Restaurant drips mid-service: drain line sags round a beam

A Clarke Quay restaurant's ceiling cassette dripped only during busy dinner service, staying dry through quieter afternoons. Converted heritage shophouses often force a drain line around an original structural beam it cannot pass through, and that detour can leave a low point that only floods under heavier runtime.

By Team Snowflake | Updated 28 Jul 2026

Case summary

Daikin Cassette5 years oldF&BSingapore River, Singapore

Concern: The restaurant manager worried the cassette's drain pan had cracked and would need a ceiling teardown to replace.
Found: Drain line sagging at a low point forced by routing around a structural beam, backing up under heavier water load
Key check: Traced the drain line's full route through the ceiling void before assuming the pan had cracked
Result: The cassette ran through a full dinner service without dripping. The restaurant avoided a ceiling teardown for a pan that was never actually at fault.

What we were told

The manager said the ceiling unit stayed completely dry during slow afternoons but dripped near the pass during the dinner rush most nights. It had been installed a few years earlier when the space was converted from a shophouse unit into the current restaurant. No one had opened the ceiling since.

What we checked

A cracked pan leaks whenever water reaches it. A leak that keeps restaurant hours needed a different explanation, and flow volume was the obvious one. A crack usually leaks whenever water reaches it. A drain line with a hidden low point holds fine at low flow, then backs up once heavier condensate volume passes through during longer runtime.

The cassette pan and panel showed no visible crack or damage.
The drain line detoured sharply around an original structural beam in the ceiling void.
A section just past the beam sat lower than the rest of the run, holding standing water.
Water cleared normally once that section was flushed and re-levelled.

What we found

When the space was converted, the drain line had to route around a load-bearing beam original to the building rather than passing through it. That detour left one short section sitting slightly below the rest of the line's fall, where water could pool instead of draining away. At normal, lighter flow the pool cleared before overflowing. During a busy dinner service, the extra volume backed up faster than the low point could clear, and the overflow found its way past the panel edge.

What fixed it

We re-supported the drain line to remove the low point and confirmed a consistent fall along the full run past the beam. The cassette pan was left as found, since it was never damaged. We advised the manager to flag any future ceiling works so the drain route is checked again if the space is altered.

Outcome

The cassette ran through a full dinner service without dripping. The restaurant avoided a ceiling teardown for a pan that was never actually at fault.

What this case teaches us

A drip tied to busy service points at drain flow, not a cracked pan

If a leak only appears during heavier runtime, check the drain line's route and gradient before assuming the pan or tray failed.
Converted heritage buildings often force drain lines around original beams or walls, which can leave a low point that only overflows under load.
Ask whether the full drain route was traced through the ceiling void before approving tray replacement.

Questions this case answers

Does a cassette that only drips during busy hours have a cracked pan?

A crack leaks whenever water reaches it, so the pattern argues against one. At this Clarke Quay restaurant the pan and panel showed no visible crack or damage. The drain line was the variable: a section just past a structural beam sat lower than the rest of the run and held standing water.

Is a heritage building's structure a factor in drain problems?

It can be decisive. When this space was converted from a shophouse unit, the drain line had to route around a load-bearing beam original to the building rather than pass through it. That detour left one short section below the line's fall. Converted heritage buildings often force exactly this kind of compromise.

Should the ceiling be opened to trace the drain route?

Trace the route before approving tray work. Nobody had opened this ceiling since the fit-out, and the full run through the void was what explained the pattern. Re-supporting the line removed the low point and gave a consistent fall past the beam. The cassette then ran through a full dinner service without dripping.

Is a drip that stops on quiet days safe to leave alone?

It tends to come back with the crowd. Lighter afternoon flow cleared the pooled water before it overflowed, so quiet days looked fine. Heavier condensate volume during the dinner rush backed up faster than the low point could clear, and the overflow found its way past the panel edge, near the pass.

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