Tag Archives: commercial grease trap cleaning

Jun '23

The Science Behind Routine Commercial Grease Trap Cleaning – An Expert Guide

As a restaurant manager, you know that commercial grease traps are an essential part of your kitchen’s plumbing system. These traps help to prevent fats, oils, and grease (FOG) from getting into your pipes and causing blockages, backups, and other plumbing issues. However, many restaurant owners and managers don’t realize the importance of routine grease trap cleaning. In this expert guide, we’ll explore the science behind how grease traps work, why routine cleaning is crucial, and tips for scheduling and maintaining your commercial grease trap.

Understanding Grease Traps

Grease traps, also known as grease interceptors, are designed to trap and separate FOG from water. These traps are typically installed in the plumbing line between the kitchen sink or dishwasher and the sewer main. As water flows through the grease trap, the FOG separates from the water and floats to the top of the trap. Meanwhile, heavier solids settle to the bottom. The remaining “clean” water flows through an outlet pipe and into the sewer line.

Grease traps come in various sizes, ranging from small under-sink models to large outdoor tanks. The size of your restaurant, its level of activity, and the size of your kitchen’s equipment all factor into the size of the grease trap you need. The larger the trap, the more effective it will be at separating FOG from the water.

Why Routine Cleaning is Important

But even the most efficient grease trap needs regular maintenance to keep functioning correctly. Here’s why:

Preventing Blockages

Over time, the FOG that accumulates in your grease trap will form a thick layer that reduces the trap’s capacity to hold water. When this happens, FOG and other solids will begin to flow through the grease trap and into your plumbing pipes. If left unchecked, the built-up FOG can cause blockages, backups, and other plumbing issues that can be costly to repair.

Complying with Regulations

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires commercial kitchens to have properly sized and maintained grease traps. Failure to comply with these regulations can result in hefty fines and other legal consequences.

Protecting the Environment

When FOG and other kitchen waste enter the sewer system, they can clog sewage treatment plants and cause harm to aquatic life. Routine cleaning reduces the amount of FOG that enters the sewer line, protecting the environment and complying with EPA regulations.

Some grease traps can be cleaned manually, while others require a grease trap pump-out service from a professional plumber.

Tips for Scheduling and Maintaining Your Grease Trap

Now that you understand why routine grease trap cleaning is essential let’s explore some tips for scheduling and maintaining your grease trap.

Determine How Often Your Grease Trap Needs Cleaning

The frequency of grease trap cleaning depends on the size of your restaurant and the volume of FOG your kitchen produces. As a rough guideline, most grease traps require cleaning every 30-90 days. But you may need cleanings more often if your restaurant is particularly busy or if you’re experiencing plumbing issues.

Choose the Right Cleaning Method

Some grease traps can be cleaned manually, while others require a grease trap pump-out service from a professional plumber. Some grease traps even come equipped with sensors that let you know when it’s time for a cleaning. Work with a licensed local plumber to determine the best cleaning method for your specific grease trap.

Train Your Staff on Proper Waste Disposal

The more FOG your kitchen puts down the drain, the more frequently your grease trap will need cleaning. Make sure your staff is trained on proper waste disposal techniques, such as scraping plates and pans before washing, using strainers to catch solids, and disposing of waste in trash bins instead of down the drain.

Don’t Neglect Other Plumbing Systems

While routine grease trap cleaning is essential, it’s also important to maintain other plumbing systems in your kitchen. This includes cleaning sink strainers, passing hot water through drains to dissolve any solids, and scheduling regular inspections to catch any potential problems before they become major headaches.

Conclusion

Routine commercial grease trap cleaning is crucial for preventing blockages, complying with regulations, protecting the environment, and maintaining a functional kitchen. It is best to work with a commercial plumber to determine the right cleaning frequency and method for your specific grease trap. Train your staff on proper waste disposal techniques, and don’t neglect other plumbing systems in your kitchen. With the right maintenance, your grease trap will continue to perform its essential function for years to come.

Mar '23

Tips for Keeping Your Restaurant Drains Clean

Restaurants face the challenge of managing their drain and sewer systems on a daily basis. Without proper maintenance and cleaning, these systems can become clogged, causing backups and other issues. Fortunately, there are several tips that restaurant owners can follow to keep restaurant drains clean and functioning properly.

Restaurant Drain Cleaning

Regularly cleaning the drain lines in a restaurant is one of the best ways to ensure that the system continues to work properly. Restaurants should invest in a quality drain cleaning tools, such as a snake, to ensure that all drain lines are cleaned as needed. In addition to regular cleaning, restaurants should also inspect their lines for any signs of damage or blockages, and take immediate steps to address any issues that are found that may indicate signs of a needed sewer line repair.

Restaurant Drain Maintenance

In addition to restaurants having their drains professionally cleaned out on the regular, restaurants should also follow a regular maintenance plan for their drains and sewers. This plan should include regularly testing the system for blockages and leaks, and conducting repairs or replacements as needed. Restaurants should also be sure to use the appropriate cleaning solutions, as some can damage the pipes or cause corrosion.

Commercial Grease Trap Cleaning

Grease traps are an essential part of any restaurant’s drainage system, and they must be cleaned regularly to prevent clogs and backups. Grease traps should be checked often for accumulation of grease, and cleaned out as needed. Professional grease trap cleaning services should be used on a regular basis to ensure that the traps are functioning properly.

In addition to regular cleaning, restaurants should also inspect their grease traps for any signs of damage or blockages, and take immediate steps to address any issues that are found.

Keeping restaurant drains clean and well-maintained is essential to the smooth functioning of any restaurant. By following these tips, restaurants can ensure that their drain and sewer systems remain in good condition and are able to handle the demands of daily use.

Jan '23

Grease Trap Maintenance – The Do’s and Don’ts

If you own a commercial kitchen, restaurant, or food service operation, chances are high that there will be a grease trap inside your drainage systems. Grease traps are essential for buildings used as restaurants, cafés, bars, hotels, bakeries, or schools.

Grease traps help prevent the damage that FOGs (fats, oils, and grease) would do if allowed to indiscriminately enter the municipal sewers and natural waterways. Grease traps are receptacles that catch the grease inside wastewater before the wastewater enters the drainage systems.

But while grease traps protect public sewer systems and the natural environment, grease traps also need to be protected. With proper maintenance, says Service Star Realty, your grease trap will become efficient and pose serious problems for your business and the people who use the premises.

Grease trap cleaning and maintenance is important for the following reasons:

It prevents terrible odors that can emanate from a grease trap and foul up the air inside the building. Foul odors affect the health of your employees/customers and can even ruin your business.
Prevention of damage to drainage systems as a result of the accumulation of solidified FOG (fats, oils, and greases) inside the drainpipes.
Prevention of costly grease trap or drainpipe repairs; the inevitable consequence is if you fail to maintain the grease trap in a timely fashion.
Avoid hefty fines from the authorities due to toxic spillage from a malfunctioning grease trap that pollutes natural water systems and harms local wildlife.

How to maintain your grease trap, the dos, and the don’ts

Don’t: Use enzymes or solvents to clean your grease trap

Solvents and enzymes promise a quick way to clean your grease trap. But these shortcuts can cause you major problems. Grease traps already contain microorganisms and natural enzymes that break down the fats, oils, and grease inside them.

You don’t need to add enzymes artificially, as they can disrupt the natural process. Cleaning solvents or agents like bleach, drain cleaners, or chemicals will destroy the active enzymes inside the grease trap.

Don’t: Pour boiling water into the grease trap

Pouring boiling water into a grease trap or a trap-connected sink will defeat the purpose of having a grease trap. This is because when wastewater enters a grease trap, it slows down to let the less dense FOG in the water rise to the surface. However, the FOG melts and runs quicker when you pour boiling water into the grease trap. This makes it easier for fats, oils, and grease to escape the grease trap.

Don’t: Neglect to clean the grease trap

While grease traps break down the fats, oils, and grease that enter them, this process is not quick enough to keep the trap free of FOGs. Your grease trap will eventually fill up and require cleaning. How you clean the grease trap and how often you do it depends on the size and location of the trap. The regulations in your area also play a role in how often you clean the grease trap.

Do: Install your grease trap properly

The size of the grease trap and how it is installed matter. Grease traps come in various sizes; the right size for your business depends on how much mess is generated in your kitchen. An undersized trap will result in overflows and backups.

To size the grease trap for a business, check the number of sink outlets and other equipment (glasswasher and dishwasher) in the kitchen, as well as the rate at which water flows from the kitchen (measured in gallons per minute-GPM). Proper installation of the grease trap will prevent slow draining. Also, if there is little to no grease accumulating inside the trap, the grease trap must be installed appropriately.

Do: Dispose of food solids properly

Train your staff to always dispose of waste and food solids in the trash; they should not let them wash into the sink. Do not use the grease trap as a waste disposal unit. Install strainers in the sinks to facilitate this process. Allowing food solids to wash into your grease trap will fill up faster and become clogged with waste.

Do: Hire professionals

Hiring professionals to clean your grease trap is the best way to ensure the system’s efficiency. Experts protect your business by eliminating any risk of heavy fines by the authorities. Hiring professionals for this job will save you money; you won’t have to acquire expensive equipment that you only need occasionally. Professionals will also prolong the life of your grease trap by cleaning it thoroughly.

Do: Know the law

Laws guiding the use of grease traps vary by location. These laws cover the right size of a grease trap for specific premises, how often it should be cleaned, how it should be cleaned, and how the waste collected from the grease trap should be disposed of. To avoid penalties or business closure, know what the law says about how to use your grease trap.