How do I Maintain my Grease Trap?
Maintaining and cleaning any size/design grease trap is not a pleasant or easy task. It requires:
- Removing all of the accumulated FOG (fats, oils & grease) on the surface.
- Sucking out all of the greywater from the trap.
- Discarding the food waste on the bottom of the unit.
- Then the unit should be washed down ensuring all components and chambers are thoroughly cleaned and free of any waste that could cause a blockage in the trap or pipes.
- A detailed cleaning record should be available for an Irish Water Inspection.
How are Grease Traps Cleaned?
Approved and professional cleaning is carried out using mechanical pumping equipment. A licensed waste disposal contractor will use a powerful vacuum truck and hose to remove the FOG (fats, oils & grease), greywater, and food waste in one action. Depending on the size of the grease trap, this operation can take 30 minutes to an hour. If the grease trap is situated indoors, this operation needs to be carried out after hours of operation.
How Often Should the Trap be Cleaned?
Waste water regulations and IS EN 1825 parts 1 & 2 states that all grease traps should be emptied when “25% of its volume is occupied by FOG” (fats, oils & grease).
This requires regular monitoring of the trap which can be difficult due to location or design. As a guideline, the above regulations require all untreated grease traps to be de-sludged, emptied and cleaned at least x4 times per year. This may be reduced to x2 per year for treated grease traps.
Treated grease traps use an Irish Water approved bacterial additive that is automatically dosed into the trap each day. Enzymatic treatments are not permitted.
Can I Clean/Empty the Trap Myself?
No. The removed FOG (fats, oils & grease) must be disposed of using a licensed waste removal contractor. This is a legal requirement. The contractor will provide a waste disposal certificate which will detail the volume, weight, and type of grease that was removed. This certificate should be kept with the cleaning record and presented to Irish Water during their inspection.
Indoor mechanical grease traps use a heating element to skim FOG (fats, oils & grease) into an external receptacle. It is permissible to remove the receptacle and decant the FOG into a drum or bucket for disposal by a licensed waste disposal contractor. However, the grease trap still needs to be de-sludged and cleaned by a licensed contractor at least x4 times per year.
“An unmonitored grease trap is the single most expensive piece of equipment in any commercial kitchen.”
– Richard Murphy, Murco Catering Equipment
“An unmonitored grease trap is the single most expensive piece of equipment in any commercial kitchen.”
– Richard Murphy, Murco Catering Equipment
Your Legal Obligation
If you are a food operator serving food to your staff or to the public you have a legal obligation to:
- Install a correctly sized NSAI approved grease trap
- (Maintain the grease trap in accordance with IS EN 1825 parts 1 & 2
- Apply for an annual Trade Effluent FOG Licence
How We Can Help.
We are much more than a grease trap provider. We support you through every step of your legal obligations to ensure you and your staff are compliant with current legislation. To achieve this we will:
- Carry out a free survey of your premises.
- Provide a free detailed proposal including an optional maintenance plan.
- Make a ‘submission for approval’ to Irish Water prior to fabrication. This is a free service.
- Assist you with applying for a Trade Effluent FOG Licence. This is a free service.
- We will install your new ‘made to measure’ BIOTRAP® in a location that best suits the demands of your premises.
- We will supply and install a free-on-loan digital dosing pump which automatically dispenses a bacterial treatment to keep drains and grease traps free-flowing and odor-free. See more about bacterial treatments
A Taylormade Maintenance Plan.
An unmonitored grease trap is the single most expensive piece of equipment in any commercial kitchen. Noncompliance penalties aside, call-out fees, downtime, and disruption to business can quickly escalate.
For a fixed monthly fee we will provide:
- Up to 4 scheduled pump outs per year at a time that best suits you and your staff.
- Daily bacterial treatment to digest grease and keep plumbing systems free-flowing.
- Maintain all your hard copy compliance records on-site with 24/7 remote access to your on-line Compliance Manual.
- Additional 6 service visits per year to replenish the bacterial treatment, monitor the grease trap & dosing equipment and maintain your on-site compliance records.
- Unlimited support with applications for a Trade Effluent FOG Licence and regular Irish Water inspections.
Like the sound of our maintenance plan but don’t want to change your existing grease trap? No problem. If the design and sizing of your grease trap complies with current regulations we are happy to provide our maintenance plans for your existing grease trapping equipment.
Following a free survey of your premises, a detailed proposal will clearly demonstrate how our maintenance plan will save you time and money. Your staff will have no daily maintenance routines to carry out, no bad odours or leaks to contend with and no expensive blockages to worry about. What was once an unknown expense is now capped, controlled and monitored.
“A simple solution.
We wouldn’t be without it.”
– Enda McEvoy, Michelin Star Chef
“A simple solution.
We wouldn’t be without it.”
– Enda McEvoy, Michelin Star Chef
Maintenance Plans – What’s Included?
All of this for One Fixed Monthly Fee
Waste Disposal Certificates.
- Waste disposal certificates are issued every time your grease trap is emptied and cleaned.
- Hard copy certificates are stored in your on-site Compliance Manual which is updated every 60 days by your service engineer
- Irish Water inspectors have 24/7 remote access to all your compliance and maintenance records
Online Compliance Records.
- Every aspect of our maintenance plan is documented and stored in your on-site Compliance Manual and available for Irish Water inspectors to review online.
- Access to all of your maintenance records online means Irish Water inspectors can determine your compliance remotely.
Daily Bacterial Treatment.
- Our bacterial treatment is Local Authority and Irish Water Approved. Permit Number: PC0010905B12
- It is a time-proven solution to digest waste FOG (fats, oils & grease) and keep pipes, drains and grease traps free-flowing.
Service Engineer Visits.
- Your dedicated service engineer will call every 60 days to replenish the bacterial treatment, service the dosing pump, inspect the grease trap and update your Compliance Manual with hard copy maintenance records.
Unlimited Support.
- You and your staff have unlimited access to our support team who will help with all aspects of your compliance obligations.
Fat Attack Powder by Taylormade
Over time, food waste can accumulate in pipes & drains which in turn cause bad odours & costly blockages.
Designed to restrict solid waste from entering pipes, public sewers, grease traps & waste water treatment plants. Works in conjunction with your grease trap.
Fat Attack Powder by Taylormade
Over time, food waste can accumulate in pipes & drains which in turn cause bad odours & costly blockages.
Designed to restrict solid waste from entering pipes, public sewers, grease traps & waste water treatment plants. Works in conjunction with your grease trap.
