Smells, unsightly stains, insect infestations, floods and frequent and unreasonable complaints from customers about the hygienic state of a cooler. All of these can be attributed to the cooler drip tray.
Is there a perfect design? If there is, I have yet to see it. Too small and it overflows every day, too big and you can end up with a smelly sump containing unmentionable growths and objects.
Most drip trays would perform their task well if it were not for one factor: the user! The purpose of the drip tray is to contain drips of a tap and small overflows, and contain water only.
It is not meant to:
Does the drip tray requires sanitisation? The simple answer is no. Sanitisation is the cleaning and disinfection of the water contact surfaces of a cooler, designed to protect water quality. The drip tray is not a water contact surface (unless your dog drinks from it). It just needs emptying regularly and to be cleaned in the same way as the rest of the cooler exterior.
Companies should make it clear in sanitisation contracts that the service includes cleaning of the drip tray at each visit, but that the day-to-day responsibility for emptying and keeping the tray lies with the user. Unfortunately, the customer (or should I say the end user) doesn’t always see it this way.
A few anecdotes illustrate the problems that can occur, and the dangers to the cooler company if they’re not addressed properly:
So, what is the best design of drip tray? I’m afraid there is no definitive answer. It’s not design that’s at fault, but the user. My preference is for a shallow ribbed tray that can be mopped up with a large tissue or absorbent cloth at the end of the day. But this presupposes intelligent use and the presence of somebody who will reliably carry out the task. If not, overflows are inevitable.
Some coolers have a reasonably commodious tray that’s enclosed and has an indicator that shows when it needs emptying. This is good in theory, but it’s doubtful if many users are aware of the indicator or even more significantly are prepared to take action if the indicator is showing.
Another problem is that emptying the tray needs care to avoid spillage unless there is a bucket close to hand. The indicator shows when the tray is full to brimming, not when it should best be emptied.
The deep drip trays are preferred by many users. Some of my clients report that deep trays are key to winning some contracts, as customers don’t want the inconvenience of emptying. The downside is, of course, that they are pretty disgusting after a month or two as they are used as waste receptacles.
Some coolers have trays that drain to a tank. This discourages the ‘waste bin ‘attitude but can cause problems with blockage as the narrow pipes block due to very low flow rates and microbial growth.
The final type is not a drip tray as such, but is of the kind fitted to drinking fountains where there is a drain to take water down to the building’s waste system. This should be of 32mm diameter and be fitted with a water trap. The cooler needs to be plumbed in to the building’s waste water system as well as a mains feed.
Having said that a drip tray doesn’t warrant a full sanitisation, it must be said that the tray should be cleaned with detergent and water and may need to be descaled to get rid of unsightly deposits.
When working in the cooler sanitisation facility at the company depot, it’s tempting to throw the trays in with the water contact components for treatment. This isn’t recommended because of the abundance of fungal and bacterial growth that’s found in a soiled tray, and which may be transferred to the water contact surfaces. Always treat drip trays separately, and when sanitising in the field make sure you don’t use cloths and brushes on the water contact surfaces which have previously been used to clean trays. Clean the trays last.
There is no perfect drip tray. All have their disadvantages and strengths. Most work well on trials under controlled conditions. Such conditions do not factor in the propensity of the average user to abuse and misuse a cooler or, at many customers’, the absence of a system of day-to-day cooler care. After all ‘somebody else’ cleans the toilets and the washroom basins, don’t they. It seems to be expected that coolers will look after themselves.
So what to do? The answer is quite simple: educate the customer on cooler use and the capabilities of the drip tray. Given that achievement, cooler care should become much less contentious. It’s clear that many customers want something that causes them no inconvenience and that will last for six months without attention until the next visit by the cooler company. This is unrealistic.
Cooler companies offering sanitisation services should make it clear to clients that they are maintaining the waterways of the cooler and, that while they’re happy to empty and clean the drip tray during maintenance, there’s no way the drip tray will last the period between visits without some attention from the customer.
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