The plumbing system of any home or commercial property is crucial and needs to be maintained. There are of course many ways to do that but the installation of grease traps is seen as a huge part.
Grease traps are plumbing devices that are designed to capture fats and oils before they make their way into the drain. This helps to keep the drains efficient and clean.
However, the grease accumulated in these traps will over time become too much. Grease trap cleaning will, therefore, be needed.
Does Everyone Need a Grease Trap?
Yes, if you want to maintain the efficient operation of your drains, then grease traps are needed.
However, there are different types of traps, each designed for different uses. For example, in a residential home, there won’t be a lot of fats and oils used each day.
In that case, a basic grease trap that requires little maintenance will be enough. However, commercial kitchens or restaurants will need advanced grease trap options, since they cook large volumes of food and produce a lot of grease, fats, and oil each day.
What is the Importance of Grease Trap Cleaning?
The first reason why you need to have your grease traps cleaned is simply because you want to get rid of the grease captured.
Remember the grease trap does not have unlimited capacity. At some point, it will get filled and as such, cleaning services will be required.
In addition to this, cleaning the grease traps more regularly will help reduce any possible risk of damage. In the end, your grease traps will deliver excellent service for you for a very long time.
Finally, it’s simply hygienic and environmentally friendly to do so. In fact, in some counties, grease trap installation and cleaning is mandatory for commercial kitchens.
How Much Does Grease Trap Cleaning Cost?
As a golden rule, you are advised to do this task through a professional cleaning service. In that case, grease trap pumping costs will be incurred here no doubt. But how much money will you need? Well, this will depend on many factors, including the contractor you have chosen for the job.
However, on average, the cost ranges from $155 to $1,040 depending on the type of pump.
For example, if you have a small grease tank of roughly 20 to 30 gallons, then you can expect to pay fees on the lower end of that range.
Besides, you won’t need to have the gallon cleaned regularly. Once every 14 to 28 days will be enough. Cleaning small grease tanks also takes less time, roughly 20 minutes. Based on these factors, you can see why the cost is lower.
But there are also other larger commercial grease tanks out there that have a capacity of up to 5,000 gallons. These tanks are used in commercial kitchens and major restaurants.
You will need well over $1,000 to have them cleaned. This is simply because a large tank will need more work to pump. In fact, cleaning a 5,000-gallon tank will need up to 4 hours of work.
What Other Factors Affect the Cost?
In addition to the size of the grease trap and its design, there are also a few other factors that may have an impact on the cleaning costs.
For example, where is the trap located? If indeed the trap is located in an accessible area, then the cost can be lower. This is because the company will not need to bring in extra equipment.
However, in cases where the grease pump is located somewhere in the basement or a location that will need extra hoses to pump out, then expect the cost to get higher.
This will typically be very common when it comes to restaurant grease trap cleaning services. However, make sure you discuss with your contractor and see how you can both come to a deal.
Contact a local plumber and request a free estimate for grease trap cleaning!
