What does a grease trap do?
Kitchen wastewater carries fats, oils and grease. The trap slows the flow so grease cools and floats while cleaner water passes on. Without a trap, grease lines pipes and coats the soil in a drain field.
Small traps sit under or beside a sink. Larger interceptors are buried outside the building. Dunn Rite cleans grease traps for restaurants and other food service properties.
How often should a grease trap be cleaned?
The schedule comes from the rules where the business sits, and a busier fryer line fills a trap faster. Ask your sewer utility, or the health department if you are on septic, what applies to your kitchen.
The 25 percent rule
Many utilities set a trigger instead of a date. A common one is to clean when grease and solids reach a set share of the trap’s depth, often 25 percent. This is a local rule, not a Virginia statewide one, so confirm yours.
Local requirements
Intervals vary by utility and by town, and some write the interval into their codes. This page does not name a Lynchburg-area rule because none was confirmed. Ask your sewer utility, or the health department if the kitchen is on septic, for the interval and record-keeping rules that apply to your address.
What happens during grease trap cleaning?
The crew removes the floating grease, the solids on the bottom and the wastewater between, and then checks that the trap can work again.
Indoor traps
Small traps are opened, emptied and scraped clean. Some kitchens clean these daily, depending on local rules.
Outdoor interceptors
A buried interceptor needs a pump truck and access to its lid. If the lid is buried or unrecorded, tank and drain field location can find it.
Baffles, tees and lids
Baffles and tees direct flow through the unit. A broken one lets grease pass through. The lid and its seal should close fully so odor and runoff stay out.
What paperwork should you get after a cleaning?
Where a utility regulates grease, it can ask for proof of cleaning: who cleaned the trap, when, and where the waste went. Ask how long records must stay on site. Removed grease should never be dumped back into a drain.
Ask for a written record after each visit and keep it with your health inspection file.
How can a kitchen keep its trap cleaner?
A kitchen on septic has more to lose. Grease that gets past a trap can slow a drain field and lead to costly work like drain field replacement. Businesses that run both a trap and a tank can ask about commercial septic services so the schedules line up.
- Scrape plates and pans into the trash before washing
- Keep fryer oil out of sinks and floor drains
- Skip emulsifiers and hot-water flushing, which push grease past the trap and downstream
- Train new staff on what goes down which drain
Which kitchens and areas does the service cover?
Service covers food service businesses around Lynchburg and in Campbell County. A tank on the same property is serviced separately; see septic tank pumping.
Pascat photo requestPhoto needed hereOpen in-ground grease interceptor lid beside a commercial kitchen back door, pump hose in the opening, shot from standing height in flat daylight.
Common questions
How often does a restaurant grease trap need cleaning?
It depends on local rules and how much the kitchen cooks and fries. Some utilities set a fixed interval and some a depth trigger such as 25 percent. Ask your sewer utility, or the health department if you are on septic, then adjust for your volume. A busy fryer line fills a trap faster than a sandwich counter does.
What is the difference between a grease trap and a grease interceptor?
Traps are small units installed at or near sinks. Interceptors are larger, usually buried outside, and hold more grease. Both do the same job, slowing wastewater so grease cools and floats, but interceptors need a pump truck to clean and a lid that can be reached without digging up the lot.
Who decides the cleaning schedule for my business?
Usually the local sewer utility, or the health department for properties on septic, not the cleaning company. Contact them to learn the interval and record-keeping rules for your kitchen. Dunn Rite cleans on the schedule you set and can keep the visits matched to it, so ask the office what records you receive.
Where does the grease go after it is removed?
To an approved disposal point, and never back into a drain or onto the ground. Ask for a receipt that shows the date and where the waste went, because a utility or inspector may want to see it. Keep receipts together with the health inspection file so they are easy to find.
Can enzymes or additives replace trap cleaning?
No. Emulsifiers and similar products can push grease past the trap and into the line or drain field, and some utilities prohibit them. Dunn Rite’s position, like the EPA’s for septic tanks, is that additives are generally unnecessary. A trap that is cleaned on time and kept free of scraps does the work.
Can I clean a small under-sink trap myself?
Often yes for a small trap, and some towns require daily cleaning of those units. The waste still needs proper disposal, so check local rules before pouring it anywhere. Buried interceptors need a pump truck, safe lid access and a hauler, so those are not a do-it-yourself job.