When Should You Clean Your Grease Trap?

As a restaurant owner, you may find that there are numerous aspects to keep in mind when running your restaurant, and the responsibilities can pile up. One question that many owners have over time is the frequency of grease trap cleaning. It’s easy to neglect the importance of this task, but you shouldn’t skip cleaning out your grease trap. Here’s what you need to know about when you should clean out your grease trap.

What to Consider

The timing of cleaning out your grease trap varies based on several key elements. Before setting up a cleaning schedule (we’ll cover that in a moment), you should know the volume of your trap, how often it is used, and the seating capacity of your restaurant. The most crucial factor to remember is that maintaining a clean grease trap is crucial for business maintenance. In fact, neglecting this could lead to potential fines if you fail to clean it regularly. Moreover, a dirty grease trap will compromise your customers’ health.

How to Schedule Regular Cleanings

Most grease traps should be cleaned out on a 1 to 3-month basis, depending on usage. To figure out exactly how often your establishment needs to clean the grease trap, consider the “quarter rule.” In simple terms, the grease trap should be cleaned out when it’s a quarter full. The grease, fats, oils, and solids inside the trap can begin emitting foul smells if left too long, so draining it out at 1/4th full will eliminate those odors. Additionally, the more FOGS there are in the trap, the less efficient the trap becomes; it may lead to backups in the lines or slow drains if left unattended for too long.

Regulatory Compliance

Some states have specific legal laws regarding how often food establishments must clean grease traps. The exact law will depend on your location, but a common rule is that traps must be cleaned out once every 90 days. This means that even if it hasn’t reached the ¼ rule, you’ll still need to service the grease trap every 90 days. Ensure to confirm with local health and safety laws and health codes to avoid unintentionally violating them. Working with a professional service is a great way to stay on top of your grease trap cleaning since they are familiar with the regulations. Plus, they’ll have the tools and experience to provide an even cleaner trap.

Cleaning out a grease trap is no fun task, and as a busy restaurant owner, you have enough to worry about. Leave the job to the professionals at Bayou La Batre Plumbing Services take care of your grease trap needs. We’ll service your traps quickly and efficiently so you can concentrate on your business.

Give us a call now at (888) 860-0649 to request a free in-home estimate.