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How frequently should I have my grease trap cleaned?

By January 6, 2016October 24th, 2023No Comments

The expense of cleaning your grease trap is one that you would rather not pay.  It doesn’t help your food and beverage sales, it doesn’t create loyal customers or even help improve quality.  It is just a cost of doing business.  To save money, you may decide to do it yourself. (if you can stomach the task!)  So, how often do you really need to have your grease trap cleaned?

Grease trap manufacturers recommend that the trap be cleaned – that is completely drained, scraped with all solids and greases removed – about once every few days.  That is just not feasible.  Most local municipalities demand that interior grease traps are cleaned once per month.  Monthly servicing ends up being the typical service interval due to regulations.

Technically, however your grease trap should be cleaned when the grease fraction is 25% of the volume of the trap or your solids fraction is 25% of the trap.    See grease trap picture:

If you have a  grease or solids fraction of greater than 25% of the volume of the trap, you risk grease/solids flowing downstream into your drain pipes.  The more greases/solids flow through the trap, the more likely you are to have a back up.

No one wants a back up.  Especially during a busy meal service.  Not only are emergency drain cleaning bills costly, but a major disruption in service could cause lost revenues and dissatisfied customers!  Good housekeeping practices and regular grease trap maintenance are your best protections.

Find out how Lifecycle Renewables can keep your drains flowing smoothly at discounted rates.

Call:  888.461.9831