When it comes to owning a restaurant or a commercial kitchen of any type, there is a lot to do as an owner. From ensuring that your employees are trained properly, guests are taken of, and that all of your kitchen equipment is cleaned and maintained, you undoubtedly have your hands full at any given time. Running a restaurant can certainly be overwhelming at the best of times, potentially leaving you with a number of different questions.
Some pressing questions you might find yourself with may relate to your commercial kitchen’s grease trap, including how often a commercial grease trap should be cleaned. Maintaining your grease trap is an important part of maintaining a commercial kitchen, especially if you are operating on a daily basis.
Fats, oils, and greases (FOGs) are created by cooking which are then caught by a grease trap. This keeps the FOGs from getting down into the kitchen drains and into the local sewer system, helping to prevent blockages and sewage overflows. Commercial grease traps do not maintain themselves though. They need to be regularly cleaned and maintained to ensure that they are working properly.
Below, we dig into some of the most pressing questions related to cleaning commercial grease traps.
Restaurant Grease Trap Cleaning FAQs
Here at Green Mountain Products, LLC, we provide a number of different services to restaurants, commercial kitchens, and others including grease recycling and used cooking oil collection. We know the ins and outs of what it takes to clean commercial grease traps, which is why we have put together this handy restaurant grease trap cleaning FAQ for you.
Why Do I Need to Clean My Grease Trap?
Regular cleaning of your commercial kitchen’s grease trap is critical to keeping your kitchen running as it should be. Not only does regular cleaning ensure that your grease trap does not become backed up, it also ensures that you are meeting city, county, or state regulations that often exist mandating the maintenance of grease traps.
Other key reasons you need to clean your grease trap include:
- Cuts down on the potential number of repairs needed
- Prevents clogging and blockages
- Prevents any type of back up from FOGs
- Helps lessens your kitchen’s environmental impact by preventing overflowing and back up
- Keeps your kitchen up and running by cutting back on common grease trap maintenance issues
How Do You Know When a Grease Trap Needs to be Cleaned?
There are a few common signs that you can keep an eye out for that indicate your commercial grease trap may need to be cleaned. These signs include:
- When there is a very bad smell in the kitchen: Foul odors and smells that cannot be easily explained can be a very clear sign of a grease trap in need of cleaning. Smells can collect in a grease trap due to cooking oil grease, and other food waste clogging up a grease trap.
- If cleaning has not happened within three months: It is recommended that grease trap cleaning happen regularly, typically at least every one to three months, depending on the usage of the trap. So, if you have not had your grease trap cleaned in the last three months, it may be time to schedule a cleaning in.
- When drainage is slow or completely backed up: If you notice that your commercial kitchen’s grease trap is draining especially slowly or is backed up, you will want to get it cleaned. FOGs and food waste will start to solidify over time, causing irregular drainage that can impact how your kitchen operates.
Can You Clean Your Own Grease Trap?
You can certainly clean your own grease trap, but we do recommend that you bring professionals in to complete the work. Commercial grease traps especially often require particular tools and techniques to be cleaned properly.
Commercial grease trap cleaning is something that our expert team at Green Mountains Products is proud to offer among our services. We can help you keep up with the regular maintenance needed for your commercial kitchen.
Is it Safe to Clean a Grease Trap?
It is generally safe to clean a grease trap, though as mentioned above, we recommend bringing a professional in to handle the work. While grease traps are safe to clean out, there can be build up from FOGs and food waste to contend with on top of needing specific tools to complete the work.
If you need to schedule commercial grease trap cleaning, be sure to reach out to Green Mountain Products today. You can connect with us over the phone or online to learn more about how we can help.