If you've ever watched episodes of Kitchen Nightmare with Chef Gordon Ramsay then you've probably seen him discover a neglected, dirty grease trap in the restaurant's kitchen.
If these traps are not maintained properly, the consequences can be:
- Blockages in your pipelines
- Backup of grease in your sink drains
- Offensive Odors
Any of these situations can be costly to a restaurant as they can cause you to close shop for a day or longer.
Bottom line is - It's simply not worth it to put off cleaning and maintaining your grease trap.
So, How Do You Clean A Grease Trap?
We know that cleaning out a grease trap is considered to be the worst job to do in a restaurant. It's disgusting, messy and smelly. But - it has to be done.
Following are the easy steps you should be taking to clean your grease trap.
- Wear Yellow Rubber Gloves to perform this task
- Remove the lid from the unit - usually a screwdriver can be used to pop the lid off
- Scoop out the top layer (which can be thick) of grease and fats and other debris with a bucket and dump this in a thick plastic garbage bag.
- Use a Shop Vac to drain the remaining liquid out of the grease trap unit.
- Discard the liquid in the Shop Vac in a thick plastic garbage bag.
- Once the grease trap is empty, clean it out with fresh, soapy water.
- After it's been thoroughly cleaned, begin filling the grease trap with hot sanitized water (chlorine concentration).
- That's it!
How Often Should You Clean A Grease Trap?
The general rule of thumb is that grease traps should be cleaned every 1 to 3 months. It depends on usage. You should check your grease trap unit once a month. If you notice that it's 25% full of Fats, Oils and Solids (FOGS) then it's time to clean it out.
As we stated earlier, ignoring this rule puts the restaurant in jeopardy of closing down. If the pipe blockages from the grease trap are severe enough - it may take a few days to clean them out and no restaurant owner wants to close down for several days.
How Does The Grease Trap Work?
The grease trap is a piece of plumbing equipment that is hooked up to your kitchen's drain pipe. It's purpose is to collected Fats, Oils and Grease and basically prevent them from going into your sewer system.
Basically, once the FOG is collected, it begins to cool which then separates it from the rest of the liquid and other solid debris. You'll notice that when you open a grease trap the first thing you will see is a thick layer of FOG sitting on top of the remaining liquid in the unit.
If you are considering replacing or installing a Grease Trap in your residential or commerical property, call the Atlanta plumbing experts - Atlantis Plumbing today at 770-505-8570. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
We Offer Grease Trap Services in Metro Atlanta and Surrounding Areas
Fulton County, Bartow County, Cobb County, Paulding County, Cherokee County, Gwinnett County, and Douglas County.
Acworth GA, Atlanta GA, Austell GA, Cartersville GA, Doraville GA, Douglasville GA, Hiram GA, Kennesaw GA, Lawrenceville GA, Lithia Springs GA, Loganville GA, Mableton GA, Marietta GA, Powder Springs GA, Rockmart GA, Roswell GA, Smyrna GA, Tucker GA, Villa Rica GA, Vinings GA, Woodstock GA, and Surrounding Communities.