My question is really a request for any issues you have come across in you own experience regarding specific cleaning chemicals - for example Chlorine tablets having a corrosive effect on metal fixtures. 

Our company also prefers to take the environmentally friendly option where possible; Have any of you had success with no-chemical cleaning methods such as steam cleaning?

Thank you



jcieslowski

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Posted 24 January 2018 - 10:10 PM

Do you currently use a 3rd party chemical supplier?   I image they'd be able to best help you, knowing your circumstances and industry.  

 

I don't remember the chemical but we basically flushed the drains with water and then sprayed in a sanitizer daily.  It was mild enough that it didn't hurt to go down the drain into the city pipes.



Charles.C

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Posted 25 January 2018 - 02:08 AM

Hi all

I'm currently looking into setting up a drain cleaning process for a new section of our facility. We primarily package produce. The new room will have a drain in it.

My question is really a request for any issues you have come across in you own experience regarding specific cleaning chemicals - for example Chlorine tablets having a corrosive effect on metal fixtures. 

Our company also prefers to take the environmentally friendly option where possible; Have any of you had success with no-chemical cleaning methods such as steam cleaning?

Thank you

 

Hi Karlie,

 

It may assist relevant replies to know what kind of business is involved. Do you mean RTE fresh produce like fruit/vegetables ?


Kind Regards,

 

Charles.C


Karlie.P

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Posted 25 January 2018 - 02:13 AM

Hi Charles.

RTE - Bit of a mix of tuber, bulb, and root vegetables. The new addition in question will involve peeling onions



Charles.C

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Posted 25 January 2018 - 02:56 AM

Hi Charles.

RTE - Bit of a mix of tuber, bulb, and root vegetables. The new addition in question will involve peeling onions

 

Hi Karlie,

 

Thks for response.

 

Maybe have a look at this thread (and links within) -

 

http://www.ifsqn.com...28958-drain-em/

 

The attachment in post 3 is very readable, and authoritative but ultimately recommends similar post 2

 

PS - there are many others but most are not specifically fresh produce afai can recall, eg -

 

http://www.ifsqn.com...-against-flies/


Kind Regards,

 

Charles.C


Karlie.P

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Posted 25 January 2018 - 03:23 AM

Thanks, I'll give it a read through



Ryan M.

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Posted 31 January 2018 - 02:20 AM

Quat can be quite effective in drains.  You can even get quat rings that stay in the drains and release quat over time as water flows through / down the drain.  They are effective in keeping down biofilms.  Quat also is non-corrosive and helps with odor control as well.



JuicerICU

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Posted 31 January 2018 - 03:49 AM

I am using purinse with our drain foamer attachment, workswonders



Charles.C

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Posted 31 January 2018 - 01:05 PM

via Post 5 -

 

Drains should be cleaned and sanitized on a regular, scheduled basis. Avoid using high pressure hoses to clean drains, as this
could aerosolize any L. monocytogenes in the drain, spreading it to product contact surfaces. Alternating the pH of the detergents
used to clean the drains will promote a more hostile environment for Listeria. Any drain cleaning program should also include
the use of brushes that are dedicated to that task only. Drain brushes should always have a diameter smaller (at least ¼ inch)
than the drain, so that removing the brush from the drain does not create an aerosol. Drain brushes should also be cleaned and
stored in a manner that they do not cross-contaminate other brushes or product contact surfaces.
Rusty cast iron drains cannot be cleaned and sanitized with any level of effectiveness. Using harsh chemicals down the drain
can make the issue worse. Preferably, rusty drains should be replaced. Otherwise, they should be sand blasted down to the
metal and epoxy coated as far down into the drain pipe as possible in order to prevent the harborage sites that the rust will
provide.
Drain treatment capsules, sanitizer block/ring, pellets or solids are available from chemical vendors. These sanitizer treatments
vary in size and types, but all are designed to treat the water flowing through the drain and the drain itself, creating a hostile
environment for Listeria or other microorganisms. These treatments do not replace a diligent drain cleaning and sanitizing
program. Such sanitizer treatments should not be used if the drain is a collection point in the environmental monitoring
program
(see below).
Chemical vendors may be able to recommend specific cleaning chemistries that are designed for cleaning and sanitizing drains
with extra foaming and combined chemistries and adjuvants which have a labeled use for the removal of biofilms.

 


Kind Regards,

 

Charles.C


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FurFarmandFork

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Posted 31 January 2018 - 03:34 PM

Quat can be quite effective in drains.  You can even get quat rings that stay in the drains and release quat over time as water flows through / down the drain.  They are effective in keeping down biofilms.  Quat also is non-corrosive and helps with odor control as well.

Ditto, a residual quat will help prevent the drain from becoming a source of contamination, and I would be swabbing non-drain surfaces anyway (focus on zone 2).

 

Note that peeling onions is a high risk activity, onions have been associated with previous listeria outbreaks by contaminating multiple facilities.


Austin Bouck
Owner/Consultant at Fur, Farm, and Fork.
Consulting for companies needing effective, lean food safety systems and solutions.

Subscribe to the blog at furfarmandfork.com for food safety research, insights, and analysis.



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