GREASE TRAP SERVICES IN AUSTIN

Why do I need a grease trap?  

Grease traps are a necessity for businesses with commercial kitchens in order to maintain cleanliness, minimize downtime due to cleaning/plumbing issues, and minimize the impact on the environment. 

How do I maintain my grease trap?  

Grease traps require a fair deal of preventative and ongoing maintenance. By ensuring that your grease trap is cleaned professionally, you can avoid costly repairs and downtime. Regular maintenance by your company’s staff should be regularly performed. Let’s take a look at what businesses can do to maintain their grease trap: 

• Examine the trap periodically for wear or damage. Even small problems can quickly require expensive cleaning and emergency plumbing services.  
• Ensure that the gasket sealing the lid to the trap is flush with no visible tears.  
• If you smell a rancid or noxious odor that smells like grease, chances are that the grease trap is overflowing or is in need of a replacement.  
• Train your staff and employees to properly handle grease and food waste to minimize grease buildup.  
• To avoid washing the food waste into your trap, scrape all food off dishes into the trash before rinsing. 
• Use drain covers in sinks and washing stations to capture debris before it could potentially clog the grease trap. 
• Never pour grease and oil down the drain.  

Following these guidelines and conducting regular preventive maintenance will help you avoid costly backups and overflows on a day-to-day basis. However, grease traps will inevitably require professional cleaning – or you may have expensive plumbing costs in the future. To keep your business running smoothly, have your grease trap serviced regularly by the most reliable grease trap pumping companies in Austin: Austin Grease Trap Services. 

Is trap grease recyclable?   

One of the great advantages of using grease trap pumping services is that the removed grease has the ability to be recycled to reduce harm to the environment. Grease trap material that is taken to a processing facility is able to be used in renewable energy production. The process involves anaerobic digestors that enable the extraction of methane gas, a clean energy solution.  

Grease trap material that isn’t able to be converted to an energy source is taken to a safe disposal facility. This significantly minimizes harm to the environment and will not cause blockages in municipal systems.  

Additionally, some grease and debris taken from grease traps is also a viable source of nutrients that is reused in processed animal feed. It should be noted that separate vehicles are used to ensure that this grease is taken by a separate transport vehicle and cannot be taken to the same facility where the cooking oils and meat fats are processed.  

Therefore, if you use best grease trap cleaning in Austin, TX, you’ll be happy to know that harm reduction is a pivotal part of Austin Grease Trap Services’ commitment to a cleaner and more sustainable future.  

What size grease trap do I need?  

Considering every commercial foodservice operation has different needs, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. For instance, vegetarian restaurants that don’t use animal products produce significantly less grease, therefore requiring smaller traps and less-frequent servicing. Conversely, large-scale restaurants and facilities need larger traps and frequent servicing in order to remain operational.  

Most municipalities, including the greater Austin metropolitan area, regulate the size of the grease trap and enforce strict guidelines on what is needed to satisfy local requirements. On average, the typical exterior grease trap is 1,000 gallons or larger. Similarly, cleaning requirements can vary by industry, so speaking with a qualified grease trap specialist can ensure that your business is fully compliant and matched with the proper sizing.  

The technicians at Austin Grease Trap Services can recommend proper grease trap sizes and which solution best fits your usage. For businesses that have improper sizing, we can recommend a cleaning schedule that’s a better fit to prevent costly servicing. And for our regular customers, technicians are trained to identify and alert business owners to problems before they become critical and costly issues.  

Where can I get a grease trap?  

Austin Grease Trap Services does not sell, provide or install grease traps. Instead, most commercial plumbers are trained and licensed to securely install new grease traps according to local ordinances and regulations.  

As mentioned previously, the size of a properly-fitted grease trap depends on the size of your facility, regular water usage, and the volume of grease produced. Contact a technician at Austin Grease Trap Services to ensure that your business stays in compliance and your grease  trap functions properly. 

How often should a grease trap be cleaned and serviced?  

The frequency of necessary service and cleaning of commercial grease traps is ultimately determined by the amount of grease produced and the overall size of the trap. While there is no harm in frequent cleaning and maintenance, most grease traps are cleaned on a fixed schedule determined by a reputable company. Grease trap companies in Austin typically create a service schedule compliant with applicable regulations on a consistent basis. 

If you have searched for “grease trap cleaning companies near me in Austin”, you will find Austin Grease Trap Services as the leading service provider in Austin that you can rely on.  

How to clean a grease trap?  

There are various methods to clean a grease trap which may be mandated by municipal regulations. While taking preventative measures to ensure grease doesn’t go down the drain or regularly rodding the build-up manually, cleaning a grease trap is a labor-intensive job. Businesses that go the DIY route and try to manage their grease in-house find that grease trap cleaning is an unpleasant experience.  

That’s why it is strongly recommended that you hire a licensed service provider to handle the job that’s compliant and up-to-date on any regulations. Austin Grease Trap Services is experienced in performing the following services efficiently: 

• Pump and return: FOG material (fats, oils and greases) is pumped out of a grease trap and taken away by the service provider. The separated gray water is returned to your grease trap to minimize odors. 
• Dry pump: The entire contents of the grease trap are hauled away, including the FOG material along with the accumulated gray water. While this leaves your grease trap dry until it fills again, this method emits strong odors until water is added.  

Is it okay to pour grease down the drain?  

No, grease should never be poured down a drain. The reason is that grease will solidify while traveling through plumbing. This will exacerbate slow drain issues, eventually leading to clogging, backups, and overflows. During the winter months and colder days in Texas, flushed grease can solidify even quicker than on hotter days and lead to costly cleaning.  

It’s a common misconception to believe that a grease trap’s purpose is to eliminate this blockage. Instead, a grease trap is a type of reservoir that uses an ingenious design to separate wastewater from grease, capturing it in a removable trap. Dumping large volumes of grease can only damage your pipes, but can lead to costly fines and mandatory shut-downs to address the issue.  

As a business owner, I’ve heard that I am responsible for my grease from cradle-to-grave. What does that mean?  

Restaurant owners and those involved in the food service industry are required to comply with municipal codes at every step of the grease management process, especially the disposal. This means that not only are grease traps must be pumped and maintained, but the material must be disposed of in compliance with environmental regulations.  

While you may hire the cheapest grease removal company, it’s important to understand that if that service provider removes the grease illegally, you’re still liable for the violation. With fines in Austin costing thousands of dollars per day, business owners cannot afford to work with unethical and incompetent companies.  

That’s why it is important to work with the most reputable and ethical company for grease trap cleaning Austin TX to ensure you are complying with all ordinances.  

What are the fines if my grease trap overflows?  

Overflowing grease traps can lead to expensive fines. According to the Austin City Code, violating grease trap maintenance requirements and documentation can subject your business to fines of up to $2,000 per violation per day. This is determined by a number of factors, but if you’ve experienced previous overflows, have been lax on regular maintenance, and exceed FOG (fat, oil and grease) limits, you may need grease trap cleaning in Austin.. Every municipality has its own requirements, so be sure to call your city’s sewage and environmental office to learn more about compliance.  

To avoid these hefty fines and remain operational, call Austin Grease Trap Services to learn about FOG requirements, mandatory servicing, and proper disposal. 

Can Austin Grease Trap Services help with an overflowing grease trap?  

In truth, if you’re experiencing overflow issues, you may require the assistance of a plumber to clear any blockages and address any other potential issues. Technicians at Austin Grease Trap Services are able to remove the contents of the grease trap, but if it is determined that a clog is the source of the overflow, a plumber is the proper choice. Of course, a regularly scheduled maintenance schedule is the best prevention from clogs, so call us today to keep your business flowing properly.  

Why does my restaurant smell after my trap was recently cleaned?  

If you detect a rancid or grease-like smell in your commercial kitchen, this can be indicative of several causes: 

• Backed up lines that lead to the grease trap caused by grease and food clogs. 
• A worn or corroded gasket around the manhole cover, allowing unpleasant gases to escape from your grease trap and drift into your establishment.  
• If the unpleasant smell occurs immediately after a grease trap servicing, the odor is most likely to be from the method used to clean your grease trap. These smells quickly dissipate and are a normal process of regular grease trap servicing.  

Do I need a grease trap if I have a grease interceptor?  

A grease interceptor is another name for a grease trap and both terms are referencing the same device.  

Does Austin Grease Trap Services repair grease traps?  

Currently, Austin Grease Trap Services does not offer grease trap repair. However, our technicians are trained to identify the condition of your grease trap, diagnose potential problems and make recommendations for qualified plumbers to quickly solve your issues.