Category: Grease Trap

Grease Is the Word

Running a restaurant can be very lucrative, but it can also be quite a challenge. Food handling has a great swath of regulations and standards that must be maintained for safety and cleanliness. FDA standards for food inspection are very strict to keep patrons safe and for the business to avoid liability—and in food prep, it doesn’t take very much for something to go wrong. That’s why maintenance is key. Constant cleaning of all components ensures quality food without risks of potentially life-threatening sicknesses and infections, like salmonella and E. Coli, and without threatening the environment with the neglected buildup of greases and oils. This is one of the major reasons it’s important to keep up on grease trap cleaning.

How Does a Grease Trap Work?

A grease trap is a basic mechanism that acts as a filter that catches oil and grease runoff as it runs toward a drain. The grease trap catches the semi-solid fats, which are heavier than the water carried with it, in a basin between the grill and the drain. This keeps the grease from seeping into sewer pipes. Regular grease trap cleaning is therefore needed to avoid many environmental catastrophes and the fines that follow.

Grease trap cleaning is also essential for many other reasons. Oils are heavily viscous, and they can easily lock up a drainage system with buildup. This can damage components, cause downtime, or in the worst cases, lead to a fire. A grease trap looks like a large, square basin that is about the size of a large, two-handled storage box, but it is made of metal with a sealed lid. To clean the trap, the lid must be carefully pried off without chipping or cutting the rubber gasket. Inside, the receptacle holds the grease, which must be stored in an approved environmental waste container.

The Costs of Grease Trap Cleaning, and the Cost of Avoiding Grease Trap Cleaning

While grease trap cleaning is, in theory, a fairly simple task, it can also be risky to undertake it yourself without the proper training. Because grease traps are made up of several sensitive components that are assembled to specifications, grease trap cleaning that is done by untrained persons is unrecommended. It can be easy for a botched grease trap cleaning to damage the gaskets or lose parts, costing you the replacement of the parts or the entire unit, both of which can potentially cost you thousands, plus downtime.

Professional cleaning companies will charge a nominal price for a grease trap cleaning. In the United States, this typically ranges between approximately $115 and $1050, depending on the size, type, and buildup of your trap. If you are unsure, ask for a quote before getting a grease trap cleaning. One thing that is certain, though, is that a professional grease trap cleaning is much more economical than dealing with the costs involved in botched cleanings, or no cleanings at all.

Professional Grease Trap Cleaning

Restaurants in the Houston (https://goo.gl/maps/WmAZkhY57SSgw6JbA) area need to keep up on regular grease trap cleaning. If you are in the Houston area and need professional grease trap cleaning, visit this page now or contact Drane Ranger.

There was an old myth that, if you poured your grease down the sink and then chased it with hot water, this was the best way to get rid of fat and grease from your kitchen. We have since learned that this is not a good way at all to dispose of grease and fats. It is a good thing that commercial businesses don’t use this method and instead use commercial grease trap cleaning to dispose of their grease and fats.

Risk of fire

There are laws on how often you need to complete a commercial grease trap cleaning. These laws may vary from city to city or state to state, but they are in place for reasons. As a commercial business, you want to ensure that these timelines are followed, not just for legal reasons, but also to prevent damage and costly plumbing emergencies. One of the major concerns with regard to commercial grease traps that are not cleaned properly is the risk of fire. Fats and oils that are stored or that stay in the grease traps can be flammable, and oil and fat fires tend to burn hotter and longer than a basic fire. This can cause damage to your building, your business, and potentially even injury or death to your employees.

Risk of Health hazards

A business owner continues to monitor operation costs to ensure that the profit margins are as high as possible. One of the biggest worries for business owners is emergencies—and the corresponding unexpected costs of repairs. Doing regular commercial grease trap cleaning can help eliminate some of these costly repairs. When grease traps are not cleaned regularly there can be a buildup of grease and fats. This can then begin to back up the pipes and overflow back into the kitchen, or into another facility where it is being used. When this occurs, there will often be a foul smell, but in addition to that unpleasant odor can also be severe health risks that result from the bacteria that are coming back into the business along with the overflowing grease and fats. This health emergency can shut down your business until the traps are cleaned and the facility is restored to health standards.

Risk of costly repairs or replacement

Commercial grease trap cleaning can assist in preventing damage to the pipes and the trap system. When the traps and pipes are not professionally cleaned on a regular and scheduled basis, the pipes can begin to wear down. The acid and bacteria left in the pipes can corrode the pipes and reduce the integrity of the system. When this happens the pipes and trap system can begin to leak and eventually burst. There would be a huge clean up, but there would also be a costly emergency to replace the entire grease trap system.

Commercial grease trap cleaning is not something that can or should be ignored. By having your grease traps cleaned and maintained on a regular basis, you can prevent costly emergencies. For more information about grease trap cleaning in your area click here.

Maintaining a clean and healthy environment is crucial for any restaurant. When it comes to the kitchen, regular cleaning and thorough deep cleans are the key to a safe environment. Any restaurant with a grill will have an idea of just how much grime and grease is made after rush hour, but what happens to that grease once it’s scraped away? While it may not be at the top of your to-do list, restaurant grease trap cleaning is essential, and every restaurant should make it part of their regular cleaning routine.

Don’t Clean it Yourself

Who doesn’t love a DIY solution? While it may seem like a good way to save a few bucks, cleaning a grease trap on your own is prone to numerous problems and can even make the grease trap worse. Many commercial chemicals and enzymes advertised for restaurant grease trap cleaning don’t actually break down the grease, but instead simply separate it from water. When this happens, grease can flow down the wastewater system and clog it. To avoid more complications, the best option is always to hire a restaurant grease trap cleaning service for regular cleaning.

Don’t Ignore the Trap

Thinking grease trap issues aren’t too big of a deal? A grease trap is never going to fix itself. Ignoring problems with a grease trap will only heighten the problem and potentially result in serious health and safety risks. Restaurants should always keep a close eye on grease traps and take a proactive approach to resolving issues before they get out of hand. Regular cleaning is the best way to keep grease traps in good condition. Bringing in professionals to take care of your restaurant grease trap cleaning is the most effective option.

Do Check the Trap is Installed Properly

You may be thinking this is obvious, but improper installation of a grease trap is unfortunately all too common in restaurants. A sign the trap has not been installed properly is a lack of grease, fats, or oils. If your grease trap has been installed for over a week and you aren’t noticing anything accumulating during your restaurant grease trap cleaning, there is a good chance the trap wasn’t installed properly.

Do Hire Professional Restaurant Grease Trap Cleaning Services

Incorporating regular grease trap cleaning into the regular maintenance schedule is a must. As previously mentioned, cleaning grease traps yourself can lead to even more problems, and you will always want to bring in professional restaurant grease trap cleaning services. Professionals will come with the experience, knowledge, and tools needed to properly clean a grease trap.

Restaurant Grease Trap Cleaning Experts

With regular cleaning, restaurants can get the most life out of grease traps and prevent health risks for staff and customers. At Drane Ranger, we provide a number of services for all your trap needs. With our restaurant grease trap cleaning services, you get a comprehensive cleaning and maintenance, which includes grease trap odor control, to keep your business running safely.

Many commercial businesses have grease traps that need to be cleaned regularly. Restaurants and car washes are some of the most common businesses to have grease traps. The purpose of a grease trap is to separate grease and sludge from other wastewater and prevent it from going back into the water system. It is essential that you do a commercial grease trap cleaning.

Why do a commercial grease trap cleaning?

There are several reasons for commercial grease trap cleanings. One of the most obvious reasons is the smell that happens when a company fails to complete a grease trap cleaning. Grease and other solids build up through the interceptor and into the pit. When they are not thoroughly cleaned, the bacteria and fungus begin to eat away at the waste, causing it to spoil and mold. That’s what results in a very foul smell. When operating a restaurant, kitchen, or any commercial business, foul smells will drive away customers—they may even be a reason for someone to lodge a complaint with the health department. Proper commercial grease trap cleaning can assist in preventing this smell.

How to budget your cleaning

When running a business, it is important to maintain a budget. Complete your commercial grease trap cleaning on a regular basis or you could be at risk of needing costly repairs. These costs come in a variety of ways; the first is that, if your grease trap is not cleaned and gets full, it can then back up the sewage system. When this happens, it could cause localized flooding in your business, damaging the building, the inventory, and forcing the business to shut down for repairs for a period of time. This will cost a loss of revenue as well. If the flooding becomes more regional, then it could potentially cause damage to neighboring businesses, including city property. When this flooding occurs, you could face fines and have to pay for neighboring businesses repairs just for not maintaining your commercial grease trap cleaning.

An additional reason to complete your commercial grease trap cleaning is that, when the trap is not cleaned properly or regularly, there can be an erosion of the pipes and the trap system. These pipes can be expensive to have to replace. When the pipes break down, there is a concern of chemicals mixing with the grease, and this can cause a possible fire hazard.

Environmental Concerns

Another reason to complete your commercial grease trap cleaning is an environmental reason. There is a strain on the fresh water supply, and it is becoming increasingly important to ensure that we look after our environment. If your grease traps build up and become clogged, there is a risk that the grease and solids will mix with the sewage water and go through the waste water system, causing a build-up in the sewage system or even dumping waste back into our natural rivers and oceans, resulting in major environmental concerns (like killing plants and animals, plus polluting the water).

Grease trap cleaning may seem like a small thing on the list of to-do items of your commercial business, but it may also be one of the most important items to complete to make sure that there are no costly expenses or environmental impacts. For more information on commercial grease trap cleaning, click here.

Grease traps are often people’s least favorite part of running a restaurant, which is why many local restaurants are turning to professional grease trap cleaning in Houston. Here are just a few reasons why you should also consider grease trap cleaning from the professionals instead of taking care of it in house.

The Pros Properly Dispose of Grease

Grease, especially in high quantities, can’t simply go down the drain. It needs to be disposed of according to local laws and regulations. If it isn’t, the offending parties could end up with hefty fines or even threats of closure. If you want to make sure that your grease traps are cleaned out and the grease is taken to the proper place, then sign up for professional grease trap cleaning in Houston. Without the experts, you risk paying more than you expected to dump your grease.

Experts Keep the Paperwork Up to Date

Most counties and states require regular documentation for grease trap cleaning to ensure things are following regulations. Without the right paperwork, you could get int serious trouble with your municipality. When you get professional grease trap cleaning in Houston, you are also getting people who will keep the paperwork up to date. That way, you are in compliance with local regulation and someone else is doing the work of actually cleaning the grease traps.

Leave the Dirty Job to the Experts

Let’s face it, not many people who work around grease traps are excited to clean them. The traps can be messy and difficult to clear out if you don’t know what you’re doing. While many companies, especially big restaurants, try to convince their employees to clean out the grease traps, professionals who do grease trap cleaning in Houston are some of the few people who want to do it. And it’s best left to the professionals anyway.

Professionals Can Spot when Something is Wrong

Grease traps are dirty and, surprisingly, can also be quite complicated. That is why, when a professional stops by for grease trap cleaning in Houston, they will thoroughly inspect your grease trap system to see if anything is wrong. If they spot an issue, they will fix it right then and there so you don’t have to worry. When you try and clean out grease traps in-house, you can often miss the small signs that can point to big problems, leaning to expensive repairs and other potential issues down the line.

Grease trap cleaning in Houston is messy business, and not just because of the grease. Between local regulations, the work itself, and the necessary paperwork, keeping grease traps clean can actually be quite complicated. This is why more and more companies are turning to Drane Ranger and our professional grease trap cleaning in Houston.

When it comes to grease trap cleaning in Houston, Drane Ranger has the experience, equipment, and knowhow to do the job. We pride ourselves on offering reliable, affordable grease trap cleaning and other related services to local businesses. If you are in need of grease trap cleaning, then Drane Ranger can help. Follow this link for more information.

What should you be doing to keep your grease trap functioning well? A lot of people think that taking care of your grease trap ends with installation, however, there are a lot of things you need to do to ensure your grease trap remains effective and durable. Let’s dive into some of the most important tips to consider when it comes to keeping your grease trap clean, and why a grease trap cleaning service proves essential.

Ensure There Are No Leaks

One of the most crucial things to pay attention to with your grease trap is that the grease is going where it’s supposed to. If you’ve been using the trap for a week and there’s no grease in it, there might be a problem such as a leak. This can cause grease pooling in other areas and become a serious fire hazard, so it’s vital to call a grease trap cleaning service if ever you notice there’s something suspicious going on with your grease trap collection.

Don’t Pour Grease Down Your Drain

Lots of people think that after purchasing a grease trap, they can just pour the grease right down they’re drain, but this can be a costly mistake. Dumping grease directly down your drain can cause clogs and damage your trap or pipes. Your safest bet to avoid issues like this is to store the grease separately, and have the grease trap cleaning service collect it when they perform their cleaning—any good service will be happy to do this for you.

Use Proper Composting/Garbage Disposal

Just as pouring grease down your drain can cause clogs and damages, food and garbage will do the same. Many people try to wash food bits down their drain, but this can cause serious issues with your grease trap and your plumbing, so it’s best to invest in the appropriate composting and waste bins instead. If you have got a bit of food build-up that you want to get rid of, make sure you get a grease trap cleaning service in there right away to deal with the problem before anything bad might happen.

Regular Pumping/Cleaning by Professionals

Maintenance is key for any appliance, and grease traps are no exception from this at all. Without routine pumping and cleaning, your grease trap will overflow or need repairs, resulting in costly and unpleasant issues that you don’t want to run into. A professional grease trap cleaning service and grease trap pumping service will be able to safely and effectively maintain your grease trap, to help ensure you get the most use out of it and need as little repairs as possible.

Overall, grease traps must be maintained properly if you want to avoid costly problems and needless replacements. A good grease trap cleaning service is the way to go, and can assist you with identifying potential problems, clearing out built-up issues, and maintaining your grease traps. If you have a grease trap, the odds are you need to invest in a local grease trap cleaning service on the regular.

Anyone who has worked in a kitchen knows just how much grease piles up after a few hours of grilling. The grease cleaned from that pile of dishes after a big dinner rush has to go somewhere! Grease traps function to collect grease from flowing water, and while the process sounds simple, there are important safety considerations anyone working with or in a building where grease trap cleaning needs to happen must know.

Where Grease Goes

While most commercial grills have grease traps beneath the grill that can be emptied daily, many facilities also have a grease trap connected to the sanitary line. Dishes are full of oil and grease, and after heavy washes, oils and fats begin to pile up. That’s where grease traps come in. Grease traps put the brakes on warm, greasy water flowing out from the kitchen sink. Once slowed, the water and grease separate, and the oily mixture floats to the top of the trap while the cool water moves on. The trap prevents oil and greasy substances from entering the sanitary sewer system. Sounds easy enough, but what happens when too much grease accumulates? That’s when you need grease trap cleaning services.

Cleaning the Trap

A vital step to maintaining a grease trap is regular cleaning. As oil and fats pile up, the trap becomes less and less effective, and it also poses a threat to sanitation. An overfilled grease trap is not only hazardous, but it can also leak and invite unwelcome pests that no restaurant wants welcome in. To ensure your business is running smoothly and cleanly, grease trap cleaning must be undertaken on the regular. Professional grease trap cleaners will pump the trap system and remove all built-up oils, fats, and grease so you can continue operating your business without worrying about overflowing grease traps.

Grease Trap Professionals

Business owners looking into grease trap cleaning should take care to ensure they are receiving the best service. Some have reported companies “skimming” the grease traps, only taking the very top layer of the tank”, as a means of saving company costs. This is not only irresponsible, but it is also a dangerous practice; it can lead to a build-up of grease and a list of hazardous problems. One way business owners can stay on top of grease trap cleaning services is by asking to see the trap before it is closed. This way, you can see for yourself that the trap has been properly emptied.

Hiring a professional service with a great reputation in tow will remove any anxieties you have over seeking out professional help. The city of Houston requires all traps within city limits to be cleaned regularly to ensure a safe environment for everyone. Within the city, grease traps, in particular, must be cleaned out on a quarter-annual basis. While regular maintenance can seem time-consuming, professional services know the ins and outs of grease trap cleaning and will have your grease trap cleaned with ease. Drane Ranger has you covered with efficient and effective grease trap cleaning. The team has plenty of experience dealing with some of the most challenging waste removals to guarantee the job is done right the first time.

Do you own a business, such as a restaurant, with a grease trap that needs cleaning? Here are some things to consider when looking for a grease trap cleaning service.

Professional Plumbers

You don’t want to just hire a random person to come and clean the grease trap for your business. A professional grease trap cleaning service will have expert plumbers at their disposal to drain, scrape, and get rid of excess solids from your grease trap. Your grease trap going haywire can be extremely detrimental to your business, and it can even result in closure until it is fixed, which is why it’s vital to have a qualified plumber doing the work.

Licensed Disposal

Any good grease trap cleaning service will have fully licensed disposal practices for the waste they collect. The service you hire should clearly state that they are licensed at their disposal and that they abide by all of the laws and regulations in your region. Regulations are in place for a reason, as improper waste disposal puts both the public health and environmental health at stake. Ensuring that your company is properly licensed both protect your business, and it is the ethically responsible choice.

Odor Control

One of the worst things you can face as a business owner is strong odors driving away all of your customers. An improperly cleaned grease trap, or one without appropriate odor control, can become more than unpleasant. Look for a grease trap cleaning service which offers odor control of some kind to help avoid this pitfall.

Locality

Are you in Houston, Texas? You’ll probably want to hire your grease trap cleaning service from there, too. Not only does this eliminate any extra charges that might be added for greater distances the service must travel, but it also ensures that your grease trap cleaning service abides by the laws and regulations specific to where your business is. After all, a business from across the country might not be trained under the same rules. It’s best to play it safe and support a local business!

Experience Level

You’ll also want to consider how much experience a company has. If you’re stuck between a couple of companies, try to compare how long each grease trap cleaning service has been in practice. While older doesn’t always mean better, you can have a sense that a company of fifteen years will know more than a new start-up.

Reviews or Testimonials

Many companies will also have reviews online, which are a great tool to use. This can help you figure out what the experience of other clients was with this grease trap cleaning service, which will help you decide if this company sounds right for you. Some companies will have testimonials on their website, and you can usually also find reviews on Google if you search. If a company has zero reviews or completely negative ones, this can be a big red flag, so be sure to take a look before you book their services.

Overall, there are many things to consider when looking for a grease trap cleaning service. A good service is professional, licensed, and gets the job done efficiently. Visit this page and get in touch with us today.

If you remember the great “Fatberg” under the streets of Baltimore, Maryland in September 2017, or the various ones in London, England, you can see the importance of ensuring your restaurant’s effluent is appropriately kept out of the city’s sewage system through the proper functioning of your restaurant’s grease trap/interceptor. According to Texas State Law, grease trap cleaning is required not less than every 90 days or whenever there is a need. What does this last point mean? There are a few signs to know regarding when you should clean your grease trap, as well as a few things you should know before you hire a grease trap cleaner.

When to know your grease trap needs cleaning

Clogged / Slow moving drainage

Large deposits of fat and grease can solidify into what’s called a “cap,” which blocks or slows waste movement through the system. If your drainage system takes longer than it used to or isn’t draining at all, a cap may have formed in your system. This will need to be cleaned via grease trap cleaning.

Foul Smell

Without drainage, the stagnation of grease and food solids foments fermentation and rot that create a stench that can waft through your restaurant and make it appear unsanitary. If there is an unexplained stench that remains after all the garbage has been taken out, and a cleaning regimen doesn’t combat it, it may be time for a grease trap cleaning.

When should you clean your grease trap?

You should clean your trap immediately if you encounter either of the explanations above. As mentioned above, Texas State Law requires restaurants to conduct grease trap cleaning no less than every 90 days, if 25% or more of the wetted height of the grease trap, or if the discharge exceeds local standards. Additionally, in the event of non-compliance with state regulations, they can ensure regular compliance by ordering increased cleaning at their discretion.

Things to know before hiring a Grease Trap Cleaning service

Don’t hesitate to shop around and compare services, but you’re going to want a company with experience in the area, one that knows the local regulations and offers you the best services at a cost-effective price point. Spending a couple of minutes looking into the grease trap cleaning service provider’s Better Business Bureau background and review sites can save you hours of headaches in knowing that you’ve hired a compliant and legitimate company.

Don’t go amateur

Remember that non-compliance point mentioned above? Improper maintenance can not only cost you more in the long run, but it can also mean that your restaurant could be considered non-compliant. Play it safe and hire professionals that have years of experience conducting grease trap cleaning.

When considering which grease trap cleaning service to use, consider that Drane Ranger has a four-star review on multiple sites, zero customer complaints with the BBB, and over 20 years of experience in the field. Keep your restaurant compliant, and help keep Houston off the “Fatberg” list by hiring an experienced grease trap cleaning service like Drane Ranger.

What is a grease trap? Simply put, it’s a trap in the drain of a kitchen sink that allows unpleasant cooking wastes, but that also prevents them from coming out where they are not wanted. But this only works if the grease trap is cleaned regularly and maintained by a grease trap cleaning service. In your own home kitchen, that is not such a big problem, but in a school, in a commercial kitchen, or in another facility that serves the public, it’s an important process. The ins and outs of your kitchen sink help can explain the ins and outs of grease trap cleaning services and why you need one.

Why is a grease trap necessary?

Cooking always leads to mess, and a lot of that mess ends up in the sink and down the drain. It’s gone, and that’s nice because the problem is out of the kitchen—at least for now. It goes in the trap, but it’s not so nice, of course, because it does have to come out again before it causes a different problem down the line. That’s where grease trap cleaning services come in. In a small home kitchen, fats, oils, and grease can be easily stored in a tin can and thrown out when they are hardened. In a commercial kitchen, that’s not so easy. Grease trap cleaning services make sure that problems don’t occur by keeping the trap and drains clean and clear.

Another essential reason to keep on top of the grease trap cleaning services is that they keep the fats, oils, dirt, and grease out of the drains and sewers, and it stops them from causing even greater problems for the municipality. In the city of Houston, there are grease trap compliance regulations that require traps to be emptied out at least quarterly, and perhaps more regularly, depending on the types of foods, grease, and oils that are being put in the trap; the general output of the kitchen; and the size of the trap. An uncleaned trap is not going to do the job properly.

Clean means sanitary.

When the trap is left for too long, it won’t function properly, and foul odors will be present to make the mess obvious. A clean kitchen is a sanitary kitchen, so the grease trap cleaning service helps keep that mess from getting out of control.

Besides keeping it clean, the grease trap cleaning service can be of help in other ways. If you get busy and forget, they can remind you that it is time for the trap to be cleaned. In fact, they allow you to get busy and forget. Remembering is their job. The cleaning of the trap is also their job, so they will keep records of when it was last cleaned to be sure that you are in compliance with the city regulations. They will have the records on file, so you don’t have to worry.

If you would like to keep the ins and outs of your grease trap flowing smoothly in between grease trap cleaning service visits, call Drane Ranger for advice.