Basic Steps to Grease Trap Maintenance
Without a monthly cleaning, a kitchen’s grease trap becomes a haven for bacteria that can crawl from the murky depths to present a serious health hazard to everyone who works in your kitchen or eats food prepared in it. A proper cleaning takes effort, but anyone with the right knowledge can perform this basic maintenance to create a healthier environment, extend the life of your plumbing and save you from potential fines.
Necessary Supplies
- Mask
- Gloves
- Cleaning solution
- Rag
- Scraper
- Crowbar
- Shop vacuum
- Scoop
- Receptacles (for grease and other waste)
Cooling
Stop all flows into the grease trap, remove the lid with a crowbar, then wait at least 10 minutes to allow the grease and other liquids in the trap to cool to a reasonable temperature for safe handling.
Skimming
A thick layer of solid fat forms at the top of the trap. Using your scoop, remove it and place it into a waste receptacle.
Draining the Grease Trap
Remove the remaining liquid in the trap using your shop vacuum. When you’re finished, the only thing in the trap should be the residue along the interior walls.
Scrape the Interior
Use a scraper to remove the grease residue from the trap’s interior, vacuuming away the loosened material as you go. Take special care to get inside the intake and outtake pipes since grease has a tendency to collect around these high-traffic choke points.
Examine Water Flow
Pour several gallons of cold water through the sinks to determine if water is flowing smoothly into and through the trap.
Clean the Area
After replacing the lid, use a rag and cleaning solution to wipe down the grease trap and the surrounding area in case accidental spills went unnoticed.
Dispose of Waste Material
Take the collected grease to a proper waste disposal site.
An Easier Solution to Grease Trap Cleaning
You and your staff likely have better things to do than clean the grease trap, such as serving great meals to hungry patrons. Never worry again about how thoroughly your grease trap has been cleaned by using the professional cleaning services of Oregon Oils Inc., a company that specializes in recycling as much oil waste as possible and safely disposing of the rest.