In most commercial kitchens, a grease trap is usually required by law to collect excess oils and fats before draining them into municipal water lines. This helps to keep underground pipes clear of debris and flowing smoothly throughout the piping system.
Fats, oils, and grease, collectively known as FOGs, enter the grease trap through a diverter that stops water from flooding the trap and mixing in oils that aren’t allowed down the final drain. After the mix of water and FOGs empties in the trap, the water cools, causing FOGs to solidify and rise to the top. Food pieces and other solids sink to the bottom, which allows for a middle layer of water that can be flushed down the sewer system.
Why Do I Need to Use a Grease Trap
Grease is a problem because it can cause blockages in sewer collection lines resulting in overflows of wastewater from the collection system. These overflows can potentially result in damage to property and/or environmental contamination of local bodies of water. Grease can adversely impact our wastewater collection system, equipment, and grease may also encumber wastewater treatment plants’ abilities to adequately treat the wastewater it receives. Although many believe pouring warm liquid grease down a drain is not harmful, once the grease cools, it hardens and may result in blockages and overflows as described above.
Why Does Grease Cause So Much Damage?
Usually, when people think of grease, they imagine it in its liquid form. However, when grease cools, it hardens and causes serious blockages. These clogs in city sewer collection lines can cause expensive overflows, resulting in damage to properties and can even contaminate local streams and rivers.
Grease traps need to be cleaned often precisely for this reason. In addition to damaging city water lines, grease can also cause major headaches for your commercial kitchen when it’s clogging up your grease trap. Take care every week to clean the grease trap and ensure the primary component is routinely emptied.
Commercial Grease Trap Installation in Portland
Commercial kitchens need to be performing at the highest capacity at all times. If you need commercial grease trap installation or repairs, give the pros at Apollo Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning a call. We can tackle an issue your kitchen is up against to get the space back up and running.
