Drain maintenance for business owners is never more important than when you’re running a restaurant. Busy commercial kitchens serving hot food generate large quantities of used cooking fat, oil and grease. Even a small restaurant with a deep-fat fryer may use as many as 20 litres of cooking oil every week, according to oil recycler BioUKFuels. And FOG (as fat, oil and grease are collectively known) is notorious for its ability to clog and block even large commercial drains.
As a trusted drainage company based in Bath, a city with a vibrant restaurant scene, Mega-Rod has many years of experience in restaurant drain care and repair. Restaurant owners turn to us when they encounter drainage problems caused by fat, oil, and grease, including terrible smells filling dining areas, standing water or backups in kitchen sinks, and staff/customer toilets refusing to flush.
FOG can do terrible damage to a restaurant’s drainage system, not to mention its reputation and revenue. Whether you’re opening a new restaurant or want to improve an existing eatery’s FOG management, you’ll want to read our guide to UK restaurant drain care. It’s designed to give you food for thought, as well as help you to avoid restaurant drain nightmares.
If you need Bristol or Bath restaurant drain unblocking right now or are looking for a business drain maintenance service covering inspections, cleaning, etc., simply call us on 01225 422980.
The reason why fat, oil and grease threaten restaurant drains is that it sticks to the drain walls before setting like concrete as it cools down, preventing wastewater from flowing freely. Pressure can then build up inside the pipework, potentially leading to collapsed drains. FOG also attracts displaced sewer rats and therefore poses a health hazard.
Moreover, any fat, oil or grease that travels from drains to sewers can cause significant problems for the public and the environment. Nearly half a million tonnes of FOG finds its way into the UK sewer system annually, and much of it contributes to the formation of enormous fatbergs that can make sewers overflow.
Because fat, oil and grease derail drainage and sewerage systems, restaurants must comply with strict FOG laws and regulations, such as:
You’ll want to take steps to stop fat, oil and grease reaching your restaurant’s drains via plugholes, dishwashers, etc. and dispose of it responsibly.
Simple steps include wiping used, greasy plates with paper towels, using sink strainers and avoiding pouring away FOG. But the more strategic measures below will have the biggest impact.
A grease trap is a compact tank that sits beneath a commercial kitchen sink. By contrast, a grease separator is a sizeable underground tank that may contain hundreds or thousands of litres of wastewater, so is suitable for a particularly large restaurant.
Grease traps and separators are comparable to septic tanks, as they hold and filter wastewater. Stray FOG floats to the top of a trap/separator while solid food debris sinks. The wastewater itself then flows into the restaurants’ drains.
The waste matter must be removed on a regular basis; otherwise, the tanks will overflow. For example, we can empty your restaurant’s grease separator using our suction pump equipment and tanker.
When emptying equipment such as deep-fat fryers, place used cooking oil in secure, sealable containers (restaurants often use barrels) that will be collected by a licensed waste disposal company.
Many such companies recycle the oil to make biofuel, which is used to power vehicles and machinery.
It’s vital to prioritise business drain maintenance. For example, we can devise a drain maintenance plan for your restaurant that includes annual CCTV drain surveys to check for problems and drain cleaning to help keep wastewater flowing.
If you’re ever confronted by a major issue such as blocked drains or collapsed drains, you can rely on us to respond rapidly to the problem. We even offer a 24/7 drain emergency callout service.
For Bristol and Bath restaurant drain maintenance, unblocking and repair, contact Mega-Rod’s drainage experts today.
