How to maintain a soap dispenser in public or commercial washroom after purchase?
What should I do if my commercial soap dispenser is clogged?
For public/commercial washroom owners, ensuring quality and handwashing facilities is crucial. If the soap dispenser is clogged, empty, or tarnished, this could cause problems.
In order to prevent the mentioned problem, we should understand why the soap pump is clogged in the first place.
The two most commonly realized reasons are as follows:
1. Wrong soap type: usually happens with foam soap dispensers. Since there is a foaming net in the pump, if high viscosity liquid soap is used, the foaming net might be blocked which caused the foam soap pump clogged.
If incorrect soap type is the reason of clogged pump, depending on the condition of the current pump, user may simply clean/rinse off the remaining incorrect soap in the pump or change to a new foam soap pump.
2. Infrequent usage: this issue occurs more often with liquid soap as the viscosity is relatively high, and after unused for a while the soap may dry up and hardened inside the pump. If this is the case, use clean running water to wash out the remaining soap may solve the problem. Please see the video below for the instruction of cleaning and rinsing the pump.
Use clean running water to wash out the remaining soap
These are the two common situations happened in the auto soap dispenser in commercial washrooms. However, if a disposable pump is used in the soap dispenser, or the soap pump itself is not robust enough to withstand high viscosity soap, our suggestions might not resolve the clogged soap pump.
All auto soap dispensers designed and made by Hokwang equipped with robust and long service life soap pumps, no matter wall-mounted or deck-mounted auto soap dispenser. Moreover, we specially designed our HK-CSD deck mounted soap dispenser series to prevent these two possible clogged problems:
1. Prevent from using the wrong soap: if incorrect soap type is used against the soap pump, a solid green LED light will indicate by showing different signals depending on the model.
A solid green LED light to indicate wrong soap
2. Prevent from infrequent usage: HK-CSD series come with a smart sentinel flush design that activates once automatically if unused for 48 hours to prevent clogging.
Below is the maintenance checklist & troubleshooting guide to help the facility owners solve and prevent the clogging issues.
Maintenance Checklist & Troubleshooting Guide
Refer to the table below for standard maintenance procedures, preventive measures, and specialized advice for low-traffic facilities.
| Category | Common Cause of Clogging | Handling / Corrective Action | Preventive Tips |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soap Residue & Drying | Dried soap buildup at the nozzle or internal pump tube due to air exposure. | Flush the pump unit with warm water (under 50°C) until clear water flows freely. Avoid using hard or sharp tools to poke the nozzle. | Perform routine nozzle wiping with a damp cloth during daily cleaning cycles. |
| Improper Viscosity | Using liquid soap with high viscosity (over recommended cPs) or containing scrub microbeads. | Empty the soap bottle, thoroughly rinse the container, and refill with soap that meets the recommended viscosity range (1–3000 cPs). | Always verify soap viscosity specs before bulk purchasing for commercial restrooms. |
| Inactivity / Low-Traffic Areas | Soap stagnates inside the pump during prolonged periods of non-use (e.g., seasonal facilities or secondary restrooms). | Dispense soap manually/automatically 3–5 times to prime the pump and clear thickened residue. | Schedule weekly test activations or fill with warm water to flush pumps before long holidays or closures. |
| Impurity & Contamination | Dust, debris, or dried soap chunks falling into the soap tank during refills. | Dismantle the soap bottle/container, wash thoroughly with warm water, and clean or replace the pump filter screen. | Keep the soap tank cap tightly closed after every refill to prevent foreign objects from entering. |
💡 Special Advice for Low-Traffic Facilities (Schools, Seasonal Venues, Guest Rooms)
For locations with infrequent usage, soap is more prone to drying out inside the mechanism. We recommend setting a routine flushing schedule: empty the soap container and run 2–3 cycles with warm water prior to long recess periods. If replacing soap, ensure the entire dispensing system is purged with water first to prevent chemical interaction between different soap formulas.
Hokwang is confident to provide best solutions to your commercial restrooms, please feel free to contact us by filling the inquiry form below. We’ll be more than happy to recommend the most suitable, and of course, non-clogging auto soap dispensers.
- Video
- Related Products
-
Auto Stainless Steel Thin Tube Wall Mounted Multi-Function Soap/Sanitizer Dispenser
HK-CSD4R
A wall mounted liquid/foam soap dispenser made of stainless steel #304. The spout of HK-CSD4R...
Details
Auto Stainless Steel Deck Mounted Foam/Liquid/Spray Soap and Sanitizer Dispenser
HK-CSD3
Automatic deck mounted liquid/foam soap dispenser features the satin stainless steel spout...
Details
Auto Stainless Steel Curved Tube Deck Mounted Multi-Function Soap/Sanitizer Dispenser
HK-CSD5R
The Auto Tube Deck Mounted Multi-Function Soap/Sanitizer Dispenser features a minimalist stainless...
Details