# Grease traps



## ap plumbing (Nov 9, 2010)

I ran into a call today at a pizza place. The floor sinks were backing up and also filling up what I think is a grease pit.It is 2' by 3' about 3' feet deep full of grease:blink: and water:blink:. I bailed all the water out the pit and notice there was a 3"drain in the pit.Coming from floorsink to the pit but no outlet drain so I could run my snake. There was to TWO cleanout 2" next to grease pit FLOOR LEVEL but wasn't any water in them. 
Also there was a small little hole about a dollar size in the pit and I cleaned it out and the pits draining now but my question is how do those pits work? and I don't know If by me cleaning that little hole solve the problem? All I know its working and I do not know why. If any one knows about grease traps would help out alot I don't do alot of restaurants and never knew how grease traps work and how the plumbing is ran to them.. please some one explain it to me maybe even with a drawing would be nice thanks


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## c-note (Aug 12, 2011)

i believe theres a baffle on the outlet side


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

Sounds like the little hole is your outlet and has a lot of build up. The grease trap iv installed have a baffle or two and also uses gravity to separate the grease!! It holds the kitchen waste water to allow it to separate,, as it's filled more water will flow out of the out let,and the grease is left behind... It will need to be emptied when it gets full... I bet the little hole is your out let!!!!! Sounds like it needs to be cleaned out good, maybe even with a pump truck, if it's big enough!!!!


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## ap plumbing (Nov 9, 2010)

TX MECH PLUMBER said:


> Sounds like the little hole is your outlet and has a lot of build up. The grease trap iv installed have a baffle or two and also uses gravity to separate the grease!! It holds the kitchen waste water to allow it to separate,, as it's filled more water will flow out of the out let,and the grease is left behind... It will need to be emptied when it gets full... I bet the little hole is your out let!!!!! Sounds like it needs to be cleaned out good, maybe even with a pump truck, if it's big enough!!!!


 I cleaned out the little hole and i can see it in the 2" cleanout it looks like a tube I just don't get by cleaning that little hole will make every thing drain . well atleast I know when I run into that problem again I know what to do. :thumbsup:


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## ap plumbing (Nov 9, 2010)

c-note said:


> i believe theres a baffle on the outlet side


 baffle whats a baffle?


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## PrecisePlumbing (Jan 31, 2011)

You are baffled


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## Airgap (Dec 18, 2008)

You will probably be getting called back shortly.

As much grease as possible needs to be removed from the trap.

There's probably a lot of buildup downstream if they don't do any PM on the trap.

You might want to refer this job to another company next time.


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

You need to get a hold of a pump truck company, pump the tank and clean the entire tank of grease. 

I'd you have 3" coming in, your going to have 3" going out. The outlets on most grease traps are blanketed off by the last baffle. 

Grease waste runs into the trap by itself, on the outlet side of trap or downstream it ties into the sanitary system and then goes out to city main.

If the trap is full, it will push grease into the sanitary line and stop up both sanitary and grease waste.


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## Greenguy (Jan 22, 2011)

Nah the above poster's are wrong you just need to scoop all that grease up and sell it to the local Mcdonalds so they can cook your fries in it. 

All said it's a good racket when you got a small pumper truck for cleaning and maintaining them. My last company provided that service had two trucks we were one of the smaller pumper truck operations but were always busy.


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## sikxsevn (Jun 23, 2009)

The above posts are all correct. You need to have that trap cleaned out, and you may need to jet the line downstream of the trap once you get it cleaned and draining. 

Get the trap clean, run a BUNCH of hot water, and then jet. 

As others have mentioned, grease traps work by gravity, as the water enters the trap it should stay there a little while, allowing the water, grease, and solids to separate. The solids should sink, the grease should float, leaving 'clean' water in between, which then passes through the baffles and then into the sewer. 

A properly installed trap should have DCOs before and after the trap, as well as a sample well after the trap, allowing you to visually inspect the waste leaving the trap


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## OakumJoe (Sep 2, 2011)

Most restaurants here hire a grease trap cleaning service, a few small ones will do it with garbage bags and a shopvac.

I've smelled countless grease traps but if you have a helper that hasn't move your toolbag so he doesn't vomit inside it!:laughing:


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## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

Grease traps


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## cityplumbing (Jun 12, 2010)

The whole idea of the grease trap is to separate the grease to be disposed of properly. If the grease is clogging up your outlet side of the trap then the trap should be emptied,cleaned and outlet side snaked or jetted then checked once a month to determine how often you need to maintain the trap from that point. It just seems like the customer failed to maintain it properly and it was just over due for maintenance.


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## Greenguy (Jan 22, 2011)

Some companies will use a bio enzyme to prolong the time between clean outs, but like anything else in here ad much as they can be done let a professional honey wagon deal with it.


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## ap plumbing (Nov 9, 2010)

sikxsevn said:


> The above posts are all correct. You need to have that trap cleaned out, and you may need to jet the line downstream of the trap once you get it cleaned and draining.
> 
> Get the trap clean, run a BUNCH of hot water, and then jet.
> 
> ...


 I think that is what it had because thats where I could see that little hole connected to a tube


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## ap plumbing (Nov 9, 2010)

Plumberman said:


> You need to get a hold of a pump truck company, pump the tank and clean the entire tank of grease.
> 
> I'd you have 3" coming in, your going to have 3" going out. The outlets on most grease traps are blanketed off by the last baffle.
> 
> ...


 Thats what I was looking 4 the 3" going out but like u said it was blanketed so if its clogged at the 3" outlet what do you do?:blink: Shouldn't there be a two way cleanout at ground level on the outlet side? so you can run your snake to the tank. the only thing this thing had was a cleanout to look inside of it.


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

ap plumbing said:


> Thats what I was looking 4 the 3" going out but like u said it was blanketed so if its clogged at the 3" outlet what do you do?:blink: Shouldn't there be a two way cleanout at ground level on the outlet side? so you can run your snake to the tank. the only thing this thing had was a cleanout to look inside of it.


By my code yes there should be a cleanout on the discharge side of the trap.

That's where the pump truck comes into play. Once he or she gets the tank pumped out, he can pressure wash the inside of it. Knocking out most of the grease and re pump.

If it has gone down line into the sanitary drain, then it sounds like you just sold a dig up and install cleanout job

Once you get a cleanout installed I would advice getting the line jetted. The problem with a line compacted with grease, is when you run the cable through line you will poke a hole. Allowing water to drain, but when you start pulling your cable out the grease will close back up.

Jetting will clean the line completely.


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## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

The city requires grease traps to be pumped at least every 90 days. Some grease traps may have to be pumped more often, it is case by case, but all have to pumped at least every 90 days. A sample well must be installed in the outlet side of the grease trap for monitoring the levels of grease getting past the trap.


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## Airgap (Dec 18, 2008)

Plumberman said:


> By my code yes there should be a cleanout on the discharge side of the trap.
> 
> That's where the pump truck comes into play. Once he or she gets the tank pumped out, he can pressure wash the inside of it. Knocking out most of the grease and re pump.
> 
> ...


 
Follow this advice....He speaks the truth AP....Not only will the hole close back up, but then you've got a rod full of grease, which is another fun time to be had...:furious:


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## ap plumbing (Nov 9, 2010)

Airgap said:


> Follow this advice....He speaks the truth AP....Not only will the hole close back up, but then you've got a rod full of grease, which is another fun time to be had...:furious:


 Whats the purpose of that little hole with the tube connected to it? I don't get it after it started to drain the hole was above the water level. Is it some kind of vent? I know I am a pain in the butt.:furious::bangin:


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## sikxsevn (Jun 23, 2009)

I forgot to mention this as well, but most traps will have either one or two vents as well

That may be what you are describing. 

Oh, and the stories about the smell are not exaggerated.


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## OakumJoe (Sep 2, 2011)

Sik I couldn't have said it better myself. In the plumbing service profession we get to experience a vast array of terrible smells...the grease trap is one even I never got use too.


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

Try being hooked up on a crane with a harness and being lowered down into a 20' deep lift station to shovel it out , demo it, and install new pumps, piping , and rails , while all the incoming water and fecal matter is temporarily piped to a 55 gallon drum in the bottom of the lift station and pumped out of it ,,, There was no way to put the lift station out of service!!!!


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## incarnatopnh (Feb 1, 2011)

Been there done that. But when I did it the boss forgot to shut down the next lift station up the line. The 8" discharge was 7' above my head when it kicked on... Crappy.


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

Lift stations?

Thought we were talking about grease traps..


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

Well we ended up on bad smells and I have been in some lift stations that would give a grease trap a run for it's money in the smell department


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## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

TX MECH PLUMBER said:


> Well we ended up on bad smells and I have been in some lift stations that would give a grease trap a run for it's money in the smell department


The grease trap will always win, urinals are the runner up.


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

easttexasplumb said:


> The grease trap will always win, urinals are the runner up.


I don't know Have you ever been in the bottom of a twenty foot deep lift station ?? No fresh air down ther!! Till you put a blower with flex dropped in to the pit. But then again they all smell like money to me !!!!


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

TX MECH PLUMBER said:



> I don't know Have you ever been in the bottom of a twenty foot deep lift station ?? No fresh air down ther!! Till you put a blower with flex dropped in to the pit. But then again they all smell like money to me !!!!


A few times.

Grease traps trump them

I would rather get hit with a turd instead of a chunk of cooking grease.


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## dankman (Nov 19, 2009)

Plumberman said:


> A few times.
> 
> Grease traps trump them
> 
> I would rather get hit with a turd instead of a chunk of cooking grease.


 
Then you've never had to jet out the 4" inlet of a 1500 gallon grease interceptor serving a Super K from inside the grease trap from inside the trap after it's been pumped out. 

Nothing is as delightful as that.


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## incarnatopnh (Feb 1, 2011)

Bad smells??? Try getting blasted by an 8" sludge line under pressure when the valve let's loose. Not only does it stink, the smell and the black stains don't wash off right away.


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

dankman said:


> Then you've never had to jet out the 4" inlet of a 1500 gallon grease interceptor serving a Super K from inside the grease trap from inside the trap after it's been pumped out.
> 
> Nothing is as delightful as that.


Been there done that.. I've jetted many grease lines

By the way I said grease trumps turds

I would rather lay in a turd pool than grease waste. I've done both..


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## Greenguy (Jan 22, 2011)

I am fortunate i don't smell grease traps anymore, or turds for that matter. What gets me is walking into a suite where someone had died and started to decompose before they are found. Everything you touch stinks and has to be disinfected, the windows covered with black flies. Restoration jobs are worth some cash, because you never know what kinda mess you walking into.


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

Greenguy said:


> I am fortunate i don't smell grease traps anymore, or turds for that matter. What gets me is walking into a suite where someone had died and started to decompose before they are found. Everything you touch stinks and has to be disinfected, the windows covered with black flies. Restoration jobs are worth some cash, because you never know what kinda mess you walking into.


Now that's freaking hardcore... Not sure I could do that.


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

Greenguy said:


> I am fortunate i don't smell grease traps anymore, or turds for that matter. What gets me is walking into a suite where someone had died and started to decompose before they are found. Everything you touch stinks and has to be disinfected, the windows covered with black flies. Restoration jobs are worth some cash, because you never know what kinda mess you walking into.


I'm guessing you where a mask to protect against air born pathogens ??


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## Greenguy (Jan 22, 2011)

Full face respirator plus white tyvek suit the same protection for asbestos. Don't matter much everything still stinks god awful.

Ps the mask also makes for fine protection when working in a crawl space and because it seals around the eyes no need for safety glass's.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Greenguy said:


> I am fortunate i don't smell grease traps anymore, or turds for that matter. What gets me is walking into a suite where someone had died and started to decompose before they are found. Everything you touch stinks and has to be disinfected, the windows covered with black flies. Restoration jobs are worth some cash, because you never know what kinda mess you walking into.


Yea those been there for a while bodies can be pretty bad.

We had one that drove the car into the woods and parked it for the deed...
Same deal flies and all we used Scott Air Pacs....

The absolute worst one was a floater that went out on a Sunfish Sailboat with a .38 pistol, cinder blocks, rope, and chain... 
Several months later he floated.... It wasn't too pretty...
We hung the stokes basket between 2 boats never bringing it on board...
Later used a torch to clean the basket...


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## greenscoutII (Aug 27, 2008)

Redwood said:


> The absolute worst one was a floater that went out on a Sunfish Sailboat with a .38 pistol, cinder blocks, rope, and chain...
> Several months later he floated.... It wasn't too pretty...
> We hung the stokes basket between 2 boats never bringing it on board...
> Later used a torch to clean the basket...


 
Dang.... That sort of thing is beyond the scope of plumbing where I'm from....:laughing:


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## OakumJoe (Sep 2, 2011)

I bet we could talk for days about terrible smelling thing and getting sprayed with them. :laughing:

I haven't been craned into a lift station so you may have me there. I must admit as bad as the smell of sewage is there is something about a grease trap that makes it worse. Its almost like mixing a rotting corpse with sewage.


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## greenscoutII (Aug 27, 2008)

I cleaned out a small grease trap with a 6" drywall knife and a shop vac one time. That just might be the most disgusting thing I've ever encountered......

Tied for first place was a sewage ejector pit at a women's shelter. Damn pump was jammed with what my buddy described as "sewer mice". I couldn't eat for three days after that job.....


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## OakumJoe (Sep 2, 2011)

> "sewer mice"


We just call em mice, I think its high-time we teach women to throw them in the garbage and not flush em down the toilet.

Oh wait then I'd be out of a job. :whistling2:


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

OakumJoe said:


> We just call em mice, I think its high-time we teach women to throw them in the garbage and not flush em down the toilet.
> 
> Oh wait then I'd be out of a job. :whistling2:


I like to take those white mice and suck the juice out of them , lots of vitamins and minerals in ther u know !!!!


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## Airgap (Dec 18, 2008)

Well...that was just nasty Tex....


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## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

TX MECH PLUMBER said:


> I like to take those white mice and suck the juice out of them , lots of vitamins and minerals in ther u know !!!!


Friggin plumbers..........[shakes head and smiles]


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## AlbacoreShuffle (Aug 28, 2011)

TX MECH PLUMBER said:


> I like to take those white mice and suck the juice out of them , lots of vitamins and minerals in ther u know !!!!


 If you added some Brown Trout to the Red Nosed sewer Rat you'd have a full meal !


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