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Dangers Of Cleaning Your Grease Trap

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If you own a restaurant and serve foods that produce oil, you should have a grease trap to intercept the oils before they have a change to get into the general sewer system and water supply. Once cooled, grease quickly solidifies and turns into drain-clogging sludge. Grease traps, or grease interceptors, need to be cleaned on a regular basis, and while this is necessary, it should never be done by an inexperienced person. Doing so is dangerous, and may lead to injury. Here are some dangers of cleaning a grease trap without professional help.

Burns And Slipping

When cleaning a grease trap, you may come into contact with hot oil, which may cause a severe burn. This can happen for two reasons. If the water that is running through the grease trap is very hot while you are cleaning the unit, you risk burning yourself. Also, if you are cleaning the trap after the grease inside the collection vessel has recently been used for frying, a scald could result.

If the grease has already cooled and congealed when you are cleaning it, it can fall on the floor when you are trying to put it into a plastic garbage bag for removal. Spilled grease can cause the floor to become dangerously slippery, raising the risk for falls if not quickly cleaned up.

Overflowing

The grease trap can overflow if the lid is not firmly closed after cleaning, or if it is broken. Burns and slipping accidents can occur as a result of overflow, and if the local health inspector sees that the lid is not securely fastened, your restaurant may be be closed until the lid fits tightly over the grease trap once again.

The lid on your grease interceptor should be periodically checked to ensure that it works properly and closes tightly. Another risk pertaining to the lid is that it can be accidentally dropped onto your foot, causing a serious injury. An interceptor lid is very heavy, and in addition to bodily injury, damage to your kitchen floor can also occur if you drop it.

When your grease interceptor needs cleaning, call a grease trap cleaning company, like No Fuss Liquid Waste, instead of cleaning it yourself. You should also consider signing up for a monthly maintenance and cleaning schedule to ensure that the unit remains clean and in good repair so that your establishment does not get a sanitation violation your health inspector pays you a visit.


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