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How Do You Clean a Grease Trap?

Mar 29, 2022

We're all guilty of pouring oil, food and scraps down the drain, but over time, fat and grease can build up, resulting in a dirty and blocked grease trap.

So, read on to learn more about cleaning and maintaining a grease trap in your commercial kitchen today.

How Do You Clean a Grease Trap?

Make sure any water in the grease trap has cooled down before you begin cleaning. Once you're certain this is the case, take the grease trap's top off. Remove it carefully to avoid damaging any of the lid's gaskets. Insert a ruler and record the number of inches of grease inside.

This must be written down and documented in an EPA-provided FOG report. Using a bucket or a small pump, drain the water from your grease trap and set it aside.

Begin scooping the grease out of your trap. A shovel or another heavy-duty scooper will be useful here. Scrape any extra oil from the bottom, sides, and lid. This will keep material you've knocked free but haven't yet removed from accumulating quickly. Scrub the same areas of the trap as before and flush the screens.

How Often Do Grease Traps Need To Be Cleaned?

Depending on how often they're used, grease traps should be washed every 1-3 months. Consider the 1/4th rule to determine how frequently your company's grease traps need to be cleaned. Put simply, when the grease trap reaches a quarter of its capacity, it should be cleaned out.

Can You Clean Your Own Grease Trap?

Yes, and as you can see from above, it's a fairly straightforward process. However, it's not a quick job and shouldn't be rushed, so if you don't have time to do it properly, we'd recommend hiring a professional company to do it for you.

What Happens If The Grease Trap Is Not Cleaned?

If a grease tap and its parts aren't cleaned on a regular basis, waste will build up, causing your sink, pipes and sewer line to become blocked. This will then cause your pipes to back up, leading to unpleasant smells and maybe evening flooding. What's more, FOG blockages are a fire hazard, so regular cleaning is essential.