Grease Trap Solutions ❓ – Why Is My Grease Trap Full After Service?

Grease trap solutions ❓: When we speak to customers (or potential customers) about grease trap servicing, we often answer questions based on something like this: “Why is my grease trap still full after it was pumped recently?” or “will you charge me for 1000 litres (assuming it is a 1000 litre grease trap) if it is not full of grease?”

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Why is my grease trap full after the service?

These questions are based on a misunderstanding of how grease traps (or as they are also known: grease interceptors) work. This detailed article on Wikipedia explains how a trap works.

In simple terms, the grease trap prevents oil from going down the drain into the sewerage system. It also prevents blocks or issues with municipal plumbing.

Each metro region has its own specific legislation from the local water authority stating which business types need grease traps, how big they should be and how often they should be pumped out / or cleaned. See the Sydney Water pages here.

Grease trap solutions: how does the grease trap work and why it is always “full”?

A grease trap or grease interceptor basically is a device filled with water and a filtering system. As water enters the trap from the sinks, etc. in the kitchen, the trap separates the water from the grease.

The grease is kept in the trap and the water is released into the sewerage system.

Over time, the trap will steadily fill up with grease (i.e., it will be pure water after it has been pumped out and cleaned) and then will steadily increase from 0% grease component to 100% if it is not cleaned on a regular schedule (see how often should grease traps be cleaned).

As the trap becomes clogged with grease, the risk of overflowing or a major issue (that could result in significant fines for your business) becomes a possibility. In this context, you may need an expensive emergency grease trap cleaning.

Waster offers flexible waste services, including grease trap cleaning which you can arrange easily through our online waste shop. Click the blue button below:

Arranging reliable grease trap cleaning for your business need not be rocket science.

Choose a reputable company and ensure you keep records of the services as they are performed will ensure you do not receive a fine from your local water authority or face any unpleasant situation like an overflow or blockage.

Waster makes your grease trap solutions easy. We operate on flexible 30-day agreements and do not charge hidden fees.

Check out the quick video below which provides answers to common questions.

Of course, you can also give our friendly customer service team a call. They will be very happy to help you with any questions.

Common grease trap problems

As a company that provides trap grease pit or trap cleaning solutions, we receive a wide range of questions relating to services, issues and problems.

When it comes to grease traps, not many people know that much about the topic. A grease interceptor is a simple system used to trap grease for restaurants, cafes, and food service businesses.

However, this simple system leads to many misunderstandings.

Common issues with trap grease interceptors

One of the most common questions we have in grease trap cleaning is if you can tell if it has been cleaned by looking in it.

Many customers have called us after a service and said: “My trap is still full. I don’t think you cleaned it.”

Another query is if there should be grease in the trap after a cleaning.

Should a grease trap be full after a service?

The answer is yes.  When a grease trap is cleaned the water and grease are pumped out and the sides are scraped down. The trap will then refill with water.

Once the trap has been cleaned, it will still appear to be full i.e. full of water. Additionally, if the trap is not cleaned for a long period, it will gradually fill up with more and more grease.

This means that no matter when you look in a trap – it should always appear “full”.

There is still grease in the trap; it has not been cleaned!

If your trap was cleaned last week, should you expect to see grease in it when you open the trap?

The answer: yes, probably. If your restaurant is busy, a lot of wastewater will go down the sink in a week or even a day. As the interceptor works to trap grease and the grease will float, grease will appear at the top of the trap. It will thus appear to be “full of grease”, even if in reality, 99 per cent of the trap is water.

It is for this reason that a scheduled service for your grease trap solution needs is important. A schedule ensures the regular cleaning of the trap, human error or judgement-free.

Maintenance

Aside from offering grease trap cleaning solutions to our customers, we also want to give them tips on how to maintain the grease trap. Here are some obvious but helpful things you should know:

1. Make sure your grease trap is properly installed for lesser headaches.
2. Check your grease trap regularly. There may already be clogging or blockage.
3. Do not pour oil (or any other type of waste that goes down in the trap, really) carelessly.
4. Also, as a follow-up to the 3rd tip, reduce the amount of oil, grease, fats, or other food waste from going into the trap. You can block these wastes by using a steel strainer.
5. NEVER clean the grease trap yourself. That is what we, the professionals, are here for.

Using enzymes as an effective grease trap cleaning solution

One effective thing used for cleaning grease traps we want to discuss is by using enzymes. Basically, they use bacteria (yes, the good ones, no, not the bad ones) in the detergent to break down the oil or grease waste.

Conclusion

The main reason not to look in a grease trap is it smells and it is unpleasant. It also has very limited value; you can not tell if it needs cleaning or not.

Also, for more valuable information, check out this video below as to what a “fatberg” looks like in a city sewer system (i.e., when the trap grease procedures are not working correctly and need an immediate solution).