This article will look at why grease traps need to be cleaned and the basic steps associated with this and more importantly, the question is how can this be avoided – we will explain.
Why bother?
Whether it is clothes getting dirty, rooms in a house gathering dust and cobwebs or cars being covered in mud, nothing can go on forever without being maintained or cleaned. FOG traps are no exception. Infact for some items it is actually necessary to maintain them or they will stop functioning altogether.
Grease traps have a storage capacity. Once this is full they will stop trapping grease and cease to work for their purpose. If left to this point, it could become a very messy and unpleasant experience. The degree of usage and scale will also depend on how often it needs cleaning – those that are used continuously will need quicker cleans.
Basic trap cleaning.
Due to the variety of different grease traps that exist (and particularly because of different sizes / quantities) there is no ‘set’ way to clean a grease trap. The following gives an idea.
The standard ‘everyday’ grease trap.
(Picture from: http://www.greasetrapsales.com/)
1) With grease traps like those pictured above the first step is to remove the covering, taking care not to damage the clips that hold the roof housing, or it will need repairing! This can be quite ‘fiddly.’
2) There is likely to be some excess water inside the tank. Deal with this first and take care for spills.
3) Next remove the solidified grease waste into a bucket completely.
At this point there may be excess / stubborn grease in the tank and down the sides. These may require extra work or further equipment to fully remove.
You may want to wear gloves or take other protective measures.
4) Give the unit a generalised clean with soap and water.
5) Replace the roof housing.
6) Ensure the waste material is placed in appropriate containers and removed by a waste contractor.
Too much hassle?
Depending on the capacity of your grease trap and how often it is used, you could find yourself carrying out the above cleaning process more often than you would like! At the best of times this is not the greatest experience and could turn out to be a load of trouble with grease and water everywhere, not to mention the potential of wrecking the unit if you get a part in the wrong place or are too forceful.
At FOGTrap there is a difference…
All of the above steps and hassle are totally avoided because when the time is needed, the unit is simply taken away and replaced with another.
The benefits of this include:
Saving time – No need to train anyone or take time out of schedules to maintain the unit. It is done for you.
Saving money – Mistakes when assembling and disassembling the unit can cost new parts or repairing the unit. If the unit is taken away and replaced for you, you do not need to touch it!
Saving hassle – People who run businesses or have hectic home lives often have bigger and greater things on their minds than cleaning grease traps.
FOGTrap does all the remembering, so you don’t have to get your hands dirty.
With FOGTrap, obligations are met with no fuss for the customer. It’s a winner!
