If you run a commercial kitchen, you'll know how important it is to have an efficient disposal system for fats, oils and grease (FOG). Grease traps are essential appliances that are designed to prevent FOG from blocking your plumbing system, but to keep your grease trap functioning properly, how often do you need to clean it? Let's take a look.

Why Should You Clean Your Grease Trap?

Over time, your grease trap will accumulate FOG in its tank, which will decompose over time and produce a foul rotting smell. This smell is hydrogen sulphur gas, which eventually turns into sulphuric acid; an extremely corrosive substance that can damage the walls and steel of the interceptor of your tank. To avoid having to replace your grease trap, it is essential to keep it clean.

Failing to clean your grease trap regularly can also cause blockages in the pipeline, as solid food particles that settle at the bottom of the tank will build up and fail to drain away. The overflow and backups that occur as a result can cause expensive damage, and your business will be subject to penalties from your local municipality.

How To Maintain Your Grease Trap

The best way to keep your grease trap functioning properly is to have it cleaned regularly by an experienced professional. In between cleans, however, there are a few things you can do every day to keep your grease trap well-maintained.

Scrape Plates

One of the most effective ways of preventing FOG from flowing down the drains in your kitchen is to keep them out of the sink in the first place. Before you put any dishes in the sink, scrape as much food as you can off them with a rubber spatula.

Install Sink Screens

Scraping your plates will get rid of most of the food, but there will still be some grease and food left, especially if you're cleaning your kitchen during busy periods. To filter any leftover grease and food, install screens under the three-compartment sink and the pre-rinse sink.

Clean Spills Immediately

Cleaning up any spills as soon as possible will prevent grease from creating a slip hazard in your kitchen. Use towels to clean up any greasy food spills and throw them in the bin, as mopping them up will allow grease to enter your floor drains.

How Often Should You Clean Your Grease Trap?

The frequency of commercial kitchen grease trap cleaning will depend on how often your kitchen produces FOG. On average, it's advised for cleanings to be carried out every one to three months to keep your grease trap functioning properly.

Check your grease trap regularly so you can learn how quickly it fills up, then base your cleaning schedule on that timeline. If you find that your grease trap fills up faster than usual (less than a month), it's worth considering upgrading it to a larger one.

Contact The Experts

At Wet Waste, we're experts in the removal of liquid waste from grease traps, sullage, holding tanks, septic tanks and much more. To learn more about our Gold Coast services or to request a quote, please don't hesitate to give our team a call on 1300 552 017 today.

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