Saving Energy With Business Phone Services

Saving Energy With Business Phone Services

How to Maintain the Proper Function of Your Grease Trap

by Randy De Knegt

The function of the hydro-mechanical grease interceptor, also known as a grease trap, is to keep fats, oils and greases (FOG) in kitchen wastewater from flowing into the municipal sewer system and causing the drain pipes to become blocked.

Over time, the fats, oils and greases will accumulate in the grease trap, and if left unchecked could cause a blockage rendering the grease trap ineffective. Should this happen, the wastewater flowing into the municipal sewer system will contain FOG and other solid waste matter, eventually causing a blockage, and earning your business fines and penalties for contravening municipal laws. In addition, you will have to spend a lot of money cleaning out your grease trap.

To avoid all this, it is important to maintain your grease trap's proper function. You could call a professional grease trap cleaning company, but there are some things you can do in the meantime to keep your grease trap in proper working condition.

DIY Grease Trap Maintenance Tips

There are two main ways to do your own grease trap cleaning:

Freeze it

Place a lot of ice in the sink that is directly connected to the grease trap and let it melt. The ice water will get rid of any foul smells, as well as cause the FOG in the grease trap to solidify, making it easier to scoop out.

After the ice has melted and hardened the grease, scoop it out from the trap, sewer clean out and pipping. This should be done regularly so make sure you set a specific time to clean your grease trap, depending on the size of your kitchen and how many people it serves in a day.

Bacteria additives

Grease trap bacteria additives help in reducing FOG build up by biologically breaking down and digesting the waste water leaving only carbon dioxide and water. The additives commonly come in liquid form which you can pour down the drains or directly on the grease trap. Alternatively, you could get powder bacteria additives, or a bacteria block that is suspended in the grease trap by a rope and slowly dissolves releasing bacteria to act on the FOG.

This will significantly reduce the need for frequent professional pump-outs, and is also beneficial to the municipal sewer system since some bacteria are washed out there as well. It will also take care of any foul smells coming from the grease trap.

Whichever method you choose, remember to keep track of when you did the clean out in order to monitor build up in the grease trap, as well as schedule the next clean out appropriately.


Share

About Me

Saving Energy With Business Phone Services

When people talk about saving energy, they often get bogged down in the same topics – seal your drafty home, install a programmable thermostat, paint your roof white and similar tips are often shared. However, there are other ways to save energy. My name is Gina, and I run a small office. However, recently, I decided to let all of my team telecommute from home. They no longer waste fuel driving to work, which is great for the environment, and it is all possible thanks to phone systems that make it look like we are all in the same office. I also do other environmental things for my company. If you want tips or ideas on being more environmentally friendly with your business, check out these posts and enjoy.

Archive

Tags