Question about potential for drainage problems:

I have been in business for three years this coming October.

I moved my location recently, and when I went back to the old Mall, someone told me that the drains had backed up, and they blamed me.

The City inspectors did not require agrease trap, and so of course I didn't spend the money on one.

Should I have?

Or should I be putting some sort of drain-degreasing liquid down the drains monthly or quartlerly to keep the pipes clean?

I certainly don't want any big expenses down the road!

updated by @matt-carter: 04/20/15 14:13:39

Great question. I am trying to figure out the best solution to this as well. I would imagine a degreaser of some sort would definitely help.

I would have thought that with all the experienced people on this forum, if this is an actual problem someone would have spoken up!
I will continue to degrease occasionally, just in case.

We just opened our shop in March of 2010 and one of the reasons why was because we needed to find a facility with a grease trap (County Code).

We have been told by another chef to run a pan of boiling hot water down the drain once every few days. Hope it helps.

Pierre

We were required by code to have a grease trap at our shop and I tried to fight it, but I gave in. Anyway, we do have to clean our grease trap from time to time, so as much as I hate to admit it, having a grease trap in general is a good idea. Chocolate and cocoa butter are gooey, clingy food stuffs and tend to accumulate over time. The boiling water is a good idea IF you follow through with it.

What kind of grease trap were you required to install? I was surprised when the city inspector said I didn't need one and that if i were to get one, the minimum size would be 110 gallons. Needless to say, I didn't argue with him further.

Different locals have different rules about grease traps. The size of the grease trap is an equation based on the size of your three bay sink. I have a monster three bay sink because all three bays will fit a full size sheet pan. When the inspectorfigured the size of the grease trap, it was ridiculous big. The formula is based on restaurants that process meat and other fats on a regular basis. Luckily, the plumber installing my sinknegotiated with the city inspector to downsize my grease trap to a more manageable size than what was required, because we were only doing confections. I don't know how many gallons it is, but it fits under the drain board for my sink. I would guess it is 2' X 2' X 3'.

Like they've mentioned every county, every state, every department, is different. Count your blessings.

We have an above ground one, probably 36x36x36 or so--I'm not sure we'll have to drain it but for every few years. It does have some rancor associated with it after a day off. Rancid butters and creams I'm sure. Nothing else I know that could create real stink. It's not like we're frying in here.

We use a bio-solution that helps digest fats and keep everything running smoothly. It is recommended for those with drains that are needing to be kept clean.

http://www.newtechbio.com/greasetraptreatmentproductinfo.htm

It makes the place smell rather nice after cleaning but since we didn't have a problem I don't know of its efficiency I'm just taking steps before I might have a problem. The longer I don't have to open the hatch of doom the better. I can only imagine having to clean this unit out and the thought is rather unpleasant.