Prevent Grease Trap Issues with These Maintenance Tips
Posted on: 25 April 2016
A grease trap or interceptor is an essential device that you can have in your restaurant, café, or even at home. These devices are designed to prevent fats, oils, and grease from entering into your sewer lines. If these materials are not stopped, they will accumulate and solidify with time. This can obstruct the waste water flow, leading to the backing up of the sewage. However, for the grease trap to work effectively, proper maintenance is required.
This is why you should consider the following maintenance tips to get the most out of your grease traps.
Regular Monitoring Of the Levels of Fats, Oils, or Grease
Monitor the levels of fats, oils, and grease that accumulate in your grease trap regularly. This will help you find out the rate at which the materials collect, and therefore, enable you to determine the frequency at which you need to clean out the grease trap. Nonetheless, you should have your grease trap cleaned out at least monthly to ensure proper functioning.
You should engage professionals when monitoring the levels of fats, oils, and grease collected in the grease traps. Professionals will also help pump out the materials from the grease trap.
Check That the Trap Is Installed Correctly
Issues with improper installation of the grease trap are among the common causes of problems. Improper installation means that the fats, oils, and grease will accumulate somewhere else in the plumbing system and this might cause further problems. If you notice that your grease trap was installed incorrectly, you need to call a professional. One of the easiest ways to know whether your grease trap was installed correctly is to inspect it carefully for grease. If the grease trap hasn't been pumped out recently but it has no grease at all or the amount of grease is very little, the device is likely to have been installed incorrectly.
Install Strainers
Install strainers on your floor drains, sinks, and dishwashers to prevent large materials from entering your grease trap. Things such as caps, lids, rubber gloves, and silverware should never enter your grease traps because they can lead to blockages.
Besides installing strainers, make sure that you don't connect any garbage disposals to your grease trap.
Adopt Good Practices
This simply refers to the do's and don'ts of having a grease trap. Avoid things such as caustic soda because it can choke your sewer lines. Don't use running water to thaw frozen food. You should only use the right size grease trap for effective results. Last, don't dispose of fats, oil, and grease by pouring them down the drain intentionally.
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