WHY MAINTAIN YOUR GREASE TRAP? 6 REASONS REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND SERVICING IS SO IMPORTANT

Why Maintain your Grease Trap? 6 Reasons regular maintenance and servicing is so important Grease traps are increasingly becoming a key feature in commercial kitchens across the UK and Ireland, with many landlords now requiring grease traps to be installed to prevent FOG (fats, oils, and grease) from entering the sewer water. However, like many appliances within a kitchen, grease traps require regular maintenance and servicing to keep running constantly and efficiently. Here are 6 very important reasons why: 1. Foul Smell Grease traps work by accumulating the FOG in its tank. However, over time this FOG can begin to decompose and produce a rotting smell, which if left untreated can permeate the entire restaurant. Neither your staff, nor your customers will appreciate the dreadful smell of decomposing FOG and in severe cases this will disrupt business by discouraging visitors and damaging the businesses reputation. 2. Impossible Cleaning A grease trap not only captures FOG, it also collects any solid food particles. This food settles at the bottom of the tank and needs regularly removing by the kitchen staff using the strainer. This is very easy to do if it is done daily, however if this food is left over time it congeals into a thick hard mass which not only impedes the function of the grease trap but is near impossible to clean. 3. Blockages If your grease trap isn’t cleaned properly and waste is left to build up in the tank, the additional food waste and FOG will begin to flow down into the sewer system. Over time this causes severe blockages in the pipework, inhibiting the flow of waste water and causing back-ups and overflows that are ultimately very expensive to repair. 4. Expense Much of the solid food waste and FOG collected by the grease traps form chemical compounds, such as sulphuric acid, as they decompose. If a tank is left uncleaned this toxic acid can damage the steel and walls of the interceptor, irreparably damaging the machine and forcing you to buy an expensive new unit. 5. Penalties There are several Acts of Parliament, Regulations and Legislations which commercial kitchen operators must be aware of in respect of duty of care and legal obligations relating to the management and disposal of fats, oil and grease produced during the normal course of business. Penalties can apply for not having a grease trap, or improper maintenance. In both cases, you can face heavy fines, the suspension of your operations, or have your licence revoked until you resolve key problems. 6. Reputation, Reputation, Reputation. The factors above highlight multiple issues that could lead to a heavy loss of business. From foul smells to sewer works, fine and even forced closures. Any and all these factors would not only have short-term immediate losses in business, but could have a long-lasting effect on your reputation, making it difficult or even impossible to regain consumer confidence and maintain your competitive edge. How Can We Help? Whether you are looking to install a grease trap with us, or already have a grease trap, we can offer a tailor-made service contract based on the frequency of service, location, unit and site requirements. This will ensure regular servicing at a mutually beneficial time. While on site, RGR’s engineers will often carry out additional training – which is imperative to ensure proper maintenance is maintained in sites with a high turnover of staff. Following each service a report on the condition of the unit, including our findings and recommendations, is emailed to the client & a copy stored in RGR’s client database. RGR run a 24/7 emergency call out service covering the whole country to make sure your premises are always in good operative order.

For more information on WHY MAINTAIN YOUR GREASE TRAP? 6 REASONS REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND SERVICING IS SO IMPORTANT talk to RGR Facilities Ltd