What Do Kitchen Grease Traps And Interceptors Do?

Modern plumbing ideas and techniques can be traced back hundreds of years to various civilizations.

An early idea that is still widely used today is the use of grease traps and interceptors. These pieces of equipment are instrumental in helping to protect sewer systems from backing up and causing serious plumbing issues.

What are grease traps?

Grease traps are plumbing devices whose purpose is to collect grease and other solids before they enter wastewater systems. A large buildup of thick substances, like fats and oils, are known to cause sewer backups.

Where are interceptors used?

Kitchen grease traps are basically mainly used in restaurants and other places where there's a lot of cooking.

Restaurants and food service kitchens are usually responsible for producing the highest amounts of grease. These establishments have to take into account the many sources grease can come from. Cooking appliances are major producers of grease, but so too are dishwashing areas.

Interestingly, it's not uncommon for municipalities in the U.S. to require kitchens and food service areas to install and maintain grease interceptors. To ensure these plumbing devices are working at optimal levels. Restaurant management staff and municipalities should routinely inspect these systems.

Types of grease traps

There are three different types of grease traps.

The most common interceptor is known as a passive grease trap. These are plumbing devices found under sinks with three compartments. While passive interceptors are the most common, most residential households do not have grease traps because they simply don't produce enough kitchen grease to need one. Instead, grease traps are common at restaurants.

Grease recovery devices are the second subset. Essentially, a GRD will remove grease automatically once it's trapped. Grease can then be collected and recycled with waste vegetable oil collected from a deep fryer.

An in-ground grease trap is the last type, and second most commonly used in restaurants. According to the Webstaurant Store, these devices not only capture grease, but also oil, sediment and lint, among other solids.

In-ground interceptors are typically constructed out of steel or fiberglass and large enough to handle the needs of large restaurants and even hospitals or school cafeterias. In most instances, larger grease interceptors usually need to abide by certain health and safety codes.

Help with the interceptor

Due to the importance of grease traps, it's important for grease traps to be regularly maintained. If restaurants or other commercial services need help with cleaning or liquid waste pumping, they should contact Roto-Rooter for professional help.