4 Reasons Why Grease Trap Maintenance Is Important
A grease trap does a lot of heavy lifting in restaurants and commercial kitchens and, as such, needs to have regular grease trap service. However, because owners can't directly see the part a grease trap plays in their kitchen, it's often put on the backburner. This can be detrimental to a business in more ways than one. If you have grease traps in your business, check out our grease trap maintenance tips and contact our team at Jones Plumbing & Septic Tank Service for grease trap repairs and cleaning.
Awful Smells
There's nothing more off-putting for a restaurant than foul smells mingling with or overpowering the smells of the food. While you may think foul smells from the grease trap will only be limited to the kitchen away from diners, these scents can waft into other spaces and even permeate the area around them. Drain cleaning and grease trap cleaning can help keep your kitchen and restaurant smelling the way a restaurant should smell — delicious!
Drain Blockage
FOG (fats, oils, and grease) may go down in liquid form, but these fats quickly harden, creating seals and blockages in the drains. Grease traps help prevent this, but if it's not regularly cleaned, grease will accumulate and spill over into the rest of the drainage system, which can cause serious issues with the pipe and sewage system that may require extensive repairs. Avoid the hassle by having your grease trap cleaned every one to three months.
Expensive Tank Replacement
It's not just the drains you have to worry about either! Solid food waste and FOG trapped in the grease trap will begin to break down and release hydrogen sulfur gas, which will eventually become toxic sulphuric acid, which can disintegrate the steel and walls of the grease trap, leading to them needing replacement. Grease trap replacement is expensive and avoidable.
Potential Penalties
Most municipalities have requirements for how FOG should be handled, from grease trap installation to how to maintain the equipment properly. When these requirements aren't met, restaurants and commercial kitchens can face hefty fines. The best way to avoid this is to be knowledgeable about the rules in your area and to partner with a local grease trap cleaning company for regular maintenance.