This article is most likely to be of interest if you have a restaurant in New York City, specifically in the Upper East Side. Grease traps are a fundamental part of a restaurant’s plumbing system, and they need regular care and maintenance to keep working properly.
What is a Grease Trap?
A grease trap is a small device that all of the wastewater the restaurant produces passes through before entering the general sewer lines. The grease trap contains baffles that collect grease and other food matter while the water continues through to be disposed of.
Keeping grease out of the wastewater stream is good news for everyone. This is because grease will cling to the inside of municipal sewer pipes, forming blockages that can impact entire communities. Grease traps are mandated for use in any facility that produces fats, oils, or grease – which includes the majority of NYC restaurants. Any restaurant that is found to not have the required grease traps can face fines of up to $10,000 per day!
Grease Trap: Required Maintenance and Cleaning
As plumbers for the Upper East Side, our recommendations are based on first-hand experience with busy restaurants. All grease traps need to be cleaned regularly, because they fill up quickly.
People want to know what happens if a grease trap doesn’t get cleaned? The answer is that eventually the grease trap will collect so much fat and waste material that water will be unable to pass and you will have the lines backing up.
In real life, most grease trap cleaning is done by the restaurant staff, in the form of weekly cleanings. A full, deep cleaning is recommended at least monthly – this drain cleaning is provided by your local restaurant plumber – in order to remain in compliance with health department requirements. If you’re in a situation where the grease trap has backed up, call for emergency service: it’s so important to get these repairs done quickly so you can get your kitchen open fast.
