When to Have Your Grease Trap Cleaned

If you run a restaurant, you have grease traps in the kitchen that collect grease when cooking and washing dishes. These grease traps need to be cleaned routinely in order to reduce pest infestation and make sure the plumbing system continues working properly. Here are some signs that now is a good time to call and have the grease traps cleaned.

There is a Foul Odour

One of the first things you will likely notice when the grease traps need to be cleaned is that there is a very bad odour. You probably smell something foul whenever you run water in the sinks, or possibly even every time you enter the restaurant kitchen. When you smell something that smells of solid food that is trapped somewhere, it is often stuck in that grease trap. If there is a foul odour that isn't going away, call up a plumbing company to have it cleaned. Especially if the odour remains even after the kitchen has been cleaned.

There Seems to Be a Blockage

Blockages often occur in restaurant kitchens due to a clogged grease trap. When there is too much grease in the trap, other food particles tend to stick to it. This creates a blockage in the plumbing pipes. What results is usually slow drainage, so when you are running water in the sink to fill a pot or wash dishes, if the water takes a long time to go down completely, it might be from the grease trap.

If, when running water in the kitchen, it looks like the water is oily, then it is probably a plumbing problem related to the grease trap. This tends to happen over time when too much grease and blockage gets into the plumbing system. The result is that the water condition is reduced, whether from being oily and unclean looking, to having extreme low-flow. In both cases, it is a good idea to have the grease traps cleaned.

You Hear Odd Noises

You might also want to have the grease trap inspected and cleaned if you hear odd noises. Typically, you will hear the sound of gurgling water or liquid coming from the drains, even when water isn't being run through the faucet. Stick your head close to the sink and if you hear gurgling, call up a plumber to inspect the grease trap and see if that is the culprit.

Signs of Insects

Any time you see insects or rodents in the kitchen, it is cause for alarm. You might search frantically for the culprit, making sure no trash cans are uncovered, that there aren't dirty dishes lying around, and that your workers are making sure to cover food properly. However, the problem might actually be the grease traps. When they have been sitting there for a while and not cleaned, roaches do tend to be attracted to them.