Must a Hotel Kitchen Have Open Floor Channels?

Every kitchen must handle wastewater. Commercial kitchens use and treat water differently from home kitchens, so plumbing design differs. Must a hotel kitchen have open floor channels? CHINENG explains.

What is an open channel?

It is a key path for kitchen wastewater—quickly guiding floor water to the sewer to protect foundations. Typical slope is about 0.3–0.5%, depth about 20 cm, width about 18 cm.

Must hotel kitchens use open-channel drainage?

Kitchens may use open or covered drains. A common approach is indoor channels in prep areas receiving indirect discharge from sinks and cutting tables, then leaving via stacks.

Pros and cons

1. Open channels: easy to drain, flush, and unclog, but can smell if poorly managed.

2. Covered drains: cleaner look and less odor, but harder to clear when blocked.

Design tips

1. Layout: long runs clog easily—keep drains about 400–500 mm from range fronts.

2. Depth: floor slope ≥ about 1.5% from high- to low-hygiene zones; clean areas may use trapped floor drains. Channel depth about 0.15–0.20 m and width about 0.3–0.38 m with rounded profiles so water does not pond.

3. Covers: prefer stainless covers for acid/alkali resistance.

4. Rodent screens: fit metal mesh and filters at outlets.

5. Grease separation: oily wastewater needs interceptors before municipal discharge.

Hotels need drainage, but not necessarily open channels—covered drains also work. Sound layout drives hygiene and efficient operations. Follow the CHINENG website for more.