Signs You Require Restaurant Grease Trap Cleaning

Owning a restaurant business requires undivided attention because of its several issues. Restaurant grease trap cleaning is one of them and is often overlooked. Grease traps catch the oil, fats, and grease coming from the food cooked in your kitchen and the dishes that need to be washed. The grease trap separates water from the oils then the water eventually goes down the drain. Grease trap cleaning is mandatory, a routine procedure necessary for restaurants and other facilities that have cooking areas such as schools and hospitals. Everyone enjoys saving money, and business owners are no exception. One great way to save is to ensure you consistently care for your grease trap. That means cleaning them before or as soon as you start to notice the following signs.

The drainage is backed up or slow-moving

As fats, oils, and greases (FOG), or even food waste, accumulate in your grease trap they start to solidify. Often, over time, the trap starts to get full of dense grease. When you look into the trap you can see into it, however, when the trap is full excess grease stiffens at the top, forming a cap. With all that grease and dirt buildup it becomes hard for water to flow through the sink drain, leading to slow waste movement. So, if you notice that it’s becoming a bit more difficult for water to drain down your drainage system, you’ll want to get your grease trap and drains cleaned at the earliest.

There’s a foul smell coming from the kitchen

Unexplainable odors are often a clear indicator of restaurant grease trap cleaning. These are the smells that don’t disappear, even after you take out the garbage or clean the commercial kitchen. Grease trap smells are often the result of the accumulation of used cooking oil, food waste, sludge, solids, and grease over a long period. Therefore, if you notice a stench that doesn’t seem to leave even after you eliminate every possible cause, you should consider cleaning out your grease trap.

It’s been too long and you find grease in unusual places

Sometimes, the only sign you need is time. So, when was the last time you got your grease trap cleaned properly? If you don’t remember or it’s been more than three months, then it requires cleaning.

Best practices dictate that grease trap cleaning should be done at least once every three months. However, if you are running a busy restaurant, you need to clean it more frequently; once every month.

By doing this, you not only avoid grease-trap-related issues, but you also operate your kitchen within the EPA and Health Department standards for grease trap cleaning.

Lastly, the presence of grease around your kitchen is often a sign that requires restaurant grease trap cleaning. If your grease trap clogs, the extra grease may be forced to escape through the easiest exits such as sinks, sewer pipes, water lines, and others. And when that happens, you’ll have grease in every wrong place.

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