How can I reduce plumbing service calls in my apartment building?

Reducing plumbing service calls starts with preventing food waste and debris from entering kitchen drain lines. Installing a permanent sink screen creates a first-line barrier that significantly reduces recurring clogs, backups, and emergency plumbing visits in multifamily properties.

Why do tenants keep clogging kitchen sinks?

Tenants frequently allow food scraps, grease, and debris to enter drains, leading to buildup inside branch lines and main stacks. Over time, this accumulation causes recurring blockages and service calls. A permanent drain screen prevents solid waste from entering the plumbing system in the first place.

What is the most effective way to prevent recurring drain backups?

The most effective long-term solution is source prevention. By permanently blocking food solids from entering drain lines, property owners can dramatically reduce clog frequency and maintenance tickets.

How do preventative plumbing upgrades improve net operating income?

Preventative plumbing upgrades reduce recurring service calls, emergency labor costs, and tenant disruption. Lower operating expenses directly improve net operating income and increase overall property valuation.

What is the ROI of installing drain protection in rental properties?

The ROI depends on service call frequency, but properties experiencing multiple annual clog-related visits per unit often see measurable cost savings within the first year after implementing permanent drain protection.

How can I reduce plumbing operating expenses without major renovations?

Small infrastructure upgrades that prevent recurring problems can significantly reduce maintenance costs without large capital expenditures. Preventing drain clogs at the source is one of the most cost-effective plumbing strategies available.

How do I protect aging plumbing in older apartment buildings?

Protecting aging plumbing begins with minimizing debris, grease, and solids entering drain lines. Reducing internal buildup lowers corrosion risk and helps extend the service life of older cast iron and PVC systems.

Can drain strainers help extend the life of drain lines?

Yes. By preventing food waste accumulation inside pipes, permanent drain screens reduce blockages, standing water, and corrosive buildup that contribute to premature pipe deterioration.

How can I avoid costly pipe replacements in multifamily properties?

Avoiding premature pipe replacement requires a preventative strategy. Controlling what enters the plumbing system reduces internal damage, protects aging infrastructure, and helps defer major capital expenditures.

Certification and testing

Certified Test Data and the Code Position

The SemperScreen® permanent sink screen was tested and COMPLIED with ASME A112.18.2-2020 / CSA B125.2-20, with a certified flow rate above 11.0 gpm against a 7.0 gpm minimum and a screen aperture of 0.08 in (2.0 mm) maximum.

We overbuilt our SemperScreen® permanent sink screens suitable, and here are the numbers. One page carrying the certified numbers, what plumbing code actually requires of a pump, and the federal and municipal position on controlling food waste at the sink.

Certified test data

Measured values against the clause requirement, with the margin shown. Tested and COMPLIED with ASME A112.18.2-2020 / CSA B125.2-20.

Tested	Standard requires	Measured
Flow rate	≥ 7.0 gpm at 6 in head	> 11.0 gpm — margin over 57%
Screen aperture	≤ 0.2 in (5 mm)	0.08 in (2.0 mm) maximum — 2.5× finer
Body wall thickness	≥ 0.022 in (0.56 mm)	0.029 in (0.74 mm) — 1.32×
Screen thickness	≥ 0.015 in (0.38 mm)	0.023 in (0.58 mm) — 1.53×
Thermal cycling	7 cycles, 180 °F to 70 °F	No cracking, leaking, or deformation
Hydrostatic pressure	5.0 psi, 1 min	No leakage, cracking, or deformation
Seals leakage	20 in (500 mm) column, 5 min	No leakage
Thread torque strength	20 N·m (15 ft·lbf)	No stripping or thread damage
Outlet thread	1½–11½ NPSM, ASME B1.20.1	Conforms
Corrosion	ASTM B117 neutral salt, SC-2	≤1 defect/in²; none > 0.03 in
Material	300/400 series stainless	Type 304 stainless steel
Screen retention	Not displaceable by occupants	Screen element permanently fixed to the body

Third-party laboratory report on file with the manufacturer, available on request.Lifetime residential warranty. B2B installations carry a 5-year commercial warranty, and rentals count as commercial.

What the code actually asks of the pump

IPC 712.4.2 states what a pump must be capable of passing. It sets no limit on upstream screening, and the threshold tightened between editions.

Pump type and code edition	Required capability
Receives water closet discharge, all editions	2 in (51 mm)
Other pumps and ejectors, IPC 2012–2018	1 in (25.4 mm)
Other pumps and ejectors, IPC 2021, 2024	1/2 in (13 mm)
Certified screen aperture	0.08 in (2.0 mm)

A 0.08 in aperture is roughly six times finer than the largest particle the current code contemplates.

An engineering control, not a training program

NIOSH ranks engineering controls above administrative controls because they work without significant human interaction. Its criteria for a good engineering control include blocking the hazard at the source, needing minimal user action, and preventing users from interfering with the control.

By that federal definition, a drain control any person can defeat in two seconds sits in a lower category.

The guidance side proves the point by accident. A state FOG best-practices document instructs operators to train kitchen staff not to remove drain screens, then concedes that success depends on the behavior of the employee. Another jurisdiction reproduced the instruction unchanged eighteen years later.

Why grinding removes nothing

A disposal changes particle size. It removes nothing from the waste stream, and macerated particles give grease more surface area to bind to.

EPA identified grease as the most common cause of reported blockages at 47 percent, and 40 CFR 403.5(b)(3) prohibits discharging solids in amounts that will cause obstruction in the collection system.

SemperScreen® recommends that you always refer to local building codes when modifying a building’s plumbing system. Requirements vary by jurisdiction.

Where screens are already required

Princeton, New Jersey

Bars mechanical garbage disposal waste from multi-family dwellings of three or more units except by written permission of the sewer engineer, and codifies drain screens as a required best management practice.

§ B34-22 and § B34-23

Tahoe City Public Utility District

Bars commercial disposals from the public sewer and directs that screens be installed in all sinks receiving food waste.

Sewer FAQs

Specifying it

Specified under CSI MasterFormat Division 22 42 16.16, Commercial Sinks. Certification test data is available for basis-of-design listing and substitution review.

MasterFormat	22 42 16.16 Commercial Sinks
Install size	3½ in (88.9 mm) standard sink drain
Install depth	2.8 in (71 mm)
Connection	Custom tube nut for 1-1/2" tailpiece
Weight	1 lb (0.45 kg)
Serviceability	Installs and services with standard tools
Markings	"SEMPERSCREEN" permanently marked, visible after installation

Sources EPA National Pretreatment Program · NIOSH Hierarchy of Controls, CDC · NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources, FOG Best Management Practices · Borough of Kennett Square, PA, FOG Best Practices · Municipality of Princeton, NJ § B34-22 and § B34-23 · Tahoe City Public Utility District Sewer FAQs · IPC 712.4.2.

Need this in a submittal

We will send the current report set and spec language sized to your project.

Book a Call

Deployment evidence: the 33-unit building this was invented for and the retail rollout from pilot to renovation standard.