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I'm hoping the answer to this is painfully obvious, but I haven't figured it out. About once a month I'm tearing apart the drains under my pop machine and sink the remove this rather unsavory gel that builds up in there. It appears to be something to do with the pop and it plugs the drains up tight -- usually minutes before starting to sell for a sold-out show. I thought it might be something mixing with sink drainage, but the gel starts in the pop machine drain right under where the pop head drain pipe hovers over the catch pipe. Oh, and it is vile and gross gel, too. Proabaly a market for it on eBay . . . . Anyway, any hints would be great. Thanks.

Everywhere I have worked, it has been policy to pour a pot of boiling water down the soda drains each evening.

Yes, pour down boiling water each night and some bleach wouldn't hurt, either. The ice bin and drain tubing from it should be treated with an algea killer (sometimes use "ice machine sanitizer").

In high school, I had a part-time job working in a take-out restaurant. Part of our evening ritual was to run a pot of plain hot (near-boiling) water through the coffee maker, and pour the entire pot of water down the fountain drain. It worked. Not only did it prevent clogs, but it also stopped a problem they had with Coke syrup eating through the copper drain line!

We pour a coffee decanter of COLD water down the pop machine drains every night. Those plastic hoses are not meant to take hot water! Bleach goes down too but not every night.

I'd have to disagree with the statement that the hoses aren't rated for hot water. Our new Coke hoses are PEX or cross-linked polyethylene. That the same stuff builders are putting in to concrete floors for in-floor radiant heating. I also tried to cut some of the old hoses out and nothing worked. I had a hell of a time trying to cut through the soda hoses. The reason they use these types of hoses is for the pressure.

In 15 years of pouring hot water down ice bin drain hoses I have never had a rupture, even when we, ill advisedly, used the CO2 to try to clear the system.

That lovely gel is a byproduct of the sugar that is in the soda. We have had the same problem in the past. Hot water will not kill it, as a matter of fact, warm water will promote the growth. Bleach will destroy the growth, sterimine (sp) will also put an end to it. We also soak the soada heads in a solution of water/sterimine. Also known as utterwash. Hey, no WI jokes please! You will find the growth to usually be in the elbow (I think thats what its called). Its a breeding grounds for cool little creatures.

When our new 8 head Pepsi machine was installed a couple of years ago we were given specific instructions by the Pepsi installers . They said "Do not run hot water down the pop machine drain, use cold water." We do what they said.

Thanks Kids! I suspected the hot water since the help has been taking it right from the tea spigot and dumping it down the drain. This is the first theater I've had that had near boiling hot water available, and the first time I've had this problem. We'll try bleach and cold water. Next time I'm at the restaurant supply, I'll look for the "utter wash." Thanks again.

Avalon,

I don't think you will find udder wash in a restaurant supply store---much better chance at a farm store i.e. Fleet Farm or Farm and Fleet if they are in your area, or any other "dairy" type farm store.

. . . .I'm guessing it's really "udder," not "utter" wash. Must . . . not . . . use . . . pun . . .

Avalon, you are right, its Udder. We buy ours in gallon containers from our janitoral supplier. I believe Sterimine or Steramine is in big bold letters on the bottle. Our health inspector requires the use of this item to sanitize icebins, icemaker, sodaheads, etc.

Don't for get the coat hanger when you have got that really bad clog

Multistrand 12 gage will get thru the P-trap! Then try to figure out a graceful way to get that gooey, stinky, unmanagable piece of wire thru the lobby and out of sight without killing bar sales . . . Thanks for all the help, folk!

Who would have thought there could be so many angles to clearing a scummy little drain tube. From my days in the bar biz I recall that the ice machine would do the same thing when youy least expected it. Yes: ice machines do drain!

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Mike Hurley
www.bigscreenbiz.com