A grease trap separates grease oils and fats from waste water in an effort to keep as much grease oil and fat out of the sewer system as possible. Grease traps are very commonly used in restaurants and sometimes they are even used in homes that have septic systems. Unclogging a main sewer line can be very expensive and inconvenient for a lot of people. For this reasons a lot of States mandate that most restaurants have grease traps. The good news is that as technology is improving, so is the quality of these traps. The cost of a grease trap also seems to be declining as well. Grease trap installation is also getting easier.  Most smaller 4 and 8 gallon a minute systems can be installed under a sink. Larger commercial grease traps flow 25 gallon per minutes units can receive waste water through 3 different connections. This is especially usefully when you have large capacity sink, floor drains and commercial dishwashers. For very large restaurants, larger units can be installed below ground level and may need to be cleaned out commercial. There are even companies today that collect and recycle the grease that they pump out of the traps allowing them to get paid twice for their work.

Although they are traditionally  known as grease traps, many manufactures who aren’t to excited about the negative connotations that this name implies, have tried to get them renamed to be called grease interceptors. But old habits are hard to break so that terminology is not very popular.

How long have these traps been around?

Well traps for grease have been around for at least a few hundred years. Older European  cities with very old restaurants still have grease traps which were used three to four hundred years ago. It seem that as soon as an underground sewer system was invented a grease trap became somewhat of a necessity.

What do they do?

Basically, what they do it they remove unwanted Fats, Oils and Grease, aka FOG, from the sewer water leaving the your restaurant or home. With smaller units, you may be able to remove the grease out of the trap yourself, with the larger units, you will need professional assistance. A lot of the older units will float the grease into a trap as the water escape. Often these will get rid of 80-90% of the grease. They prevent a greasy and fatty build up that can cause nasty clogs in your septic system. They are especially useful in the winter, as lower water temperatures can cause fats to solidify even fast. Modern models seem to be a lot more efficient. Today’s grease interceptor or trap can be found in a very wide price range. Some of the most expensive models even claim to remove as much as 99% of the fat oils and grease out of the water. The use hydrostatics and electricity to remove to fats.

Although I think a 90% remover is as good 99%, you can decide which is best for you and the needs of your home or business.