Understanding How Grease Traps Work

You know you need a grease trap to contain food waste in your commercial kitchen, but you may not completely understand what grease traps are. These systems help stop food solids and grease from getting into the sanitary sewer or septic system. This avoids clogs that could be challenging and expensive to fix. There are a few variations of these traps available, but they share the same general design.

• Where They Are- Interceptors are a specific type of grease trap that you will find outdoors in the form of in-ground tanks. Passive grease traps are found aboveground in plastic or metal containers. These are essential for foodservice facilities.
• Separating Food Waste- Grease traps are particularly useful because they do all of the work for you. The trap itself will serve as a reservoir where wastewater and food solids enter. When the wastewater starts to cool off, grease, oil, and fat will harden. Since these substances are light, they float up towards the top. Since food solids are heavier than these things and water, they sink to the bottom. This leaves the wastewater by itself in the middle, so it can be forced out of the trap before entering the sanitary sewer.
• Secondary Basin- More advanced grease traps will have a secondary basin where the wastewater flows. This creates a second stage of separation to help remove grease and food waste that has stuck to the water, helping create cleaner discharge.
• Cleaning- Because the food solids, grease, oils, and fats all remain in the grease trap, these systems need to be cleaned on a regular basis. Maintenance is easily done by professionals who have the tools to access all of the components.