Installation and Repair
Drainage is one of the most consequential systems in any commercial or industrial facility — and one of the most frequently underestimated until something fails. A commercial drainage system that isn’t designed for the volume it handles, isn’t properly sloped, or isn’t maintained becomes a source of standing water, sewer backups, health code violations, property damage, and operational shutdowns. Lovett Mechanical installs and repairs commercial drainage systems for businesses and industrial facilities across Syracuse, NY and Central New York — from sanitary drain and waste systems inside the building to channel drains, floor drains, roof drains, and site drainage at the perimeter.
Types of Commercial Drainage Systems We Install and Service
Commercial and industrial properties require drainage systems across multiple categories — interior building drainage, surface and site drainage, and roof drainage. Each serves a distinct function, and in many cases a complete drainage solution involves all three working together.
Sanitary Drain, Waste, and Vent (DWV) Systems
The sanitary DWV system is the foundational interior commercial drainage system — removing wastewater from all plumbing fixtures and equipment and conveying it to the municipal sewer. Commercial DWV systems must be sized for peak simultaneous fixture discharge, sloped correctly throughout to maintain self-cleaning velocity, and vented to prevent trap siphoning and sewer gas infiltration.
Commercial Floor Drains
Commercial floor drains are required in mechanical rooms, commercial kitchens, restrooms, locker rooms, janitor closets, manufacturing areas, food processing facilities, vehicle maintenance bays, and anywhere water discharge or spills are expected. Unlike residential floor drains, commercial floor drains are engineered for higher flow rates, heavier traffic loads, and in industrial environments, resistance to chemical exposure. We install commercial floor drains with proper trap seals and trap primers where required, matching drain body material — cast iron, stainless steel, or coated options — to the environment they will serve.
Commercial Trench Drains and Channel Drains
Where a single-point floor drain isn’t adequate for the volume or distribution of water discharge — commercial kitchen floors, food processing production areas, loading docks, vehicle wash bays, manufacturing floors, and covered outdoor areas — trench drains and commercial channel drains provide linear drainage capacity across a wider area. We install cast iron, stainless steel, and polymer trench drain systems with grates selected for the load class and slip-resistance requirements of the application. Stainless steel channel drain systems are standard for food processing and restaurant environments where sanitation and corrosion resistance are required.
Commercial Roof Drains
Flat and low-slope commercial roofs cannot rely on gravity runoff to the edge the way pitched residential roofs do — they require interior commercial roof drain systems to remove standing water before it accumulates to damaging weight or finds a path through the roofing membrane. We install interior roof drains connected to vertical leader pipes that carry water through the building to the storm drainage system, as well as overflow drains at secondary locations required by code. Roof drain strainers and flashing connections are critical details we execute to code to prevent both blockage and water infiltration.
Commercial French Drains
Commercial french drains — perforated pipe installed in a gravel trench to collect and redirect subsurface water — are used at building foundations, in parking areas, and along site perimeters where groundwater infiltration or surface runoff threatens to migrate toward the structure. We install commercial french drain systems sized and routed to intercept water at its source and convey it to an appropriate discharge point, whether that is a storm sewer connection, a retention area, or a daylight outlet on the site.
Sewer Lateral and Site Drainage
The building’s sanitary sewer lateral carries all wastewater from the DWV system to the municipal sewer main. We install, repair, and replace commercial sewer laterals — including excavation, pipe installation, connection to the public sewer, and restoration. For sites with storm drainage requirements, we install underground storm drainage piping connecting roof leaders, area drains, and parking lot catch basins to the storm sewer system.
Grease Interceptors
Commercial kitchen operations and food processing facilities discharge grease-laden wastewater that must be captured before it reaches the sanitary sewer. Grease interceptors — properly sized to the fixture unit load and anticipated grease discharge of the operation — are a code requirement and a critical component of the commercial drainage system in any food service environment. We size, install, and service commercial grease interceptors, and we help clients stay ahead of the pumping and maintenance schedule required to remain in compliance.