Signs to Get Grease Trap Cleaning and Pumping Services

How to Know When a Grease Trap Needs to Be Cleaned and Pumped

Cooking grease is a serious concern when it enters the plumbing. Grease can cling to the walls of drain pipes in homes and commercial businesses, where it hardens to form nasty clogs. Even if the plumbing in a home or business can cope with the problems posed by grease in the pipes, grease wreaks even more havoc as it enters the municipal sewer, where it can cause huge backups and terrible odors as it rots. 

With all the liabilities of cooking grease, it should be kept out of drain and sewer lines. To accomplish this, most businesses, especially those in the food industry, must be equipped with a grease trap device. 

Grease traps do the unpleasant job of trapping cooking grease before it gets into drain and sewer plumbing. As the grease cools, it floats to the top of the grease trap, where it sits and waits to be removed. Eventually, a grease trap will be full and must be pumped out by a professional. Doing this too often is an unnecessary expenditure for a business, but waiting too late can cause many problems. Here are the most common signs that a grease trap is ready to be pumped. 

Slow Drainage

drain Grease is a type of fat that is liquid at warm temperatures but solid at cooler temperatures. Grease finds its way into plumbing when poured down the drain or when very greasy dishes are washed. When grease enters the plumbing, it cools and coalesces on any nearby surface. The greasy buildup can then cause debris to stick to the sides of pipes, where nasty clogs are formed. 

When a grease trap operates properly, water should flow down drain pipes with no problem. If grease is allowed to build up inside the trap, excess grease can enter the drains, where it starts to foul up the line. Cleaning the trap as often as necessary is the only way to prevent this, so owners should always watch for slow drainage. 

Foul Smells

bad smellAnother sign that a grease trap needs to be cleaned is the heinous odor that rotting grease puts off. In a normal environment, p-traps prevent odors from backing up from the plumbing into a room. If the grease trap is full, the foul smell emanating from the grease inside will not be contained. If there is any odor near a grease trap, it is overdue for pumping. 

Grease Trap Has Reached a Quarter of its Capacity

Experts recommend that grease traps be cleaned monthly and quarterly, depending on the need. Cleaning it too often wastes money, while waiting too long can incur other expenses like sewer line cleaning. The best way to determine the frequency of grease trap cleaning is to observe the level inside the trap. When the capacity reaches about 25%, it is time to schedule grease trap pumping. By spotting these signs and caring for their grease traps, owners can keep their costs low while still doing their part to protect the plumbing system

About Capital City Septic Services

Capital City Septic Services is a fully qualified septic and grease trap cleaning service. They cater to any schedule and work on weekends to minimize the interruption that sewer problems or grease trap cleaning bay cause. Call today for grease trap service in Tallahassee, FL.  

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The Benefits of Grease Trap Cleaning

How do Professionals Clean Grease Traps?

Most people are probably unaware of what a grease trap does or how it is expected to be maintained. Grease traps are special devices located in the plumbing of restaurants and food service locations that remove grease from water to protect public health and municipal sewer lines that keep society safe from waste. Since grease traps are so important to public health, stringent guidelines are in place that dictates how they should be installed and when one should clean them. 

Health and safety guidelines dictate that professionals should clean grease traps periodically depending on the amount of grease accumulated. Grease trap cleaning services use special equipment to pump grease and effluent out of the grease trap. In addition to removing fats, oils, and grease that have separated from wastewater, they also usually power wash the inside of the trap to remove stubborn deposits. The result is a clean trap ready to continue protecting public sewer systems. 

Prevents Clogging

clogsGrease is particularly bad for sewer systems because it clings to piping. In homes, plumbers recommend discarding grease in the garbage, but the food service industry can’t. Too much grease clings to pots and pans and eventually goes down the drain. Professional grease trap cleaning is necessary because the grease that restaurants accumulate in grease traps can interrupt the flow and cause massive clogs in their sewer lines. 

Grease traps only serve sinks and cleaning areas in food service structures. They don’t treat human waste. Because of this, when a grease trap clogs, it can shut a restaurant down because it can no longer clean dishes or process food. In addition to clogging up the plumbing that the grease trap serves, a clogged grease trap can also allow grease to flow into regular drain lines, where it can cause all kinds of problems in the sewer. 

Cleanings Cost Less Than Repairs

saveRegardless of the problem, routine service is always cheaper than emergency repairs. The same is true when considering grease traps. Grease traps may need to be cleaned as often as twice per month in busy establishments, but the cost of routine cleanings exceeds the lost revenue from service when grease traps clog. In addition to lost revenue, nearly every company charges more for emergency service, and they certainly charge more to make repairs necessary to restore service. Following the recommendations of the health department and grease trap service professionals and scheduling routine cleaning is always the cheaper choice for continued service. 

Helps the Environment

Grease isn’t just a hazard for sewer lines and drain lines. It is also a huge environmental hazard. The grease that escapes water treatment facilities goes out into the environment, where it can deplete oxygen as it rots in waterways. The result is a reduction in waterways’ viability, leading to local wildlife die-offs. Grease trap service is a small price to pay for continued service and a safe environment. 

About Capital City Septic Services

Need professional grease trap services that are polite and professional with competitive pricing? Capital City Septic Services is the local choice for grease trap expertise. Call today for fast responses and no overtime rates on grease trap service in Tallahassee, FL.