Grease Trap Perth, also known as an FOG interceptor, is a plumbing fixture that prevents fats, oils, and grease (FOG) from flowing into your sewage system. FOG buildup can cause sewage overflows and other problems that disrupt your business and harm the environment.
Regular grease trap maintenance helps reduce the risk of FOG-related sewer blockages. It also saves money on plumbing costs and minimizes downtime for your business.
During cooking, fats, oils, and grease (FOG) are produced and eventually flow down drains into the sewer system. While FOG is fine to pour down the sink at home, it creates serious plumbing issues in a restaurant or commercial kitchen that can halt production and cause health and safety hazards for employees and patrons. Most municipalities require restaurants and other food service establishments to install and maintain a grease trap or grease interceptor to prevent this.
Grease traps connect to your restaurant’s sinks and separate wastewater from the sanitary sewer system. They can range in size, with smaller variations designed to connect individual sinks and larger ones able to accommodate the entire kitchen. A maintenance hole cover covers the trap, which is typically located outside the building.
Your wastewater passes through a filter as it leaves your restaurant’s drains and enters the grease trap. There, the FOG material is separated from the water through a series of baffle walls. The separating process is assisted by the addition of water, which cools the wastewater and solidifies the grease.
The FOG and water then exit the trap into the sanitary sewer system through an outlet pipe. The filtered wastewater then goes to your city’s sewer treatment plant, where the solids and liquids are processed to make sure they don’t harm human and environmental health.
While it’s not illegal to pour FOG down the drain at home, most people do not want to see this waste affecting their local water supply or clogging sewer lines in their neighborhood. In fact, the accumulation of this greasy waste is one of the leading causes of sanitary sewer overflows, which can affect many homes and businesses in a single community.
FOG disposal can also be environmentally harmful because of the toxins and biosolids that it contains. As a result, most cities and towns have FOG management programs that include regular inspections of restaurants’ grease traps. If a restaurant does not have a grease trap or grease interceptor, it is at risk of being fined by the city.
Grease Trap Installation
Many communities require the installation of grease traps in commercial kitchens to prevent FOG from entering and damaging sewer system drain lines. Restaurant owners can face significant fines and closure if they fail to comply with local codes. Installing a grease trap can be a complex project and requires professional knowledge of plumbing and code regulations. It’s best to have a qualified plumber do the job to ensure that the grease trap meets all required specifications and is properly installed to avoid costly problems down the road.
The first step in installing a grease trap is to determine the size of the unit that’s needed, which is typically based on the number and volume of sinks and dishwashers in the establishment. This will help in determining the type and style of trap to be purchased, as well as the location where it should be installed. An indoor, or “passive,” grease trap is smaller and can be placed underneath a sink while an outdoor, or “active,” model requires a larger tank that’s usually located underground.
Once the correct size has been chosen, the next step is to prepare the site for installation by clearing and cleaning the area. The grease trap should be located as close to the source of FOG as possible, which is typically under a sink in the kitchen. It’s also important that the installation site be free of debris, level and able to support the weight of the trap.
Once the trap has been installed, it’s time to connect the inlet and outlet pipes. The inlet pipe should be connected to the incoming wastewater from the kitchen, while the outlet pipe should be attached to the waste disposal system. The outlet fitting should be capped to ensure that only wastewater exits the grease trap and enters the sewage system. A baffle wall is often included to separate the wastewater from the FOG, which helps to keep the grease from escaping into the drainage system until it’s been removed during routine cleaning. The baffles should be inspected regularly for wear and tear to make sure they’re still doing their job.
Grease Trap Maintenance
A properly-maintained grease trap is vital for a commercial kitchen to function properly and avoid sewer clogs, backups, foul odors and costly fines from local authorities. In order to properly maintain a grease trap, it is essential that you partner with a reliable service provider to handle the scheduled cleanings and pumping of the FOG waste. The experts at SouthWaste Disposal can work with you to establish an appropriate maintenance schedule that will ensure compliance with local regulations and the smooth operation of your restaurant plumbing.
It is recommended that your grease trap be cleaned daily and deep cleaned at regular intervals. Typically, a trap is pumped out every 1 to 3 months, depending on the volume of wastewater and size of your trap. The more sludge is in your trap, the more expensive and time-consuming it is to remove. It is also important to note that if you go too long between grease trap cleanings, the fats, oils and grease (FOG) will begin to harden, making it more difficult to pump out of the trap.
In addition to regularly scheduling grease trap cleanings, you can help prevent clogs and overflows by teaching your employees proper grease disposal practices. For example, you should encourage your staff to always scrape food waste into the trash and use sink drain covers to capture solids. It is also a good idea to examine your grease trap periodically for signs of wear or damage. The gasket that seals the lid to your trap may need to be replaced if you notice that it is leaking or letting in insects and rodents.
The best way to prevent grease clogs, overflows and backups is to partner with a qualified service provider to manage your grease trap’s maintenance needs. Professionals are trained to perform this service safely and efficiently while adhering to all local regulations. They can provide you with a variety of pumping options, including both “pump and return” and dry pump services. During “pump and return” services, your service provider will remove the FOG material from your grease trap and separates gray water, returning the separated wastewater to your grease trap. Dry pump services involve your service provider removing and hauling away the entire contents of your grease trap, leaving it completely empty until it is filled with wastewater again.
Grease Trap Treatment
Many municipalities require restaurants to have their grease traps cleaned / pumped out regularly. If a restaurant does not clean their trap regularly, solids and grease can build up in the trap and eventually cause blockages which lead to sewage back-ups and overflows. These problems can also result in fines from local wastewater authorities.
Adding chemicals to your grease trap prevents the build-up of these problems by providing a preventative maintenance program. Chemicals like State’s NT-MAX Grease Trap Treatment contain non-pathogenic bacteria that work to degrade fats, oils and greases (FOG) in the demanding environments of drain lines, grease traps and interceptors. The bacterial consortium also produces lipase enzymes that break down large grease molecules so they can be more easily washed away.
In addition to preventing overflows and blocking, introducing chemicals to a grease trap prevents the formation of hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S) inside the trap. H2S is toxic and corrodes metals, concrete and pumps used in the traps. This can ultimately lead to costly repairs and replacements.
Regular grease trap cleaning and pumping can be time-consuming, labor-intensive and expensive. Using chemicals to maintain your grease trap can extend the period between pump outs, which reduces both the cost and inconvenience of this routine maintenance. A recent survey of our customers showed that changing from a monthly grease trap pump out to quarterly by using chemicals saved over $1,800 per year.
Another way to save money on grease trap costs is to avoid dumping solids and liquids down drains. While it may be tempting to dispose of cooking oil and other fats by pouring them down the drain, this can cause blockages in city sewer lines. Over time, these blockages can allow raw sewage to flow directly into waterways. This is why restaurants, schools, hospitals and other businesses are required to properly collect and recycle their cooking grease. Recycled cooking grease is converted to animal feed, food-safe lubricants and even renewable energy.
