Grease Trap and Interceptor

Every food preparation establishment is required to have a grease trap or interceptor to catch FOG. FOG stands for Fats, Oils, and Grease that get into the sewers and cause problems for the wastewater treatment system.There are three types: passive grease traps that are usually located under the sink and must be cleaned out by hand; automatic grease traps that continually skim grease off and deposit it in a removable reservoir; and grease interceptors that are large volume devices, usually located outside, under the ground and must be pumped out by a grease hauler. These devices are very important but they can’t do the job alone:

• Traps vary in efficiency, some remove only 85% of FOG
• Passive grease traps should be cleaned out weekly
• Automatic grease traps should have their collection reservoirs emptied daily
• Grease interceptors need to be pumped out regularly, on a schedule determined by how quickly they fill. When over 25% of the interceptor is full of grease the interceptor loses effectiveness; at 50% the interceptor lets most of the FOG flow through into the sewer.
• Keep records in a log of when traps and interceptors are cleaned out and how full they are each time. This way you can know how often they need to be maintained.
• The less FOG that goes down the drain, the less frequently the traps need to be cleaned out.