Philadelphia Grease Trap Cleaning

Why is Philadelphia Grease Trap Cleaning Important?

Grease traps are great for reducing the amount of waste in your plumbing system and for preventing back-ups. Many Philadelphia restaurant owners feel that proper maintenance only requires you to pour a bit of Draino down the pipes. However, this is not the case. Failure to comply with the City of Philadelphia’s health regulations in inspections could shut your restaurant down. Keep your restaurant open by consulting someone with expertise in commercial plumbing services and Philadelphia grease trap cleaning.

How to Properly Clean a Grease Trap

In order to prevent build-ups and back-ups, you should seek the help of a professional for proper cleaning on a regular basis. Backups are not only smelly but expensive and should not be taken lightly.

An unmaintained grease trap does not stop any grease waste from entering the sanitary sewer or septic system. Grease blockages can ruin a restaurant in minutes from back-ups. Once this happens, you will need to have the establishment properly sanitized. A grease backup will shut your restaurant down for at least two days.

Where Are Grease Traps Located?

Commercial grease traps are often found on the outside of the building. By searching around the walls by your kitchen’s dishwashing station you can usually locate it. They look similar to a manhole or a septic tank cover. If your kitchen has a basement, in some cases it might be located down there.

How to Clean Your Grease Trap

There are a few ways you can clean out your grease trap in Philadelphia on your own. However, it can be time-consuming. It depends on the size and location of your restaurant as well as the type of grease trap you have. You should set a weekly grease trap maintenance schedule to have your restaurant running safely and efficiently.

You will need to wait until your restaurant is free of any customers and equipment is shut down and properly cleaned. This can be done at the end of the business day or early in the morning before the start of business.

1. Start by removing the lid on the grease trap slowly and gently so you don’t damage any of the gaskets on the lid.
2. Then use a ruler to note how many inches of grease are in the trap. Be sure to write this down in a DOG report, which is provided by the EPA.
3. Remove water from your grease trap with a bucket or small pump then set the water to the side.
4. You will then need to scoop out the grease from your trap into a different bucket. Be sure to also scrape the bottom and sides to remove any excess grease.
5. Scrub these parts and flush out the screening.
6. Pour the water you previously collected back into the trap.
7. Reinstall any removed parts and replace the lid.

When is it Time to Replace Your Trap?

The easiest ways to find out if it’s time to replace your grease trap is when the Philadelphia municipality notifies you of a leak into the local water system. They will come in for an inspection. Of course, all measures should be taken to prevent your grease trap from getting this bad. You should also consider replacing your system if you find it is constantly backing up or stops filtering grease out of your water. You may also notice your kitchen smells.

Whether you need cleaning, service or replacement of your grease trap – contact Action Plumbing at 1-800-ACTION-24 for all of your commercial plumbing needs.