Grease traps are essential to any water treatment system where fatty oils, sludge, and grease enter the plumbing system. As the name implies, the grease trap will trap the grease and other oils and separate them from the water. This is designed to ensure the heavier solids do not pass into the city sewer lines and clog your drains.
How it Works
The oily and greasy substances will pass through a caching system to cool them off and solidify, and any water will pass through and go down the drain as usual. The grease trap items must be disposed of properly and frequently to avoid the system's problems.
In many instances, businesses will have a company come in to perform grease trap maintenance. This includes emptying the collection bin as well as making sure that the caching system is working appropriately.
Problems to Avoid
Without proper grease trap maintenance being conducted, there are a lot of problems can arise. These problems are usually expensive, so it's critical to understand how to clean a grease trap properly.
When the grease is not effectively trapped, the oil and grease will solidify into the drains. This can lead to blockages in the drain line as well as back-ups. This can cause health and sanitation issues as well as foul odors.
Too much FOG (fat, oils, and grease) being deposited into city sewer lines can also result in significant fines resulting from breaking city ordinances.
Maintenance Tips
Check on city and state ordinances. Many will dictate how often the grease trap needs to be pumped out. A company should schedule this ahead of time to ensure that it is being done regularly to avoid unnecessary fines.
Liquid waste can be handled appropriately with the necessary dry powder to help soak it up. Even though it is liquid now, it won't stay that way for long. Proper maintenance staff training can ensure that everyone knows what FOG is and what is considered FOG within your facility. Often, the issues stem from ignorance on the staff's part, which is always directly related to the amount of training they receive.
A bacteria additive can also be used within the collection tank for the FOG. These will reduce fats, oils, grease levels, and any other organic waste. It works by breaking down and digesting the waste. The benefit of using an additive is that it can reduce the number of pump-outs the collection tank requires, significantly reducing costs. These are available in a liquid form as well as a bacteria block.
Avoid letting staff rinse hot water down the drains and into the grease trap because this will prevent the grease from cooling, and thus it will be flushed into the drains and the city sewer lines, where fines will eventually be generated.
Slow-draining sinks and odors from the drains are often signs that FOG is lingering and that grease trap maintenance needs improvement. When learning about grease trap maintenance, start with city and state ordinances; they will dictate what you can and cannot use and how often you need to empty your tanks. Additionally, a little training can go a long way with your staff. Once you have your grease trap in place, maintaining it is of the utmost importance – whether you do it in-house or hire a company to do it for you.
