3 Commercial Grease Trap Maintenance Tips That Save Money

A grease trap is a must-have item for any commercial food preparation business. The fats and oils that are used regularly in multiple cooking processes can easily begin to harden inside pipes if they find their way into your commercial sinks. Eventually, your pipes will become fully clogged and inoperable.

A grease trap is designed to intercept fats, oils, and grease before they can infiltrate your commercial plumbing.

You will need to invest in routine maintenance to keep your grease trap functioning properly. This maintenance doesn't have to break the bank; in fact, there are many maintenance tasks that can help you save money when it comes to dealing with your grease trap over time.

1. Don't Put Solid Foods Down the Drain

One of the easiest ways to maintain your commercial grease trap is to avoid putting any solid foods down the drain. Your kitchen employees should always thoroughly wipe down each dish before placing it in the sink for washing.

The wipe-down process will minimize the amount of oil and grease that ends up in your grease trap, and it will also prevent any solid foods that could clog the grease trap from wreaking havoc on your plumbing system.

A strainer can also be added to your kitchen's garbage disposal to help catch any solid food particles that may have been missed during the pre-wash wipe-down.

2. Reduce Your Grease Output

You can effectively protect your commercial grease trap against any issues caused by stress when you choose to optimize your grease-related kitchen processes. The less grease that finds its way into your drains, the less work the grease trap must do to protect your entire commercial plumbing system.

If you use a lot of cooking oil in your kitchen, try to find ways to reuse this oil. Used, clean oil can be used to grease baking pans and other dishware.

You can also choose to reduce your oil dependence by baking menu items instead of frying them. This will reduce your grease output and help minimize the cost of maintaining your commercial grease trap over time.

3. Invest in Regular Cleanings

No matter how careful you are with your grease output, it's inevitable that your grease trap will need to be cleaned. It's best to clean the trap on a regular basis rather than wait until it gets full to schedule a full cleaning.

Regular grease trap cleanings will ensure that you are in compliance with local regulations regarding service intervals for grease traps. Regular cleanings can also help protect your employees and customers over time.

The fats, oils, and grease that find their way into your grease trap can begin to go rancid over time. The hydrogen sulfuric gas that is released during the breakdown of these materials can transform into sulphuric acid.

Exposure to this acid can cause skin irritation, damage tooth enamel, and irritate the respiratory tract. You are responsible for ensuring the safety of all employees and customers who enter your building, and regular grease trap cleaning can be a valuable part of any preventative safety plan.  

Sulphuric acid also has the potential to damage the inner working of your grease trap. Regular cleaning can stop your grease trap from sustaining damage that will result in premature replacement.

Maintaining your grease trap is vital to the success of your business. Eliminating solid foods from the grease trap, minimizing your kitchen's grease output, and investing in regular cleanings will help your commercial grease trap perform efficiently over a longer period of time. These simple tasks can minimize the cost of repairs or a total grease trap replacement.


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