GREASE TRAP CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE
Grease traps can be the single biggest hassle for restaurants and commercial kitchens if not cleaned regularly. Grease trap maintenance performed on a routine schedule keeps drains flowing smoothly … preventing costly back-ups, and keeping your business up and running.
Grease traps are engineered to stop fats, oils or grease (FOG) from entering the sewer lines. Left unchecked, FOG cools, then solidifies and sticks to the insides of the pipes, trapping food particles and other debris. Over time, this solid mass continues to grow until it obstructs the flow of waste water and causes sewage to back up.
The easiest way to solve this problem is to prevent FOG from ever entering the sewer system. Grease traps can be effective in controlling FOG.
Grease Traps Provide Protection
Inside grease traps are small devices connected directly to the outgoing drains of sinks inside the restaurant. Grease traps are designed to retain FOG usually from one fixture. Because they hold small quantities of captured FOG, grease trap maintenance must be performed frequently (e.g. daily, weekly).
Most municipalities require monthly grease trap maintenance or cleaning. Depending on the trap size and your business volume, more frequent service may be necessary. Local Municipal Sewer Divisions, Local Health Boards, and Environmental Regulations have specific requirements for compliance. Our job is to help you maintain compliance, without business interruption.
Bravo’s trained technicians are experts at grease trap maintenance
No job is too small or too big …. Here’s what you can expect from our step-by-step process to clean and maintain grease traps.
- Drain the tank of grease wastes (internal and external grease traps)
- Clean and inspect all baffles
- Run a thorough system test to ensure all waste water is flowing properly
- Dispose of all material pumped from the grease traps in an environmentally safe way through the St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District
What should I do to help keep my grease trap running at top performance?
- Schedule regular grease trap maintenance
- Make sure that food prep and wash sinks are tied into a trap
- Ensure that your trap is properly sized
- Train your staff to remove as much waste and food solids as possible from plates and pots before washing
- Maintain a cleaning log for code compliance. Here’s a log you can download and use(link)
What NOT to do
- DO NOT pour boiling water into a trap connected sink as it liquefies the FOG and forces it into the sewer pipe.
- DO NOT connect garbage disposals to a trap.
- DO NOT connect high-temperature dishwashers to a trap.
- DO NOT put chemicals, bleach, additives, or drain cleaners into a trap – these destroy naturally beneficial bacteria and risk harm to the environment.