Grease is an enemy to your plumbing and sewage systems because it is one of the leading causes of clogs and sewer backups. However, you will notice early signs such as slow draining sinks and reduced pipe flow capacity before it reaches this point. That is why most restaurant owners need a grease collection system, also known as grease interceptors or grease traps, to prevent all that grease from sauces, cooking oil, and oily products from reaching your plumbing system. Below are more details about grease traps.

Types of Grease Traps

Grease traps vary in size. Therefore, you can get smaller ones that you can attach under each sink in your kitchen. So, each time someone is washing utensils in the sink, the interceptor prevents any food particles or grease from passing through the drain system.

The second grease collection equipment is larger and normally installed underground. It can be made using steel, fiberglass, or concrete. Instead of installing small ones for each sink, you can go for this big one to trap grease from the sinks.

Gravity grease traps are the largest of all, capable of handling thousands of gallons of grease. It traps the waste grease and releases the grease-free water. Then, the leftover grease waste is released at different time frames or collected by grease trap pumping professionals.

What Is the Importance of Grease Traps?

Once these grease traps are full, you should look for grease collection services. While you can take the grease from the smaller traps and put it in the garbage bag for collection, it is advisable to call a professional grease collector if you have big or gravity grease traps. They are going to take the waste grease for recycling, purification, and reuse. 

Without a means of collecting grease from your sinks, all the oil will end up in your septic tank through the drain pipes. When the temperatures go down, they solidify into large chunks, becoming a huge obstacle for water to pass through. This will put you into downtime as the plumber fixes the drain. In the worst-case scenario, you will be forced to replace an entire septic tank, which is costly. So to be safer and save money, it is best to invest in grease traps to prevent such incidents.

You Can Recycle and Reuse Grease

Fortunately, grease can be recycled and reused to make an alternative fuel called biodiesel. This fuel can be used to heat buildings and is safer as it minimizes carbon monoxide emissions.

Grease collection is no doubt a good initiative, and when recycled, grease presents loads of benefits. So, if you have not yet started collecting grease from your restaurant drains, you should start by investing in a grease collection measure.