In your commercial kitchen high volumes of food are prepared, and a major by-product of the process is FOG (fats, oils, and grease). This material has to have somewhere to go and your commercial plumbing system is designed to carry it out to the sewer lines, which route to the municipal treatment plant.
While the fats, oils, and grease are liquid when they are hot, once they enter the pipes and are cooled they turn to a solid and can easily cause clogs. If the fats, oils, and grease from every commercial kitchen were allowed to dump into the city sewer lines, there would constantly be a back-up of sewage materials in the streets.
Instead, your commercial plumbing system is equipped with a grease trap that sits between the lines of your building and the sewer lines and does exactly as the name implies – traps grease. But, what happens when the grease trap becomes full and needs to be cleaned?
Here are some steps that you can take to clean your commercial grease trap:
- Carefully remove the lid to your grease trap. This lid is equipped with gaskets so that it seals tightly in place. Be cautious when removing the lid not to damage these gaskets, as you will need to replace them for your grease trap to be compliant with city ordinance and environment regulations.
- If you are unfamiliar with your grease trap, or if this is the first time that you have cleaned it yourself, it is recommended that you take a picture of the components. As you go through the process of cleaning it you will be removing parts and will need to know how and where to put them back.
- Insert a wooden yard stick into the grease trap until it touches the bottom. Make note of where on the yard stick the grease touches so that you know how many inches of material you are working with. The EPA issues and requires this value be recorded on a pump out report.
- Use a bucket to collect the standing water that is in your grease trap. This water can be returned to the trap once the solid material (FOG) has been removed.
- Use a scoop and bucket to remove the solid material from the inside of your grease trap. This process is much like scooping lard or shortening from a canister so secure any tools or utensils that you think will help you in this process. A large, commercial mixing spatula will help to scrape the walls and the lid of the grease trap.
- Clean all components, walls, and lid of your grease trap with warm water.
- Replace all components that have been removed and cleaned, replace the lid on your grease trap, complete your EPA report and follow the instructions on it for submitting.
The grease trap in your commercial kitchen is an essential part of keeping the environment clean. It is also important for keeping your commercial kitchen sanitary. Follow these simple steps for cleaning your grease trap and ensure that your business is compliant with EPA regulations.
Details provided by Absolute Plumbing Walnut Creek
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