Grease Trap Maintenance for Commercial Food Service Properties

Commercial Property Services

Commercial kitchens and food service facilities are required to maintain grease traps — understanding maintenance requirements prevents fines, pipe blockages, and municipal sewer violations.

Grease traps (also called grease interceptors) capture fats, oils, and grease (FOG) from commercial kitchen wastewater before it enters the municipal sewer system. FOG that enters the sewer system solidifies in pipes, contributing to blockages that can affect not just your property but the surrounding municipal infrastructure.

Industry Best Practices

Grease trap sizing is calculated based on kitchen fixture count and peak flow rate. Under-sized traps fill rapidly and overflow FOG into the drain line before it can be captured. Regular grease trap pumping is essential regardless of size, but a correctly sized trap requires less frequent servicing.

Pumping frequency recommendations vary by jurisdiction, but most municipalities require commercial food service establishments to pump grease traps at minimum quarterly. Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge have FOG management bylaws that specify minimum maintenance requirements and may require pumping records to be made available for inspection.

How D&D Commercial Services Can Help

Grease trap inspection at each pumping should assess the baffle condition inside the trap. Baffles direct wastewater flow through the trap in a pattern that maximizes FOG separation. Damaged or missing baffles reduce trap effectiveness, increasing FOG bypass and the likelihood of violations.

Bio-enzyme maintenance treatments between pumpings can supplement pumping frequency by using enzyme and bacterial cultures to break down accumulated FOG inside the trap. These treatments don't replace pumping but can extend intervals and reduce the volume of material removed at each pumping, reducing service costs.