How Often Should You Clean a Grease Trap?

Running a restaurant involves many responsibilities, and the tasks can pile up quickly. One question that many owners have after a while in the business is how frequently they need to clean their grease trap. It’s often neglected, but cleaning out the grease trap shouldn’t be neglected. Here’s the key points about the frequency of grease trap cleaning.

What to Consider

When and how often you clean out the grease trap will depend on a few factors. Before you create a cleaning schedule (we’ll get to that in a moment), you should know how much your trap holds, how often it is used, and how large your restaurant is.

The most crucial thing to remember is that cleaning your grease trap is required for restaurant/kitchen care. In fact, failure to clean it could lead to expensive fines if you overlook cleaning it regularly. In addition, a dirty grease trap will put your customers’ health in jeopardy.

Setting Up a Cleaning Schedule

Most grease traps should be cleaned out every 1-3 months, depending on your kitchen's needs. To know exactly what your cleaning schedule should be the grease traps, consider the “1/4th rule.” In simple terms, the grease trap should be cleaned out when it reaches a quarter of its capacity. The fats, oils, grease, and solids (FOGS) inside the trap can begin to emit foul smells if left to sit for too long, so draining it before it fills up too much will prevent those odors. Additionally, the more FOGS there are in the trap, the less effective the trap becomes; you could see clogs in the lines or slow sink drainage if left too long.

Understanding the Legal Requirements

Some cities have specific legal regulations on how often a restaurant must service 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 you’ll have to clean out the grease trap every three months, even if it hasn’t reached the 25% mark.

Make sure to verify your local health and safety laws and restaurant guidelines, so you don’t unknowingly violate them. Hiring a professional service is a great way to stay on top of your grease trap cleaning since they’ll know the requirements. Plus, they’ll have the tools to provide an efficient trap.

Cleaning out a grease trap is no easy chore, and as a busy restaurant owner, you have enough on your plate. Leave the job to the experts at our team. We’ll service your traps quickly and efficiently so you can keep your attention on your business.

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