We take a lot of pride in helping Greenville area homeowners maintain healthy plumbing and recover from plumbing disasters. Did you also know we also work with local businesses? Not only can we help businesses with the sort of minor problems that could also happen in a home, but we're capable of so much more as a commercial plumbing service!
We work with several restaurants, and regularly receive calls to clean grease traps. For those of you who aren't in the restaurant biz, grease traps are installed to keep fats, oils, and grease from getting into pipes entering sewer lines. Grease traps are necessary because fats, oils, and grease will solidify and clog pipes, all while trapping food scraps and other debris which will only make the clog more serious.
Prolong the Life of Your Grease Trap
Don't run the risk of having to shut your business down because of a grease trap backup. To keep everything running smoothly, be sure to:
- Get regular cleanings. Your manufacturer probably suggests you clean your grease trap every few days, but we know that's pretty ambitious. A more realistic goal is to have your grease trap drained and have all solids scraped and removed once per month. If you wait any longer, you run the risk of a backups, which may end up costing you more to fix than the cleaning would have!
- Stop using the trap as a trash can. Make it a best-practice for your business to remove as much food as possible from plates and pots before rinsing any unnecessary solids into the grease trap. These solids will build up in the bottom of the trap, and will eventually rot and deteriorate the trap which means costly repairs and replacements. Even if you're not worried about those repair costs, that rotting food will eventually cause a seriously unpleasant smell.
- Keep it cool. Never pour boiling water into a grease trap. The increase in temperature will melt the solidified fat, grease, and oil, which will allow it to be flushed into your pipes and sewer lines, where it will eventually re-solidify and clog.
- Leave it to the professionals. There is no reason to tamper with your grease trap or to try to pour something down there to avoid a cleaning — this means no chemicals, no bleach, no additives, no drain cleaners, and no biological agents, enzymes, or bugs. Trying to use any of these "solutions" will destroy naturally beneficial bacteria, harm the environment, and emulsify the grease, allowing it to pass through the grease trap and into your sewer line.
Along with regular maintenance and cleanings, we can also install new grease traps or upgrade existing ones that just aren't performing like they used to. Be sure to keep an eye out for future commercial plumbing posts, or subscribe to our blog to get an email notification every time we publish a new article! To schedule service with Ken's Plumbing (the Picky People's Plumber), just give us a call at (864) 242-5511 or click the banner below!
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