Why It’s So Important For Restaurants To Have Grease Traps In Their Drains

Anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant should be aware of what a grease trap is. The name speaks for itself – it traps grease from going down the drains and creating blockages. Here’s why you should get them for your restaurant if you don’t already have a grease trap.

Legal Requirements

Grease traps – Every restaurant legally needs to have a grease trap which is a device designed to intercept most greases and solids before they enter the main sanitary system. Depending on the size of the restaurant, how busy it is and how many traps they have will determine how often they need to be sucked out if they are not regularly sucked out the grease starts to travel back up the line and cause a major blockage. Fat solidifies and can be extremely hard to remove from drainage systems Once we have done the trap twice we would be able to put clients on a regular maintenance schedule to avoid disasters happening in their busy times.

It’s Illegal Not To Use A Grease Trap In Your Restaurant 

According to council bylaws across New Zealand, grease traps are essential in commercial properties. In layman’s terms, it is illegal according to building regulations for a restaurant not to use either passive or mechanical grease traps in their kitchens. Grease traps are designed to intercept or catch grease and other solids before they enter drainage systems. If a restaurant does not use grease traps, it can accumulate and turn into what is called a fatberg inside a drain or sewer system, causing a significant blockage which is expensive and challenging to remove.

Grease Causes Sewers To Overflow 

Because grease traps provide such an essential function, it’s important to keep them maintained. If you don’t clean your grease traps often enough, the grease and liquid waste can leak through and cause a blockage. If the blockage, or fatberg, gets large enough, it can clog the entire sewer, causing it to overflow. And, if the cause of the obstruction is traced back to your restaurant, you’ll have to pay some hefty fines.

Grease Runoff Is A Pollutant 

Other than causing clogged drains, grease traps that have been poorly maintained, or not maintained at all can cause pollution. The grease is harmful to the environment and animal life, so grease traps outside restaurants must be covered. That way, animals can’t get stuck inside them, and if it rains, grease runoff won’t spread into the surroundings. If the grease overflows from accumulating rainwater, the area can become a breeding ground for bacteria. This kind of lack of hygiene will not only cause a foul odour around your restaurant, but the contamination can also pose as a health risk.

The only way to avoid problems caused by grease pollution around a restaurant is to follow council regulations and install grease traps in your drains. They’ll intercept all grease and food particles which cause blockages and reduce the chances of polluting the area with runoff. All you need to do is maintain them regularly by emptying your grease traps and cleaning them out. Drain Ninjas can assist you with grease trap cleaning, vacuum loading and suction removal services.