Are you interested in understanding this Victorian Age-device often used in restaurants, cafes and even hospitals?

Then you’ve come to the right place. Read on and understand how this useful device can help you prevent solid waste from clogging your home (or business) plumbing.

What Are Grease Traps and How Do They Work?

The grease trap, sometimes referred to as grease interceptor, is a device between the kitchen sink pipe and the sewer. Its function is not to let the fat of the utensils mix with the water. Water and fat go into the grease trap. Because it is lighter, fat floats and water stays underneath. What separates water from fat is an opening in the box that takes water to the sewer pipe.

Cleaning

To perform this separation, the fat box must be cleaned every three months. This prevention can be done manually. You take off the lid of the grease trap, pick up the yellowish-looking, solid, butter-like fat with an utensil of your choice, put it in a plastic bag, and discard it in ordinary trash. Cleaning is complete when the grease trap has nothing but water. Manual cleaning is the most recommended. The work takes only about 20 minutes.

There are also specific enzyme-based products. These products contain biological compounds that dissolve oils as well as animal and vegetable fats. Enzymes are environment-friendly and are intended for maintenance purposes only. You mix 50 grams (1.7 ounces) in 5 liters (1.3 gallons) of water, stir well and put 95% of this mixture in the kitchen sink drain and the rest (that’s stuck at the bottom) in the toilet and flush. Do this procedure once a month and you won’t have any problems.

The transformation of fat into water and carbon dioxide by natural microorganisms would be a natural solution but the self-sufficient colonies resulted from this transformation are unlikely to arise insufficient volume, as the chemicals used in dishwashing prevent this. Home remedies have no effect. You can forget about hot water and caustic soda. Hot water will reach the even hotter grease trap and make the situation even worse. The soda can dilute the fat but the debris will just harden again.

What If You Don’t Clean it Regularly?

Grease traps won’t be happy with those who aren’t maintenance enthusiasts and go for months at a time without any cleaning. Relaxation causes fat to clog the plumbing because the oil sticks like glue. Foul smells, slow runoff, water overflow, and insect proliferation are just a few of the punishments you’ll receive for not cleaning the grease trap consistently.

 

For more information, contact Vinny’s Jersey Plumbing, located in Wayne, New Jersey.  We also service other towns in New Jersey, such as Paramus, Lodi and Livingston.