The grease trap is an important part of any restaurant. It helps keep your sewage line free of fat, oil and grease, collectively known as FOGs, and prevent any flooding incidents in your establishment and making it smell like the grease trap itself. If you’re unsure of how you should go about maintaining your grease trap then keep reading.

Why Grease Trap Maintenance Is Important 

Maintaining your grease trap should be at the top of your priority list to make sure that your grease trap doesn’t fail and ruin dinner service.These tips will help you make the right decisions whenever you need to maintain your grease trap.

Conduct Regular Maintenance and Inspections

Regularly checking your grease trap for any issues is the first step to proper maintenance. Inspecting and cleaning your grease trap should be done once every 2 to 3 months to make sure that it stays in top condition and doesn’t have any underlying issues that could end up breaking your grease trap or even your sewage line. Missing these can mean you have to spend a large amount of money on repairs that could have been avoided. 

Be Prepared with The Right Tools

“Avoid using a sledgehammer when trying to open a nut”

Sure, you can use that sledgehammer, but you’ll end up with a broken nut. The same applies to grease trap maintenance as using the wrong tool for the job can end up breaking your grease trap. Having the right tools on hand can definitely make a difference when it comes to making it easier to maintain. Some tools you can use to make grease trap maintenance easier include:

• Rubber Gloves and Coveralls. These can help you stay clean while maintaining your grease trap as grease is difficult to wash off.
• Shop Vacuum. This helps you vacuum up the sludge in your grease trap.
• Wrenches, Crowbars, and Screwdrivers. These tools help you properly remove parts from your grease trap for replacing or cleaning. 
• Scraper. Use this to scrape off grease sticking to the sides and bottom of your grease trap.
• Gas Mask. This is optional but remember that the smell that can come from your grease trap can be awful. If you’re conducting maintenance without one, then you’re either a professional, have an iron gut, or unprepared. 

Check The Installation of Your Grease Trap

Proper maintenance can start as soon as a grease trap is installed. During installation, check if your grease trap is properly installed as improper installation could mean that FOGs will still be getting  in your sewage line. A good sign that your grease trap isn’t properly installed is if there is little to no grease in your grease trap after several months of installation. 

Get Professional Help

If you aren’t sure of how to go about maintaining your grease trap, then calling a professional in to help with it can be a good idea. They come equipped with the knowledge and tools to be able to fix and clean your grease trap without risking it being damaged. They can even help you properly reinstall a grease trap that was mishandled and  improperly installed. 

Use Specially Formulated Bacterial Cultures

Certain bacterial cultures sold by companies like MicrobiaLogic’s GTB 800 Grease Trap Treatment breakdown FOGs blocking your grease trap. With the FOGs broken down and unable to clog the drain, wastewater can safely move to your sewage line without risking it blocking it.