Grease Trap Dangers

Many restaurants, especially fast food establishments, use a lot of oil to cook their food. This grease can cause blockage in drainage systems, which is why restaurants install grease catchers. Grease catchers require frequent cleaning, and carry several potential dangers. Greasy compounds are fairly dense and can rip bags, and the grease catching equipment can cause physical pain and environmental contamination without proper preparation.

Identification

• Greasy and oily compounds are considered lipids, which are derived from animal fats and vegetable oils. Grease troubles sewage and drainage systems because it can harden and is not very water-soluble. Most governments require that restaurants install grease traps to protect waste water systems. Grease traps holds greasy liquids until the solid, fatty portions rise and separate from water.

Opening

• Grease traps, especially larger ones in restaurants, usually have a heavy lid that needs to be pried open. Using too much force to open the lid could cause harm to the gasket, the rubber lining around a grease trap that prevent odors from seeping out. A heavy lid can also cause a pinch point, when the lid tightly traps a finger or skin between two objects, according to utility provider JEA, so take great care when removing a heavy lid.

Contamination

• Improper preparation for the disposal of grease could cause leakage and contaminate the area, or severe burns to a person if it is still hot. JEA highly recommends that when pouring grease into a container, you always make sure to line the container with double bagging. Some municipalities require that a hardening substance be placed at the bottom of the bag or container, before placing the grease in a trash receptacle.

Overflowing

• Anyone cleaning a grease trap should know exactly how to reinstall all the parts. A misaligned grease trap will likely result in grease flowing into drainage systems. Grease flowing out of a grease trap can not only damage your facility, but nearby sewage systems might experience clogging or interference. JEA recommends keeping a log of build up in the trap to identify potential clogging.

Warning

• The Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department has a few extra tips. Do not clean grease traps with soaps, hot water, or anything that kills bacteria. Bacteria help eat grease, thus you do not want to prevent bacterial growth in the trap. Never flush grease down a drain, this quickly builds up and clogs draining system. A good estimation to determine if you need a grease trap cleaning, is using a dowel to check when one-third of the pool in the grease trap consists of greasy oils.