Blockages and Biofilms in our Drains

Drain blockages in showers are pretty much always due to hair. Hair is made from a fibrous protein called Keratin which forms the main structural constituent and is extremely difficult to breakdown. 

Organic matter from washing (skin cells, fillers and polymers from soaps, parabens etc) bind with the hair and feed the bacteria growing in the drain, creating biofilms,

To compound this issue, the flow rate will be steadily decreasing meaning the water takes longer and longer to drain away. Eventually it will block completely.

The biofilm in pipes can contain more serious infectious pathogenic bacteria. The biofilm forms within the drainpipe growing at 1mm per hour and can come back up through the plug hole into the sink. This is a significant risk factor in healthcare.

Hospital patients often have compromised immune systems, so they are very highly susceptible to contracting a serious illness or infection from the biofilm.   

Most biofilms that are present in healthcare facilities tend to contain anti-microbial resistant bacteria (AMR’s). Standard disinfectant products have limited effect against AMR’s. TECcare products are proven to combat AMRs.

ISO 8588-2 has been implemented to formalise drain cleaning procedures. 

Ultra is a highly technical product that can progressively denature keratin. Because of its nature, it will not dissolve hair immediately. However, it will break down the structure of the hair with a succession of doses.

Ultra is biodegradable, derived from plants and made here in the UK by TECcare, specialists in antimicrobial technology.

Once the drain is clear, R-Foam can provide a protective film on the inside of the pipe, preventing debris and from sticking to the pipe.

R-Foam is the perfect drain maintenance product and is completely harmless. Like all products from TECcare, R-Foam is rapidly biodegradable and made from plants.