Commercial Sink Keeps Leaking

[Kirk Burress]

I am not a plumber but I volunteered to replace a single basin wash tub with a 3-basin commercial sink in an old grocery store turned non-profit soup kitchen. I used standard residential plumbing fittings and it worked fine but not for long. About every 3 months the pipes have loosened to the point they start to leak and actually all start falling apart. This includes not only the plastic fittings but tonight the metal collar holding the rubber drain gasket was only finger tight yet I tightened it with a wrench when I installed it. These basins get banged when cleaning big pots and they are subjected to temperature extremes when boiling water is added to augment our inadequate water heater. What can I do to keep the plumbing intact? Thank you

 

[voletl]

Hard pipe it.... but that sink is all types of wrong
No vent
S trap
Pipe on floor has no pitch

Time to call a plumber

 

[CT18]

Remove that trap and extend the tailpieces. Also that sink should be discharging into a drain in the floor that already has a trap on it. Like voleti said do it in 1 1/2" pvc.

 

[Kirk Burress]

Unfortunately we can’t find a plumber we can afford. This is not a restaurant or a commercial kitchen. This is nonprofit feeding center that serves dinners two days a week. Food is brought in from a local commercial kitchen, we hold the food in our kitchen until it I served and then do dishes in the sink. The building is rented and is falling apart so a major plumbing upgrade is out of the question. The sink drain is in the next room and the drain pipe runs horizontally across the back wall. The single wash basin drain I replaced was higher than the sink we installed so now it actually drains up hill! I know this installation is all types of wrong, that’s why I am on this site asking for help. I have the mechanical ability to fix this I just don’t have the knowledge to do it right. I am familiar with the basics of residential plumbing not commercial. If I can see a diagram and have the correct terminology to order the parts I need I can do this. Can you help us? Thank you

 

[Kirk Burress]

Thank you. PVC makes sense, no more compression fittings to vibrate loose when pans are banged in the sink. If I remove the Trap, that will allow me to extend the tailpipes and still maintain the proper height to drain. How long should the tailpipes be?

 

[Geofd]

It really should be tied into a grease trap at least that's whats required in mass because your sending grease into the city sewer and it can be traced back to you

 

[TomFOhio]

Kirk, I am surprised you didn't have to pull a permit. Sorry to say it would not have passed. If your aloud to do the work
yourself then call the plumbing inspector in and have him tell you the way he wants it. Just a suggestion.

 

[Diehard]

Remove that trap and extend the tailpieces. Also that sink should be discharging into a drain in the floor that already has a trap on it. Like voleti said do it in 1 1/2" pvc.

I think that only applies for food handling applications.
"Equipment and fixtures utilized for the storage, preparation and handling of food shall discharge through an indirect waste pipe by means of an air gap."
But definitely should ask the local plumbing inspector for help.