If you own a restaurant or run a large commercial kitchen, you will be rinsing a lot of grease down your drains. Even if you are careful to have employees scrape out pans and containers before washing them, residual grease will get rinsed away. If you're wise, your sink will have a grease trap in your drain system. This grease trap will catch the grease before it goes any further down the pipe. Then, you will need to have the grease trap pumped to remove the grease. Here are three reasons to have the grease trap pumped on a regular basis -- which is every one to two months.

1. It will prevent drain clogs

You don't put grease down the drain at home, and that's because it would clog your drains! The same thing will happen in your commercial kitchen if your grease trap gets clogged and you don't pump it. Grease will continue down the drain, and it will create clogs as it grabs onto other debris, like food particles. It is a lot cheaper to have your grease trap pumped once a month than it is to have to call the emergency plumber and shut down your kitchen due to a big blockage.

2. It is better for the public sewer system

It's not just your pipes that are affected if your grease trap gets over-filled and grease leaks into the drains. The public sewer lines are affected, too. Big cities like New York have begun to have huge issues with fatbergs, which are globs of fat that form in the sewers. These are expensive and dangerous to remove, and they impede the function of the sewer system. Having your grease trap cleaned is part of doing your public duty to keep the sewers working -- so you can keep relying on them for good service.

3. It's usually required legally

This varies by region, but in many areas, you are required by law -- either through the health department or the sewer department -- to maintain your grease trap in good, working order. If you do not have the trap pumped, you are not living up to that standard, and you may be fined if the health inspector of building inspector shows up. 

Now that you know why grease trap cleaning is essential, call and make that appointment! Many companies will put you on the schedule and come automatically once a month, so you don't even have to remember. Contact a company like Mountain Valley Pumping for more information and assistance.