If you run a restaurant, you know that there are many things you need to take care of. Sometimes even the smallest details can lead to big problems if you do not pay enough attention to them. One of those details is the grease trap, which must be maintained regularly to prevent consequences that are not really insignificant. Neglecting the maintenance of the grease trap can lead to pipe blockage and water contamination. And you can assume what that can mean for your business. If you haven’t paid enough attention to grease traps in your restaurant so far, we suggest you read this article and find out what can happen if a grease trap isn’t properly maintained. And then change that! Let’s start.
What is a grease trap and why is it important?
If you are not a plumber (and we assume you are not because you run a restaurant) you are probably not familiar with the plumbing system and its parts. But it is recommendable to educate yourself about some of them that can significantly affect your business. One of them is a grease trap. The grease trap is part of the water supply system and its main role is to retain grease, but also other, larger particles that could damage the pipe system. The grease trap prevents unwanted substances from entering the wastewater drainage system, and it also prevents blocking pipes and causing accidents. As a restaurant owner, it is important to prevent water contamination in all ways, because it has a huge public health significance. On the other hand, it is important to prevent accidents in your restaurant and the huge damage that can happen if the grease trap is not maintained regularly.
What happens if you don’t maintain the grease trap regularly?
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Unpleasant odor and lack of adequate hygienic conditions
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Grease and other impurities that remain in the grease trap and pipes and decompose have a very unpleasant odor. Keep in mind that the combination of fat, water, and heat is the perfect base for the development of bacteria. These conditions are not hygienic, and your customers will probably come to the same conclusion. You may think that this will not significantly affect your business because the smell isn’t present in the restaurant, but keep in mind that the exterior of your restaurant is just as important as the interior. If someone smells something unpleasant while walking next to your restaurant, it will certainly not be a good advertisement. And if this is rumored, you can expect a decline in business and big problems in the future.
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A breakdown in your restaurant
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Grease traps should be cleaned and maintained regularly, as this will remove any grease left in them. Otherwise, a hard mass will form in this part of the plumbing system, which will block the further flow of water and lead to flooding, bursting of pipes, unpleasant odor, and chaos in your restaurant in general. Imagine this situation in the middle of the working day while you have customers eating at the restaurant. This sounds like a real nightmare! And that nightmare can become your reality if you don’t maintain your fat trap regularly. Besides this, a breakdown in the pipe system will lead to huge financial expenses that you could have easily prevented. It’s a good idea to contact plumbers every few months to help you maintain your grease trap on a regular basis and prevent embarrassment. You can read more about it on greasetrapplano.com.
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Total closure of the restaurant
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Not taking care of the plumbing system and avoiding regular grease trap maintenance can eventually lead to what you fear most: the complete closure of your restaurant. If the working and dining conditions in your restaurant are not optimal, it means that you will not get a work permit and you will have to close the restaurant. And imagine you run out of income and still have to pay your workers. In this case, the problems will follow one another. You probably didn’t believe that all this could happen just because you didn’t pay enough attention to the grease trap, but it’s true. Overlooking some details in the restaurant business can cost you dearly!
How often should you carry out maintenance work on the grease trap?
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f you have been wondering how often you should maintain a grease trap in your restaurant, one of the rules is that the accumulated fat should not exceed a quarter of the capacity of the trap. Grease traps can be internal and external, and the frequency of their cleaning also depends on that. It is enough to clean the internal grease traps once a month, while the frequency is slightly lower for the external ones, so it is necessary to carry out maintenance every 3-4 months. It is a good idea to check the requirements that apply in your municipality and ensure that you meet them. If this is too much work for you, it is important to know that you do not have to take this on yourself, but you can hire plumbers who are experts and who will pay attention to the maintenance of your plumbing system so that there are no unwanted consequences. In case you hire experts to help you with the maintenance trap, you will be able to consult with them on how often it needs to be cleaned, and they will take over all the work, so you don’t have to worry about it. You can relax knowing everything is in perfect order and you can continue growing your restaurant business.
Conclusion:
All restaurant owners know how demanding this job is and that it is important to take care of every single detail. One of them is the regular maintenance of a grease trap that prevents water pipes from clogging and grease from entering the wastewater system. If you neglect this part of the water supply network, it can get in your head and significantly negatively affect your business. Make sure you find plumbers to help you regularly clean the grease trap and allow you to run your business while they take care of their part of the job.
