Polyethylene Grease Traps: Uses, Features and Benefits

Anyone running a commercial business, including restaurants, schools and hotels, is obliged to properly dispose of greasy waste.

Rinsing fats, oil and grease down a standard sink or drain can quickly clog the pipes, requiring repair and damaging the environment and wider sewer systems.

Any commercial business dealing with this kind of waste needs to understand how grease traps are used in order to stay compliant and avoid expensive maintenance bills.

What are grease traps used for?

Grease traps are large tank-like devices that are installed into the floor and connected to drainage systems.

They are designed for frontline processing of greasy waste, preventing fats, oils, grease and solids from entering the sewer system. This in turn prevents blockages and spills and minimises the volume of contaminants flowing through into the treatment plant.

Grease traps work like a holding tank, allowing time for fats and grease to cool and separate from the wastewater. In time, grease rises to the top inside and is trapped while any solids settle on the bottom. A pipe is positioned in the upper middle of the tank, allowing the separated clear water to escape via an outlet while the oils and fats are trapped.

Also known as grease arrestors, grease traps need to be adequately sized to suit the application, and the waste grease needs to be pumped out at a suitable frequency.

Benefits

• Greasy commercial waste can cause blockages in sewer systems if it is not managed properly, resulting in sewage spills or backflow into your property. A functioning grease trap prevents this from occurring, keeping sewer systems out of sight and out of mind.
• Installing and maintaining a grease trap ensures you are compliant with your trade waste consent
• Typically large capacity grease traps should be pumped out roughly every three months depending on the volume – a manageable maintenance interval that can be taken care of by any number of commercial oil pumping operators.
• Grease traps help protect the sewer system and the environment, ensuring the overall system functions as it should.

Grease trap features

Lightweight polyethylene construction

Grease traps such as the heavy duty range available from Jaybro have been designed from 100% virgin material resulting in a lightweight product that can be easily installed by hand or with minimal lifting effort. This removes the need for cranes and larger trucks for haulage.

The use of polyethylene is a preferred product in the treatment of individual and commercial fats and greasy waste: this is because the product itself is inert which proves to be far superior to concrete alternatives. These advantages are also seen in contaminated ground where precautions need to be taken for installation in materials such as acid sulphates.

Additionally, polyethylene is a product that is easy to clean and as a result, the effort in maintenance is reduced making waste removal a straightforward activity.

Strong and crack resistant

The injection moulded polyethylene is strong and resistant to cracks, providing reassurance against the kind of leaks or splitting that can commonly be seen in welded systems. It also prevents potential pressure fractures during installation.

Jaybro’s range of grease traps has been manufactured with greater wall thickness to ensure optimum strength for final surface loading ratings.

Fit for purpose

The functional design of this product provides a standard 100mm connection, has the ability to meet the design storage capacity, and ensures output temperature shall be less than authority requirements of 38 degrees.

The external ribbing provides the loading criteria to support the structure when installed in ground. The openings take proprietary lids or, where design requires greater loadings, then a specification provides the necessary connection to D class proprietary lids.

Compliant design

When choosing a grease trap, make sure you choose a unit that conforms to the relevant requirements of AS/NZS 4766.2004, AS/NZS 1546.1.2008, and 1546.3. The range supplied by Jaybro meets these requirements, as well as having a 10 year vessel manufacturer’s warranty.

Find out more about our grease trap range

Contact Jaybro to find out more about our range of grease arrestors ranging from 1000L up to 5000L with optional risers.