Maintaining and cleaning a grease trap correctly is essential in keeping them unclogged, blockage-free, and functioning optimally to prevent foul odors, backups, and potential environmental contamination. Neglecting your grease trap interceptor would not only interfere with your commercial operations but also cause a municipal sewage blockage or backup, drawing the ire of environmental regulatory authorities and the consequent fines, penalties, and sanctions and having to hire a proper sewage disposal service.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the importance of routine grease trap maintenance in Hattiesburg, Gulfport, Biloxi, Slidell, Mandeville, Hammond, and nearby areas so you can ensure the efficient operation of your commercial kitchen, avoid costly repairs, and comply with environmental regulations.
What Are Grease Traps?
A grease trap interceptor collects and minimizes the amount of fats, oils, and greases (FOGs) that enter the main sewers. This prevents drain blockages, foul odors, and potential pest infestation.
Where are they needed?
Top grease trap specialists in Slidell reveal that the Revised Building Regulations mandate all new buildings and refurbishments of hot food premises should incorporate an efficient grease removal on-site system. They’re required on all commercial sites that prepare hot food for the public or staff, including,
- Hotels
- Takeaways
- Schools and Colleges
- Restaurants
- Pubs and Inns
- Cafes
- Conference Centres
- Bakeries
- Food Manufacturers
- Canteens at factories and offices
- Golf Courses
- Sports Venues
Reasons Reflecting The Importance Of Grease Traps Maintenance
Prevents clogging
Keeping grease traps clean and well-maintained helps prevent clogs and backups. When grease traps accumulate too much fat, oil, and grease (commonly called “FOG”), they can become clogged. Leading grease trap specialists in Hammond reveal that blocked traps diminish functionality and may lead to system backups, posing a risk to individuals’ health.
Cost Effective
Many cities and municipalities regulate the maintenance of grease traps for food establishments. Grease traps that aren’t regularly cleaned and maintained can result in financial penalties from local authorities. Therefore, nearby commercial or residential properties may face sewer problems due to grease trap overflows caused by your lack of maintenance.
Better for the environment
Whenever grease traps flood, some grease escapes outside into infiltration fields or major waterways. So, some FOGs end up in major waterways or infiltration fields. Top grease trap specialists in Mandeville state that aside from threatening the environment and posing a health(and safety) hazard, this can also result in a citation, penalty, or heavy fine.
Keeps your kitchen smell-free
As you may already know, grease trap interceptors collect all kinds of gunk. If you neglect your fat trap for long enough, the uncleaned area will emit a foul odor, which will be unpleasant for both employees and customers. Leading grease trap contractors in Hattiesburg reveal that grease trap interceptors need to be maintained regularly to prevent toxic gas buildup for a cleaner, more pleasant, and safer kitchen.
How to Clean a Grease Trap
Top grease trap contractors in Biloxi caution that when hiring a professional to pump out your grease trap, it’s important to check that they’re licensed, bonded, insured, and certified to perform a thorough pump out, cleaning, and inspection of the tank.
Elite Sanitation Services provides the highest quality clean to ensure your tank is in optimum condition.
Our routine grease trap cleaning and maintenance service includes:
- Lifting the main lid and pumping out the grease trap
- Scraping down all baffles and walls to remove accumulated grease, dirty sewage, and wastewater
- Rinsing out the tank with a garden hose
- Pumping out the rinse-out residue
- Inspecting the tank and advising our clients on any necessary repairs or maintenance needed.
Common Dos and Donts of Grease Trap Maintenance
Do: Install your grease trap properly.
As with most things in life, prevention is much better than cure for grease trap interceptors. As a responsible business owner, you must ensure that your grease trap is correctly sized and perfectly installed from the outset so it doesn’t cause any major problems in the future. Top grease trap maintenance specialists in Gulfport reveal that if your fat trap is slow to drain or doesn’t operate well, you may need to contact a professional from Elite Sanitation Services.
Don’t Use solvents to clean your grease trap.
Grease trap interceptors contain enzymes that help break down the fats, oils, and grease (FOG) they collect. Leading grease trap pumping contractors in Hammond caution that any solvents, including bleach, drain cleaners, additives, or other chemicals, can only potentially destroy these active enzymes, completely ruining your grease trap and risking environmental harm.
Do: Train your staff to dispose of food solids properly.
Your cleaning staff should always dispose of waste and food solids in the garbage bin before washing them in the sink. Top grease trap specialists in Hattiesburg reveal that these solids can cause grease traps to clog, compromising your grease trap’s effectiveness.
Don’t: Pour boiling water into a trap-connected sink.
Any sink connected to a fat trap shouldn’t have any boiling-hot water poured into it. The boiled water will only liquefy the FOGs, further allowing it to escape into the sewer pipe. Leading grease trap pumping contractors in Bilxoi state that this harmful FOG buildup in sewer pipes will trap food particles and other sewage debris, obstructing proper wastewater flow and causing a sewage backup over time.
Don’t forget to clean your grease trap regularly.
Your grease trap interceptor can only collect a certain amount of FOGs, so it’s crucial to schedule regular grease trap maintenance. As grease traps vary in shape and size, it’s crucial to conduct regular inspections to assess whether your grease trap needs cleaning.
Leading grease trap pumping contractors in Gulfport reveal that small grease traps can be cleaned by hand by scooping the top waste layer into a watertight container or bag, carefully removing only the semi-solid layer of greasy waste (solidified FOG) on top of the liquid surface. This should be disposed of correctly in a rubbish bin or compost.
Do: Hire professionals.
When it comes to getting the big jobs done, it’s always best to hire credible, experienced, and reliable service providers like Elite Sanitation Services to ensure an efficient, clean grease trap maintenance service. Our team of experts here is trained to do a job well done, providing regular grease trap draining and maintenance services to all our clients in the South Mississippi & SE Louisiana region.
Final Takeaway
At Elite Sanitation Services, you can avoid stress and leave the grease trap installation, cleaning, pumping, and maintenance to us. Our expert engineers have years of experience and expertise in dealing with internal and external grease traps in Hattiesburg, Slidell, Biloxi, Hammond, Mandeville, Gulfport, and surrounding areas. We use state-of-the-art equipment to pump and clean your grease trap, removing built-up grease and ensuring it works properly.
We understand the importance of minimizing downtime for your business, so we work quickly and efficiently to get the job done right the first time. We’ll even arrange your grease trap procedure at a time convenient for you, ensuring minimal disruption to your business operations.
At Elite Sanitation Services, we aim hard to provide convenience, quality, and incomparable value. We’re always happy to answer any questions about our grease trap maintenance, septic pumping, portable toilet, and dumpster rental services.
Contact us at (228) 297-4850 to schedule an appointment with our team today.
