Commercial Grease Trap Design for West Palm Beach Area Businesses

Commercial Drainage Design

Fats, oils and grease add distinctive flavors to many of our foods, but these greasy substances can wreak havoc on plumbing, septic and wastewater systems of all sizes. No business wants to be forced to shut down while it deals with the fallout from a plumbing disaster. That makes commercial grease trap design a very real concern for numerous West Palm Beach, Florida, area businesses. Whether you are designing a new system or modifying an existing one, there are both local and state regulations to keep in mind with regards to permitting, certifying and installing these units. At DKK Consulting, we specialize in finding real-world solutions that work as hard as you do.



How Grease Endangers West Palm Beach City Plumbing


Fats, oils and grease are natural by-products of food preparation, but allowing them to slip down the drain creates a major danger for the plumbing of both your building and your community. When grease is warm, it moves with water easily and travels smoothly through pipes. However, as soon as it cools, it starts to solidify and begins to build up along the pipes. This narrows the pipes and increases the likelihood of a blockage, especially as other solids traveling through the wastewater system become ensnared in the grease. Eventually, wastewater can no longer flow freely through the pipes, and you end up with backups and other unpleasant issues. By some estimates, as many as 50% of sewer overflows in the United States are the result of grease blockages.

Even the small amount of grease produced in a residential kitchen can be enough to cause headaches if you habitually pour it down the drain. The sheer magnitude of the fats, oils and grease production in a commercial establishment would all but ensure continual plumbing disasters if steps weren’t taken to keep grease out of the pipes. That is the essential service that a restaurant grease trap provides.

Who Needs a Commercial Grease Trap?
In order to protect their sewer systems, communities routinely require commercial establishments that generate excessive amounts of fat, oil and grease to have one or more onsite grease traps that are emptied and inspected regularly. Who needs a restaurant grease trap? While restaurants and eateries are the obvious answer, they are not the only ones. Any business that completes a significant amount of food preparation or food processing may require a restaurant grease trap. This could include bars, bakeries, packaging plants, meat markets, grocery stores, hotels, hospitals, assisted living facilities and any other business where large-scale food production inevitably leads to significant grease production.

How a Grease Trap Works
A quick science lesson can help you understand the basics of how a grease trap functions. While there are different types of grease traps, the common thread is that any water that might be carrying any fats, oils or grease should flow through these units before entering the sewer system. While the water is there, the unit captures these greasy substances and prevents them from proceeding any farther. How does it manage it? Water is denser than grease. As a result, when warm grease is combined with water, it rises to the surface and floats. That simple property provides a natural opportunity to use a series of baffles to separate the substances and trap the grease before it reaches the sewers.

Grease traps are not a new idea. The first patent for one was issued in the late 1800s. However, there have certainly been new advances and technologies introduced that make these systems more effective.

Building a Better Grease Trap
Grease traps are not one-size-fits-all solutions. There are several different options that can be pieced together to create a restaurant grease trap that is tailored to your West Palm Beach company’s unique needs:

  • Materials. Grease traps can be made of a variety of materials, including concrete, steel, plastic and fiberglass. The material choice is a serious consideration with real impacts. It affects not only the cost of the grease trap but also its weight, the difficulty of moving or installing it, its durability, and its lifespan.
  • Storage. Some grease traps use small units placed under sinks or near dishwashers. Others feature massive in-ground tanks that hold thousands of gallons. Sizing is determined by your needs.
  • Efficiency. Traditionally, a restaurant grease trap is a passive collection system that requires regular emptying to maintain its efficiency and avoid costly overflows. That is still an option. However, automatic grease removal devices are offering another approach. Once the water is separated in the tank, an automatic, motorized mechanism removes it and isolates it in a separate container. This eliminates the need to bring in a third party for pumping, which can trim your operating costs.

DKK Consulting’s Commercial Grease Trap Design Services
While the scientific concept that makes grease traps work may be simple, juggling the many factors involved in designing and installing a commercial grease trap gets complicated fast. As a full-service civil engineering firm serving South Florida, including West Palm Beach, for more than 15 years, DKK Consulting Incorporated West Palm Beach a great deal of experience to the table. Whether it is fulfilling permitting or certification requirements, complying with state or local regulations, providing a design that gets the most bang out of your budget, or addressing concerns about your installation, our team has the skill and expertise to get the job done properly. To learn more about our services or request a quote, contact us today.