Tag Archives: grease trap cleaning

Jan '23

5 Ways to Prevent Restaurant Plumbing Problems

Did you know that preventing plumbing issues in your restaurant is vital?

The resulting issues can be a real pain in the… drain. A leak, clog, or burst pipe can shut down your business, prevent customers from using the restrooms and cause damage to the facilities or equipment. But that is not all. As Windermere Management warns, it can damage your reputation and result in a loss of revenue. Do you know what else could be a problem? The cost of replacement or repairs can be financially draining.

If you do not address such issues immediately, they can escalate to involve more damage. That is because it is a domino effect where one problem causes another. Let’s remember that it may also be hazardous to the health of your employees and customers. That is because a malfunctioning drain causes unsanitary conditions that pose a public health risk. You do not want that on your conscience.

However, there is good news. Preventing plumbing problems will keep your customers loyal and happy. Your customers will be more comfortable if they access the amenities they need. As a result, they will give positive reviews about your restaurant.

Here, we will discuss five ways to prevent plumbing problems in your restaurant so that you will maintain business operations, minimize cost, ensure safety, and keep your customers happy.

Address everything that can cause plumbing issues before they occur

They say, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” That is especially true when it concerns restaurant plumbing. When you address plumbing issues before trouble strikes, you’ll nip any hidden issue in the bud before it can cause a significant problem.

We advise that you engage in regular schedule maintenance, so you will catch small clogs or leaks before they become serious issues. Inspect the plumbing system for old or worn-out pipes that require replacement to prevent burst pipes.

Keep an eye on the condition of your equipment and sinks. You can save yourself a lot of headaches and money if you are proactive and address potential issues before they become emergencies. Your customers will be happy, and you will have peace of mind that the restaurant’s plumbing is running smoothly.

Invest in clog control to prevent restaurant flooding

As you may know, restaurants deal with a lot of food waste, grease, and other debris that can easily build up to cause clogged pipes. These clogs can cause overflowing sinks, backup toilets, floods, and other severe plumbing issues.

You can control clog in various ways. One way is to conduct regular maintenance where a plumber performs hydro-jetting to clear off all built-up debris. Also, you can hire a plumber to install a grease trap in the kitchen to help catch and prevent grease from entering your pipes to cause clogs.

Another essential step will be to train your employees on the proper disposal of grease and food waste. Provide designated containers where they can dispose of grease, food debris, and ether day items that can clog the drains.

Choose tankless water heaters

According to the National Restaurant Association, quick-service dining restaurants require between 500 to 1,500 gallons of water daily, and full-service dining establishments consume as much as 5000 gallons daily. Most of these are hot water. That is why you cannot afford issues with your water heater.

Tankless water heaters are more durable and long-lasting than tanked water heaters. You will never run out of water in the middle of a busy dinner rush. Since it is tankless, you have nothing to worry about leaks. Tankless water heaters require lesser repairs and maintenance than traditional tanked water heaters. In addition, you will save more money on energy bills.

Control food grease

One of the common causes of clogged drains in restaurants is trapped grease. That is why it is advisable to hire a plumber to clean the grease trap out. The plumber will install a grease trap and routinely clean the lines. Doing so will prevent clogs from accumulating.

You should have a dedicated drain for grease as part of the control measures. Avoid pouring food grease into other drains. Ensure you train your employees on how to manage dishwashing and grease.

Have a quick response team

You will need a rapid response team with a dedicated plumber for your restaurant’s needs. Even when you perform all the above preventive measures, plumbing accidents that require urgent attention may still occur. However, you can handle such issues if you have a plumber that can respond immediately to salvage the situation.

The bottom line

Preventing restaurant plumbing problems is crucial for maintaining business operations, ensuring safety, minimizing costs, and keeping customers satisfied. When it comes to a restaurant’s plumbing, it is always better to be safe than sorry.

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.

Apr '22

Signs Your Chicago Restaurant Grease Trap Needs Cleaning

As a Chicago restaurant owner, there are many things you’ll have to keep an eye on. One of them, there’s no doubt about it, is your trusty grease trap. It doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, right? Right. Luckily, we’ve decided to make the job easier for you. In other words: we’ve selected the most common signs your Chicago restaurant grease trap needs cleaning. Without further ado, let’s take a look at them!

What is a grease trap?

Here’s something you might want to call a standard definition of a grease trap: a plumbing device with a role to intercept a fair amount of greases and solids before they’re allowed entry into the wastewater disposal system. Once that process’s over, the smaller amounts of oil that have pushed through will enter the sewer line (which also might need a deep clean) and certain treatment facilities. That way, the floating scum layers are formed.

Why should you keep your grease trap clean?

Needless to say, keeping your grease trap in proper condition (clean) is the best way to ensure there won’t be any foul odors inside your Chicago restaurant’s kitchen. Also, there’s another reason why a clean grease trap is very beneficial: you’ll rest assured knowing you’ve cleared any possibility of your kitchen being a health hazard to your employees, clients, or guests!

Will a faulty grease trap cause bad reviews?

As we’ve already said, an unkempt grease trap might be a health issue for your guests. Needless to say, they won’t be happy about it, so you can count on some bad reviews. Online reviews have a tremendous amount of power today, as professionals at usamovingreviews.com can attest. Nowadays, nobody chooses moving companies without reading plenty of reviews about them. And it’s the same with restaurants. More than once, bad reviews have resulted in businesses shutting down. So, you’ve got some good reasons to keep your kitchen clean as a whistle! Now that we’ve got that one out of the way, let’s see those signs your Chicago restaurant grease trap needs cleaning!

A pair of cheeseburgers inside the greasy frying pan.

The grease trap is there to prevent most of the grease and solids that go through your restaurant from entering the wastewater disposal system.

#1 There’s a special kind of stench coming from the kitchen

This is one of the more obvious ways you can tell something’s wrong. As always, our sense of smell is there to tell the difference. Anyway, odors appearing suddenly that have no immediate explanation are probably a clear sign that your Chicago restaurant grease trap needs cleaning. For instance, you might think it’s coming from the garbage. So you throw the trash away, but the smell’s still there.

How does one recognize this “brand” of stench? You’ll want to know that a grease trap usually smells like a combo of cooking oil, food waste, grease, and sludge, all accumulated over time. If you notice a smell that seems to escape every explanation (except the one where there’s a grease trap involved), it must be the thing!

#2 When’s the last time you’ve cleaned the grease trap?

If you’ve got a hard time answering this one because you can’t quite remember the answer since it’s been a long time, it might just mean it’s time to clean your grease trap. Usually, you’ll want to clean your grease trap every three months or so. If it’s possible, organize the cleaning ordeal even more frequently! That’s especially important if you’re running a busy Chicago restaurant. You will “escape” specific issues related to your dirty grease trap and help make your kitchen fit the standard proposed by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and Health Department.

Clean your grease trap every three months and you won’t have to worry about the signs that your Chicago restaurant grease trap needs cleaning.

#3 We’ve found grease in an unusual place

There probably isn’t a more visible sign that your restaurant grease trap needs cleaning than grease appearing everywhere, even in the most unusual spots around your kitchen. It’ll leave you wondering: now, wait a minute, how’s this even possible? Here’s the answer: if the grease trap “decides” to clog up, the extra grease might find its way through the most accessible exit door such as sinks, sewer pipes, water lines, etc. Once that happens, it’s no wonder that grease ends up just about everywhere around the kitchen. If you notice this, make sure you always inspect if the grease trap’s causing the issue; clean the kitchen thoroughly of any grease deposits that might’ve built up!

#4 Blocked or slow drainage

What would you say is one of the main reasons some sink drains clog up? If you were to say a dirty grease trap, you’d be absolutely right! Remember the famous acronym called FOG (Fats, Oils, and Greases)? If so, you’ll want to know that they’ll start to solidify once they accumulate inside your grease trap. Some time passes, and you’re stuck with a trap that’s full of dense grease. That will make it difficult for water to flow through the sink drain, resulting in very slow waste movement. Eventually, this will lead to some significant issues. The worst of them might cause your restaurant to close temporarily.

There’s no need to emphasize that as soon as you notice excessive amounts of grease buildup inside the trap, it’s time you call professionals for a vacuum pump truck service.

An unkempt grease trap might even result in your Chicago restaurant temporarily closing down, so think about that one!

Something of a conclusion

That’s about it on the signs that your Chicago restaurant grease trap needs cleaning! For the end, we’ve left a little suggestion you might find helpful when the time comes (and we hope it’ll never come, but you can never be too sure). As soon as you notice something’s not exactly right with your grease trap, your best bet is to call professionals to take care of the problem. There’s just no doubt about it! A trusty commercial plumbing crew is every restaurant owner’s dream!

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