If you own a restaurant, then you may need to invest in regular sewer cleaning services to get rid of the grease and other solid debris that gets trapped in your drains. While a sewer cleaning is likely a part of your general maintenance regimen, it is not a good idea to allow solid wastes to clog your sewer in the first place. The clogs can dislodge and cause serious issues down the path of the sewer or your restaurant drains may back up. If you want to stop the clogs and the need for cleanings, then follow the tips below.
Have A Grease Trap Installed
A grease trap is a large attachment that is installed on your main drain or sewer connection. The trap is connected to the drain system at the end of your main drainage line, so wastewater passes through the trap before it flows into the sewage pipe. These grease traps have a large basin as well as an inlet and outlet pipe. The inlet allows water to enter the basin, and water flows down to the bottom of the container. The water flows through a diverter in the bottom of the basin. The diverter feeds the fluid through a compartment. This is where the wastewater settles and the solid wastes drop out of the water. The solids become trapped in the basin, and water is allowed to flow out of the outlet pipe.
The grease that becomes trapped in the grease basin must be cleaned out on occasion. Your sewer cleaning company can remove the grease for you. In some instances it can even be recycled and turned into methane gas or other types of fuel. This can be good for the environment, but you do need to be sure that you schedule cleanings appropriately, or the trap itself may clog and allow grease to run through your sewage system again. The scheduled cleanings depend on the amount of grease that passes through your system and the size of the grease trap that is installed. Work with your cleaning professional to determine how often cleanings should be performed. A typical cleaning should occur at least once every three months.
While a grease trap on the main waste line is a good idea, you can also have a smaller waste trap attached to the restaurant sink or the dishwashing station in your kitchen. The smaller traps work a bit differently than the larger ones. They feature a strainer that collects grease and solid debris. This strainer is twisted into place on the bottom of the drain, and it can be removed and cleaned out. The cleaning should be completed over a garbage can and needs to happen every few days or at least about once a week.
Do Not Flush With Hot Water
If the drains in your restaurant start to become sluggish, then you may try a boiling water flush so the drain starts working the way it should. This flush involves you pouring boiling water directly down the drain. While this may help to quicken the drain and allow water to move more freely through it, this can cause an issue with the grease trap itself. Specifically, the hot water will liquify the grease in the trap and force it to move through the outlet pipe. The grease will move into the main sewer opening, cool, and then harden. When this happens, the sewer will clog, and a sewer cleaning will be needed to remove the grease.
Instead of flushing boiling water down the drain, speak with a grease removal and sewer cleaning specialist at a company like Tierra Environmental & Industrial Services about cleaning out the drains at the same time that the grease trap is cleaned. Mechanical removal of the grease with a snake or a water cleaning device can be completed.
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