How to Fix a Slow Draining Grease Trap

How to Fix a Slow Draining Grease Trap

There are a million different issues that can cause a commercial kitchen to halt service. You probably wouldn’t expect slow drains to be near the top of the list, but slow drainage can lead to some significant problems. 

It doesn’t matter how good the food and service are; when a customer goes to flush the toilet and dirty water spurts out, they’re not coming back. If the food-prep sink is slowly draining, food will come out slower. If the dishwasher is draining slowly, table turnover can be slowed down. Slow service doesn’t leave a good impression on customers. 

Above all else, slow draining grease traps can be a huge issue. 

Grease traps are designed to prevent 90%-95% of fats, oils, and grease from entering the sewer system, making them vital to wastewater management. When a grease trap isn’t able to perform its job because of slow drainage, it can cause several serious problems, like foul odors, sewer backups, and hefty fines. 

If you notice a slow draining grease trap in your commercial kitchen, it needs to be addressed. In this article, we will cover how to fix a slow draining grease trap to avoid running into any significant issues. 

Before diving in, let’s quickly review what a grease trap is and how it works. 

A commercial grease trap, also known as a grease interceptor, is a plumbing device that intercepts and captures fats, oils, and grease, collectively known as FOGs, from wastewater before it reaches the drain. 

It’s an important job; otherwise, your commercial kitchen would likely experience a big uptick in clogged drains, blocked sewer pipes, foul odors, and sewer backups. As a result, commercial grease traps are a vital part of any food service establishment’s wastewater management. 

Commercial grease traps work by slowing wastewater flow so that FOGs can easily be captured. 

Picture a tank. Inside the tank, there’s a series of staggered walls, called baffles, on either side. Each baffle works to slow the flow of water through the tank. When the water flows quickly, FOGs are carried directly to the drain. When the water flows slowly, FOGs can rise to the surface, effectively avoiding the drain. 

This system enables the grease trap to retain FOGs without preventing wastewater from draining into the sewer. You have to be careful, though. Without proper grease trap maintenance, FOGs can solidify into a large, heavy mass that will eventually block the drain and cause slow drainage. 

With all of that out of the way, let’s look at how to fix a slow draining grease trap.