Goleta Grease Trap & Interceptor Cleaning Service

If you are in search of highly qualified grease trap and grease interceptor cleaning company in the city of Goleta, California you’ve come to the right place. Grease Management Solutions employs a team of experts that are experience and have vast amount of knowledge on grease gravity devices. Whether you are looking for immediate or scheduled service maintenance for your fats, oils, grease and solids waste separator, we are here to help.

Why Service A Grease Trap or Interceptor?

Grease traps and interceptors also known as a FOGS separators are devices designed to trap grease and solids waste from entering city sanitary lines. Failing to get it pumped and cleaned regularly can lead to problems that can cause the device to overflow or kitchen lines to back up preventing liquid waste from going in. In order to prevent any problems interfering with your kitchen operations, these devices must be serviced in timely manner.

Preventative Maintenance

Grease trap and interceptor service increments are based on four factors:

Sizing of the device.

• Since grease traps and interceptors come in various sizes, service increments may differ from one another.   For units that are inside the kitchen because of its small size, majority of them are serviced every 2-6 weeks. On the other hand, grease interceptors located outside the parking lots are significantly larger therefore they are service less frequently ranging from 3-6 months. 

• With all restaurants having different foot traffic this can obviously affect the amount of waste flowing into the grease trap or interceptor.  A restaurant that serves 10 customers daily will not have the same amount of grease and solids waste versus a kitchen than serves 1,000 customers every 2 hours. 

• Kitchens that are not managed properly can experience more plumbing and grease trap problems than those that do.  Kitchens that do not have drain baskets or waste catcher will have higher solids amount and are likely to have drain issues compared to ones that have stoppers.  Furthermore, it is imperative that before washing or using a dishwasher, it is imperative that all leftover food waste is disposed before placing the plates, pots and pans in the dishwasher.  Failing to take precautions can lead to various problems that will affect your plumbing and grease device negatively.

• In most cities it is mandatory that a grease trap or interceptor is serviced at once every 6 months.  Be sure to check with city regulations to prevent any citations from the city sanitary waste inspectors.

Is my grease trap or interceptor full?

A grease trap or interceptor is full when it reaches 25-30% grease and solid waste. Therefore, a 1,000 gallon unit must be serviced once it reaches 250-300 Gallons of Fats, Oils, Grease and Solid also known as FOGS content. Going over this amount of FOGS waste inside unit will not only increase the chances of line blockage but also can take you out of compliance per city regulations.

Build up of FOGS waste inside the device can vary based on the type of waste water entering the device as well as the preventative practice that the kitchen staff is obeying. All grease traps and interceptors have a rated capacity (GPM Gallons Per Minute or Actual Capacity Size) in which at all times must have that content in order for it to work properly. Assuming that the grease gravity device is a 1,000 gallons, it will need to fill up to that amount first and once it reaches that then it will separate the grease and solid content releasing only the waste water. The constant content based on the rated capacity will remain the same the only changes will be the grease, waste water and solids content build up inside the device. As the amount of grease and solid waste increase inside the grease trap or grease interceptor, the percentage of waste water will decrease. Eventually, when the both grease and solids reaches 25-30%, it is important to get it completely pumped out to prevent large amount of Fats, Oil, Grease and Solid waste from entering the sanitary lines. Therefore, a full grease trap or grease interceptor does not necessarily mean that it should be completely full of grease and solids. Rather, if the device has 25-30% of FOGS content, is technically when this device is considered full and in need of service.

The 25 Percent Rule

There are many factors that will determine on how often a grease trap or interceptor should be pumped. In order for these devices to function properly it must run below a 25-30 percent of grease and solid waste content. By going over this amount, there is a higher risk that the device will release FOGS (FATS, OILS, GREASE and SOLIDS) content into the sewer line leading to the city sanitary system in which defeat the purpose of having one. It is per wastewater sanitation district regulations that businesses that have interceptors or traps are required to make certain that it doesn’t go above the 25-30 percent content.

What unit should we install?

Before installing a FOGS device, it is highly recommended contact the city of Goleta regarding their requirements. All cities throughout the state will have their own formula in which may differ from one city to another.

What is difference between a trap vs. an interceptor?

The major difference between the 2 devices are the sizes and the location of the unit. Most grease traps are often found on the floor inside the kitchen or beneath the kitchen sink with a size of 50 gallons or below. As of grease interceptors, with it's size ranging from 750 gallons - 10,000 gallons; these devices are very large and usually installed outside the parking lots or structures. Although, interceptors are more costly to install and clean they are more effective because of its massive size and are less serviced compared to traps.

Grease Spillage, Overlows and Blockage

If you have not serviced your grease trap or interceptor as recommended and are experiencing slow in the kitchen, you device may be completely full of grease and solid waste preventing water to enter the device. Traps and Interceptors with compacted grease and solids will prevent water from entering the unit which is why is important to get your device serviced on a timely manner. Neglected grease devices can be very costly to clean because of additional time and labor so it is important to be make it a priority that the device is cleaned regularly

When a grease trap is overflowing, it does not necessarily indicate that the device is full. It is important to have a little knowledge of the device before requesting pumping service or it may end up costing you a ton of money for emergency requests. If unit has not been serviced for a while, you may be experiencing both trap and plumbing problems. On the other hand, if the trap was just serviced within a 2-4 week window, it is likely that the trouble is on the main grease line. Remember that once a grease trap reaches it's rated capacity size; for every gallon that goes in, it must also release the same amount out. In a case that a water is not escaping out to the sanitary line, it will cause the interceptor levels to rise forcing it to come out of the top. Get professional consulation today and call us for immediate assistance 805-222-6006.

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