A Guide to Commercial Grease Trap Maintenance

Grease traps provide an essential service for many commercial sectors. Therefore, they must remain in the best possible condition to avoid drainage issues and affecting the local environment and sewer network. Regular grease trap maintenance every three to six months will keep your business running smoothly by preventing fats, oils and grease (FOG) from damaging your drainage system.

Maintenance is also important because it can protect your business from facing potential downtime due to repairs. This form of preventative care is the best defence against clogs and corrosion.

Ensure the longevity of your grease trap or interceptor by scheduling a professional cleaning today.

The process of commercial grease trap maintenance involves collecting fats, oils and greases and safely disposing of them. Maintenance is regularly completed every three months to prevent damage to a drainage system and ensure a sanitary environment.

This is one of the most noticeable signs that your business may require grease trap maintenance. As FOGs start to accumulate, you may begin to notice drainage is taking longer and water is starting to pool. The build-up of food waste and oils can eventually lead to a blocked drainage system, which can be difficult to clean and unclog.

Over time, the build-up of FOG will create a foul and unpleasant odour to come from your drain. This is a direct result of not having your grease trap and interceptors cleaned. If left untended for long enough, the smells will begin to escalate, creating an unsanitary environment.

Unfortunately, the conditions of a grease trap are ideal for drawing fruit flies when left unmanaged. They’re drawn to the damp conditions and residue of FOGs that are deposited in a drain. Regular maintenance can prevent this issue from arising.

Often, it’s easy to forget the last time your grease trap was serviced. If it’s been more than three months since the last time you received grease trap maintenance, then a clean might be overdue.

Restaurants and kitchens that engage in various activities such as frying, grilling or washing cookware can quickly accumulate FOGs. This rapid build-up can fill grease interceptors with FOGs quickly. If you’ve noticed an irregular build-up of grease, then you’re due for professional cleaning and maintenance.

All kitchens and restaurants require regular grease trap cleaning. How often the cleaning takes place, will come down to how busy the restaurant or kitchen is. Highly frequented restaurants and fast-food businesses will need to schedule maintenance once a month. Places with less frequency should reserve a grease trap maintenance schedule of every three months.

Building an ideal grease trap maintenance schedule consists of relying on industry professionals with years of experience in all facets of grease management. The best maintenance schedule is one carried out by experienced professionals that know all the signs to look out for and can determine if cleaning needs to take place sooner.

At Aqua Mundus we’ve provided some helpful tips around this in our ‘How to Clean and Maintain a Grease Trap Guide‘. This blog post provides some helpful tips for cleaning grease traps for commercial kitchens.

Now that you have a better idea of managing grease traps, you can decide on the best time to schedule a professional service. If you still have any questions, feel free to contact us by either giving us a call on 01386 832205, or sending us an email at emailus@aquamundus.co.uk, and our team of grease maintenance experts will be happy to assist. We also offer a free grease trap site survey, maintenance services, spare parts and repairs and more.

We also have more helpful resources about ‘The Legal Requirements for Owning a Grease Trap‘ and information on ‘How a Grease Trap Works‘.