GREASE TRAPS - The Nastiest of all plumbing jobs

If you've ever been involved with the restaurant industry, hospitality game or sort of maintenance gig then you've probably run across the dreaded grease trap. If you have no idea what we're talking about then stay tuned.

A grease trap is a vital component of your commercial or industrial plumbing system. Designed to protect the common sanitary system of malls, commercial buildings, and even cities. Without diving into the good and bad elements of the North American diet, it goes without saying that most of the most we eat contains various types of fat. In fact, fat or lye type products are a part of everyday life. Whether its cooking, cleaning the dishes or cleaning the floor, fat or fat type products makes it taste better, look awesome, and clean it up better. That fat causes very little problem while it is warm and liquid the trouble begins when it begins to cool down and solidify. Once it does that it can become a menacing problem for the operation of the restaurant, hotel, or whatever industrial operation it effects.

How does it work? In its simplest form a grease slows the water flow down to allow the "grease" products to float to the top of the chamber while allowing the water to flow underneath. That grease accumulates at the top of the grease trap until eventually it is cleaned by removal. I've included a picture here of a typically trap that we at Baker Plumbing have installed hundreds of times. While there are many different styles and types of traps. This unit provides a simple look at how it works.

As with all mechanical devices its important that there are maintained properly. We suggest that your grease trap be cleaned no more than every 3 to 4 months. Doing it more often prevents the trap from doing its job effectively and can potentially cause more harm than it solves.

We thought it would be applicable to add a couple of pics of what can happen if your grease traps are not maintained or heaven forbid not installed at all.

Above is a picture of a city manhole and Yes! they are typically 6 to 8 feet deep in Calgary. So what your looking at is 8 feet of grease. We were able to get this looked after for this client but if the city got involved they would be looking at quite possibly a $20,000 bill.

This one is of a grease trap inside a restaurant that was actually installed backwards. Long story short the lid blew off and the grease filled the entire pit. Not very nice. We were able to make the necessary repairs and so far neither this location nor the one with the manhole problem has had any further issues.

If you have questions about your grease trap or concerns about its operations. Give us a call at Baker Plumbing and we'd be happy to ensure everything is as it should be. Till next time!