# Grease Trap



## Plumbus (Aug 4, 2008)

I've got a customer with a 50 lb-25gal grease trap and I want to advise him on it's maintenance. It's in a school kitchen that only does one meal a day (lunch), but it handles 14 schools. 
I'd like to recommend a schedule for in house as well as professional maintenance.


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## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

Depends on how fast it fills up. Should be pumped out before it fills up. Sounds undersized for a kitchen that size.


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## pipes (Jun 24, 2008)

Grease interceptors are sized for the fixtures they serve, not the amount of time the kitchen operates or the number of meals they serve. 
How often should it be cleaned depends mostly on if they actually prepare meals there or do they reheat frozen meals.


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## SewerRat (Feb 26, 2011)

As a pumper myself I'd say with that volume and that small of a trap start with monthly using an honest pumper and then adjust from there. Maybe quarterly would do it but if you're going to make a recommendation you better take the "better safe than sorry " approach. You can always stretch it out if monthly seems to be excessive. 

Remind them what the purpose of the interceptor is and that just because it isn't backing up doesn't mean it's doing its job.


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

I gotta start looking for a used grease trap, 3 compartment sink, hand sink for a commissary going in. Back side of a master bath was roughed in for a commercial kitchen, which happened by accident. All plumbing is exposed for inspection...


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## Plumbus (Aug 4, 2008)

RW Plumbing said:


> Depends on how fast it fills up. Should be pumped out before it fills up. Sounds undersized for a kitchen that size.


Definitely is too small. Because they didn't want the mess of replacing it, we had it professionally cleaned, sealed with an epoxy and then replaced the basket and lid. Going forward, what I recommended to the staff lines up with what Sewer Rat suggested, except I added they should have a professional come by at the end of the school year annually and give it the once over.


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## germanplumber (Sep 13, 2011)

b. The minimum capacity of a grease interceptor serving a
dining hall, hospital, nursing home, school kitchen, church
kitchen or a kitchen for carryout or delivery service shall be equal
to C, where:
C  M  G  H
2  P
where, M = Meals served per day.
G = 3 gallons per meal served.
H = Hours per day that meals are served, at least
6 hours but not more than 12 hours.
P = Meal periods per day; 1, 2 or 3.
c. The minimum capacity of a grease interceptor as determined in subd. 2. a. or b. may be halved for establishments with
all paper service, but may not be less than 1000 gallons if the interceptor is to discharge to a private sewage system or less than 750
gallons if the interceptor is to discharge to a municipal sewer system and treatment facility.


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