# Soda machine blockage?



## Maximumplumbing

Ok I need some help from some of u commercial service guys. I got a call about four months ago for a clogged soda machine drain in a subway. Went cleaned it, but it still drained slow, went below into the parking garage removed a section of pipe and removed a whole lot of sludge from the ninety that turns the drain horizontal. I was told by the building super that this happens every three or four months. ( the subway was new when I went). Got a call tonight that it's clogged again? Can there be something with this soda machine causing this build up. The drain is installed right. And its 2 inch from the wall to the main stack. Anyone ever had anything like this? Every three or four months screams something not right but I'm too new with sofa machines. What gives?

Sent from my iPhone using PlumbingZone


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## easttexasplumb

It's coke snot, you need lots of hot water running while your cable is spinning.


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## Greenguy

Yup and then have them dump a 5 gal bucket of hot water every week to slow the issue. I had the same issue in a macdonalds


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## Titan Plumbing

Hot water every night thru the trough drain at least 2 carafes from the coffee maker.

Clean it good the first time and you should be good to go until someone decides that it's wasting water or time, then you'll get another call.

Here's my latest ordeal with "coke snot"...


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## U666A

All I can add is that I hope the drain isn't CI!

Dilution is your friend, but only to a certain extent. That crap will eat through cast in no time!

Good luck though!


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING

Done many of these, nothing fun about them. McDonalds are the worst ones at the drive thru window.


They need to get an injection system installed on that line, or add the treatment by dosing. 

All the white castles started doing this in the northern kentucky area and cut their expenses more than half.

Enzyme injection.


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## TX MECH PLUMBER

I've seen soda drains piped into a small grease trap like device to catch the slime... Even one was just a 5 gallon bucket with a water heater pan connector on the side about 6 in from top then out of it was piped into a hub drain with a air gap ... The bucket had to be emptied of the slime. I bet they just put it in the mop sink !!!!


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## Redwood

I've run hot water lines to the soda fountain drains at quite a few places...
The ones that use them often do have less drain problems...
The first one I did was at a Subway...:laughing:

I ran a hose from the water heater to use while I was snaking the line and he asked if it would help to have a hot faucet right there and run hot water every night...

I told him it probably would and I ran a line over for him...

It did help!


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## Tommy plumber

As I sit here sipping my morning coffee looking at Titan's picture of Coke snot, I am thinking that it looks like an intestinal parasite of some sort that was coughed up from the lung of a farm animal.....


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## Mississippiplum

Edit: I reread the posts, it seems like an enzyme injection system would be key, and considering the temp of the liquids draining out of the drippings tray and if the condensate drain off the ice machine also drains into that same drain then the snot is just being further solidified by the cool condensate and run off from the drippings tray, hot water would be key but an automated system would need to be installed to ensure the system is cleaned regulary.


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING

Mississippiplum said:


> Edit: I reread the posts, it seems like an enzyme injection system would be key, and considering the temp of the liquids draining out of the drippings tray and if the condensate drain off the ice machine also drains into that same drain then the snot is just being further solidified by the cool condensate and run off from the drippings tray, hot water would be key but an automated system would need to be installed to ensure the system is cleaned regulary.


 
Correct. Automated systems would be the only way to go because depending on staff/employees to do anything maintenance based will never happen.

Every so many hours the injection system sprays the enzymes inside the piping system, starts eating what's inside the pipe from the go. 

If Subway doesn't practice this as a rule, hard sell. 


I stopped doing the drain maintenance at a local subway because it's too chronic of a drain problem and the building owner won't address the issue. 


Jetting would work, only for a simple period of time till it returns to that obstructed condition.


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## Widdershins

easttexasplumb said:


> It's coke snot, you need lots of hot water running while your cable is spinning.


 "Coke Snot" sounds like something I use to blow into my hankie during the freewheeling, overindulgent 70's and 80's.


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## BuckeyeBowhunte

NICE! this is a new concept to me. Makes sense, but i didn't know it'd do that. I do now. 

I'll put that in my drain cleaner's book of knowledge


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