Here at Food Grease Trappers, when we’re talking about security, we’re usually referring to securing your waste vegetable oil from theft. However, today we’re talking about securing your grease trap if you have a below-ground model located outside the restaurant. While the purpose of this security is to also prevent people from gaining access, you’re doing it for the safety of others than as a deterrent from theft. You may not always keep up with grease trap news, but we do. And recently making headlines again is another child falling into an unsecured grease trap, and this needs to stop. [Read more…]
Grease Traps in the News: Winter Edition
As we reach the end of winter and dig ourselves out of the most recent nor’easter, let’s look back on how grease traps and their restaurants have been fairing. For some restaurants winter (especially bad winters) means a decrease of customers and therefore less strain on the grease trap. While many cafes see are flocked by natives and tourists alike, and the holidays themselves can lead to surges of celebrations that can strain restaurant grease interceptors and wastewater systems alike. It’s a mixed bag. [Read more…]
Do I Need a Grease Trap If My Restaurant Doesn’t Use Oil?
We service thousands of grease traps, and many of our first conversations with clients when they call about their grease trap is “I don’t get it, we have no grease. What could possibly be in there?” While they are called grease traps and grease interceptors, there’s more than just grease that gets pulled into a trap. And yes, this is how the grease trap is meant to function: taking water from your sinks and drains and treating it before the wastewater hits the sewers. If you think you don’t need a grease trap or don’t need your trap serviced, you may reconsider after reading this blog.
Preventing Cooking Oil Theft at Your Restaurant
What do most restaurants have in common? Well, grease traps because most states and municipalities require them. But also, they have a deep fryer. From the humble burger joint to the five star, there will always be something that needs to be deep-fried. And with deep fryers comes large amounts of cooking oil, and that means having to dispose of it. And because grease dumping is illegal, this usually means storing it onsite until enough of it accumulates for it to get hauled away. [Read more…]
5 Grease Trap Best Practices for a Commercial Kitchen
Around the world in restaurants, cafes, and other commercial kitchens, there are the cries of managers dealing with sluggish pipes, overflowing grease traps, and drains clogged with FOG. We encounter these problems every day from clients whose grease traps have caused an emergency in the kitchen. Often, these things can be avoided by making sure you and your staff are following grease trap best practices in the kitchen, providing longer times between services and fewer grease-related emergencies. [Read more…]
Grease Traps in the News: Fall Edition
For most restaurants, autumn is the time to think about heartier menus, holiday events, and if they are having a staff holiday party this year. However, for some this fall has been about innovation, tragedy, and law enforcement, all dealing with grease traps. In this edition of Grease Traps in the News, we’re looking at stories from the last three months, and how some restaurants are probably hoping Santa will bring them a new grease interceptor for Christmas. [Read more…]
Fatbergs: A United States Without Grease Traps
Fatbergs are massive collections of congealed fat, oils, grease, and solids (FOGS) that form in sewers. We’ve written about them before, and if you’d like a complete definition, please check out Fatberg Ahoy! How Could They Happen? for all the details. Two reasons we’re bringing it up again. First, London, England just had another massive fatberg threaten to completely clog up its sewers. Secondly, to shed light on why this is an issue in the UK but not the United States. [Read more…]
Origins: The One-Quarter Rule for Grease Traps
A handy graph.
We’ve seen full grease traps, usually after they start to backflow into kitchens and parking lots. These grease traps and interceptors haven’t seen maintenance or pumping for months when we’re called in for an emergency consultation. Once we are done, we try and get these clients on a regular schedule, depending on how much FOGS (Fats, Oils, Grease, and Solids) they produce, their best practices, and what capacity they have. Read more about that in our blog, How Often Should My Grease Trap Be Cleaned? for some rules of thumb. [Read more…]
What Sinks and Systems Should Connect to a Grease Trap?
The short answer is all of them. When a restaurant produces waste water, it’s responsible for it. If there is water draining from your kitchen into your wastewater pipe, that’s your responsibility. Grease traps and grease interceptors should be used to collect all the FOG (Fats, oils, and grease) coming out of your kitchen, so you can stay up to code on your local ordinances. Wondering why to connect all of them? See it broken down below. [Read more…]
Grease Traps in the News: Summer Edition
Summer isn’t even half way over, and already businesses around the US are finding grease traps in sticky situations when it comes to them, grease traps, and the necessary maintenance for them. These following stories from June and July show exactly why it’s so important to keep your grease traps clean. And if you’re a restaurant that currently doesn’t have one? You’ll see some stories about why it’s so important to plan and budget for one, because eventually you will need to get one. [Read more…]
