3 Grease Trap Issues To Be On The Lookout For
If you run a commercial kitchen, you more than likely have a grease trap in place. In many areas, grease traps are required by law for commercial kitchens and restaurants. A grease trap is designed to operate in the background, collecting grease and cleaning the grease every few months. However, sometimes a grease trap can malfunction. That is why you should be aware of any issues that could develop if you have a grease trap in your kitchen.
Grease Trap Issue #1: Backed Up Water
One of the issues that most often occurs with a grease trap is backed-up water. Water will get backed up from any sink or drain that is connected to the grease trap. Having water backed up in your commercial kitchen can create unsafe cooking conditions and interfere with your business.
This issue can be prevented and solved by simply cleaning your grease trap. You will want to monitor how quickly your grease trap fills up and schedule cleanings long before it is all the way full. Scheduling regular grease trap cleanings will help to keep things flowing smoothly at all times and ensure that your kitchen doesn't have to shut down because of backed-up drains.
Grease Trap Issue #2: Continued Drainage Issues
Second, if you continue to experience drainage issues with the drains that are connected to your grease trap, but you are scheduling regular maintenance, you need to look at the flow restrictor on the grease trap. The job of the flow restrictor is to regulate how much water goes into the grease trap. It is designed to keep the grease trap from overflowing with water and not filtering out the grease.
Sometimes, the flow restrictor gets damaged and can no longer regulate the water. When that happens, the drainage can get clogged because the flow restrictor isn't allowing the water in. Sometimes, all that you need to do is clean the flow restrictor, which often gets coated in grease and fats, damaging its operations.
Grease Trap Issue #3: Clogged Up Pipes
Sometimes, the pipes that run from your kitchen to your grease trap can get clogged up with the grease before it is filtered out. That is why you will want to work to keep the pipes clean. You can do this by running approved degreasing cleaning through the pipes.
The best way to ensure you don't have to deal with any grease trap issues is by getting your grease trap regularly serviced. Regularly servicing your grease trap can help prevent the issues above, and if an issue does develop, your grease maintenance team can take care of it.
If you need help with grease trap maintenance, contact a professional in your area.
