Why You Need Grease Trap Cleaning?

Restaurants go through a lot of oil. And it’s some slippery, slimy stuff. Grease and oil splatter, run, and find their way down drains, behind ducts, and into nooks and crannies everywhere in a kitchen. Grease traps are a common measure used in kitchens everywhere. Maintaining and cleaning them is no less important, which is why you need grease trap cleaning. Here are a few of the key reasons.

Grease traps are not disposal bins

A common misconception is that grease traps are used for the disposal of grease - this is not the case. Grease traps (also known as grease interceptors, and confusingly as grease convertors) are designed to handle residual grease, and prevent it from traveling further through sewage and drainage systems - an important measure for counteracting the most prevalent source of sewage system blockages in the United States. They are not, however, designed to handle large volumes of oil. When confronted with excessive amounts of FOGs (fats, oils, and greases), grease traps can clog and to lead to overflowing and backed up drainage systems - along with smells and other hindrances to a positive customer experience.

Maintenance and supervision

Although it would be nice if they did, grease traps do not last forever. Over time, the gaskets and other components of grease traps deteriorate. During grease trap maintenance, cleaning services can inspect traps to ensure they are in good condition, and let restaurant managers know about necessary replacements, updates, or renewals. In this way, regular grease trap cleaning can remove the risk of smelly drains and clogged pipes that FOGs present for restaurants.

Avoid fines

Many municipalities levy fines for overflowed grease traps. Various factors determine the size of the fine, but restaurants want to avoid any additional costs. Regular and consistent grease trap cleaning is essential for preventing this. Plus: a reliable and experienced cleaning service will be familiar with local regulations, and can provide valuable information and assistance to restaurateurs for complying with requirements.

Safe disposal - and possible potential for recycling

It’s not a common practice, but in some cases trap grease can be recycled in the form of ‘brown grease,’ used in boiler fuel or other industrial uses. This is rare, but for certain high-volume operations may be possibility.

Of wider application - and very important - is the safe disposal of FOGs that grease trap cleaning enables. The brown grease and FOGs that accumulate in grease traps are toxic, and not safe for consumption in any form - this is why their recycling remains rare. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t important they be safely disposed of in an environmentally-sound manner. This is what grease trap cleaning enables.

Although most restaurateurs are rightly concerned about the customer experience, daily operations, and ensuring their business is running smoothly, some of the hidden components out of sight are equally important - and this includes grease traps. Setting up a regular cleaning service is a great way of removing any concern when it comes to this tiny and important part of a restaurant.