Grease traps play a crucial role in both commercial and residential kitchens, effectively managing waste to ensure smooth operations and compliance with local regulations. These devices are essential for capturing fats, oils, and grease (FOG) before they enter the plumbing system, preventing costly blockages and environmental damage. Without a proper grease trap, kitchens face the risk of clogged drains, foul odours, and potential health hazards, all of which can disrupt daily activities and lead to expensive repairs.
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This article aims to guide readers in selecting the right grease trap for their specific kitchen needs. Whether you’re running a bustling restaurant or cooking at home, choosing the right grease trap is essential for long-term kitchen health and functionality.
A grease trap, also known as a grease interceptor, is a device designed to capture fats, oils, and grease (FOG) from wastewater before it enters the plumbing system. These substances, if not intercepted, can solidify and cause blockages, leading to costly plumbing issues and environmental concerns.
In your kitchen, grease traps work by slowing down the flow of hot, greasy water so it can cool. As the water cools, fats, oils, and grease (FOG) rise to the top, and heavier bits settle at the bottom. The cleaner water can then move out into the sewer system, while the grease and solids stay behind in the trap.
There are various types of grease traps, including passive grease traps, which rely on gravity and are typically used in smaller operations, and automatic grease removal units (AGRUs), which actively remove accumulated grease, making them suitable for larger, high-volume kitchens.
Knowing about these options gives you a better idea when picking the right grease trap for your kitchen.
Grease traps are crucial behind-the-scenes players in the kitchen, safeguarding both your plumbing and the environment. Here’s how:
In short, grease traps are a win-win. They protect your plumbing system, comply with regulations, and contribute to a healthier environment.
With various options available, selecting the right grease trap requires careful consideration. Here are key factors to ensure a smooth-running kitchen and environmental compliance:
Make sure the size and capacity of the grease trap match your kitchen’s daily water use and grease production. Often, local rules require a minimum capacity based on flow rate (gallons per minute, GPM). It’s wise to talk to a plumber to figure out your GPM and pick a trap with at least twice that capacity. Also, think about how greasy the food is on your menu—dishes high in fat might need larger traps to catch all the grease.
Grease traps come in various materials, each with advantages:
Choose the material that best suits your budget, durability needs, and space constraints.
Grease traps can be installed under-sink, in-ground, or above-ground depending on space availability and plumbing layout. Under-sink units are compact but require frequent cleaning. In-ground and above-ground options offer larger capacities but need more space. Professional installation is crucial to ensure proper functionality and prevent leaks.
Regular cleaning of grease traps is a must to stop FOG from building up and to keep things running smoothly. How often you need to clean them hinges on their size, use, and type. Gravity traps need a manual clean, while automatic ones often have a self-cleaning function. No matter what kind you have, keep a cleaning routine to prevent blockages and environmental issues.
Choosing the right grease trap for your kitchen is essential to prevent costly clogs and ensure efficient waste management. By considering factors like flow rate, local regulations, and your kitchen’s specific needs, you can find a trap that effectively captures grease while keeping your plumbing system running smoothly.
If you’re in search of expert advice on picking or installing a grease trap, get in touch with Fixed Today. Our expert plumbers are ready to guide you through the process and ensure you find the perfect fit for your kitchen. We also offer top-notch services for grease and fat blockages to keep your drainage system in peak condition. For a spotless and smooth-running kitchen setup, contact us at Fixed Today!
Consider the size of your kitchen and the amount of grease produced. Calculate the flow rate of wastewater and choose a grease trap that can handle at least 50% more than your maximum flow rate.
You’ll find passive grease traps that rely on gravity to do the job, and automatic ones that use technology for better efficiency and easier maintenance.
Regular maintenance is crucial. Depending on usage, grease traps should typically be cleaned every 30 to 90 days to prevent buildup and maintain efficiency.
Maintenance involves regularly removing accumulated grease and solids, inspecting for leaks, and ensuring all components are functioning properly.
Installation should be done by a licensed plumber familiar with local plumbing codes to ensure proper function and compliance with regulations.
Consult local authorities or a professional plumber to understand specific requirements for grease trap installation, maintenance, and compliance with environmental regulations.
Grease traps should be installed as close to the source of grease as possible, typically underneath sinks or dishwashers, to effectively intercept FOG before it enters the plumbing system.
Using a grease trap helps prevent FOG from contaminating local waterways, protecting aquatic ecosystems and ensuring environmental sustainability.
With proper maintenance, grease traps can last up to 20 years, though regular inspections and cleaning are essential to ensure longevity and efficiency.
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Some kitchen equipment may incorporate self-contained grease management systems as an alternative to traditional grease traps, offering different solutions depending on your kitchen’s needs.
Grease traps are one of the most popular FOG (fats, oils and grease) management solutions, with passive (manual) and automatic traps being the most popular options for commercial kitchen operators looking to prevent grease related issues.
They both do essentially the same job of separating FOG from wastewater though at a glance, automatic grease traps seem very expensive compared to manual grease traps, there are more factors to consider than just the initial cost of the unit.
This article will compare the two system types, explaining the main differences and the pros and cons of each system so you can make an informed buying decision and select the right system for your requirements.
Firstly, lets cover what each system does so you can understand what to expect from each type of unit.
Traditional passive grease traps simply slow the flow of wastewater to allow it to cool and separate into 3 layers; FOG, solids and clear water. The FOG forms a “grease mat” at the top of the unit and solids either accumulate at the bottom of the unit or collect inside a strainer which is located just after the inlet. The clear water escapes via the outlet.
Automatic systems, also known as AGRU’s (automatic grease removal units), perform many of the same operations as a manual grease trap. Much like a manual system the flow of wastewater is slowed to allow it to cool and separate though automatic systems almost always feature the addition of a removable strainer basket for solids collection. This means the wastewater inside the unit will mainly contain FOG with only small amounts of solid waste escaping the strainer and settling at the bottom of the unit.
The similarities between the automatic and passive models stop once the FOG separates and rises to the top inside the unit. Rather than letting the FOG form a “grease mat”, automatic system re-heat and skim out the FOG automatically on a programmed schedule. The skimmed FOG is then transferred into a collector bin for easy removal and recycling.
So now you know what each system does, lets delve into some comparison between the 2 systems, which may help with your buying decision. The 4 main area’s covered are:
There is a direct correlation between how efficient a grease trap is and the amount of grease inside the system. The more kilograms of grease inside the unit, the less efficient the trap becomes, which impacts overall performance.
For this reason, manual grease traps are less efficient than automatic ones as the grease accumulates inside them until its either pumped out or emptied manually. As automatic traps skim and remove FOG on a scheduled basis, grease doesn’t build-up inside the unit meaning the system will maintain maximum efficiency and perform at a consistent level.
The graphs below give a visual representation of performance vs kilograms of grease based on 25kg traps connected to equipment producing 2.5kg of grease per day:
As you can see the overall performance of the manual trap drops quickly once the amount of grease gets to a certain level, while the automatic trap maintains consistent performance.
Both systems are kind to the environment as they help prevent FOG entering the sewerage system but what happens to the recovered and pumped out waste?
With manual traps, the grease management service company who pump out the trap will dispose of all substances removed from the trap. The grease will often be recycled into biodiesel and any solids will be disposed of in the correct manner, helping to keep our environment clean.
Automatic traps remove grease and deposit it into a container in liquid form. This can then be collected along with other used cooking and waste oil by your relevant service provider. Potentially, if enough is produced, the removed grease from automatic traps can be sold as an additional revenue stream.
So, while both systems are eco-friendly, automatic traps edge ahead due to the potential of adding an extra source of income via selling removed grease.
Purchase price is usually the deciding factor between choosing a manual or automatic grease trap, however there are other costs which need to be considered when buying any type of grease trap. All the costs to consider are:
The purchase cost of an automatic grease trap can be 5 times more than the purchase cost of its manual equivalent. Manual traps also have no moving parts meaning they need no daily maintenance and require no electricity to run, unlike automatic traps which need around 10 minutes of maintenance a day and require an electricity supply to function.
It looks like manual traps come out on top but the final consideration of pump out costs swing the comparison in the favour of automatic grease traps. Manual traps require pumping out every 2-4 weeks at a cost of between £150 and £200, whereas automatic traps only require pumping out every 3-6 months at the same cost. While you can increase the time between pump outs of manual traps to up to 8 weeks by adding a biological grease treatment fluid into the system or “dosing”, this adds to the purchase / install costs and to running costs. So, over the course of 3 years, automatic traps will be much cheaper overall.
Let’s compare 2 similar automatic and manual Grease Guardian grease traps, the GGX15 (automatic) and GT1 (manual), so you can see which one will cost you less over a 3-year period.
The figures below are based on the following:
Evidently, in the first year the GGX15 automatic unit works out more expensive than the manual GT1, mainly due to the high purchase price. However, by the end of year 2, the much higher pump out costs of the manual unit mean the overall cost is higher its automatic counterpart. After 3 years, the cost difference between the 2 units is nearly £3,000 in favour of the automatic GGX15. If you also add potential income from selling recovered oil from the automatic unit, the cost difference increases even more.
Although automatic grease traps require a higher initial investment, the additional features gained by the extra investment offer increased performance, potential for additional revenue and reduced long term costs, making automatic grease removal units the best choice for grease management.
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