Are you thinking about installing a new grease trap in your plumbing system but don’t know what size would be the most suitable? Do you feel confused by all the different sized grease traps available in the market?
Well, in this article, we are going to be showing you ways you can calculate your grease trap size to find the one that fits your kitchen plumbing system.
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Grease Trap Size Calculator What Size Grease Trap We Need?
What is a Grease Trap?
When you wash your dishes in your sink or in a dishwasher, all the oil and grease from them flows into the pipes of your plumbing, where they can cause a blockage. This is because even though the oils and grease are in liquid form as you wash them off your dishes or pans, they can later solidify after cooling down and stick to the sides of the pipes.
And so, over time, this grease buildup can become quite thick and end up obstructing the normal water flow in your pipes. Apart from causing a blockage, this grease is also dangerous for the environment if it is able to flow out into a river or a stream.
Therefore, to prevent this from happening, a grease trap is installed in the plumbing system that prevents the fats, oils, and grease (FOG) from entering your sewage.
Its design basically features a tank that holds the wastewater from your kitchen and a series of pipes that separate the FOG before letting it flow into the sewage system. The FOG left behind in the tank can be later collected to either be safely disposed of or used as fuel.
While almost all kitchens require grease traps, there is no one universal size for a grease trap. This is because kitchens built for commercial purposes, like grease traps for a restaurant or a large hotel, would have a larger production of FOG than that of an ordinary home kitchen as they are constantly active.
And so, they will produce more FOG waste as a large number of pots and pans, caked with grease and oils, are being washed in the sinks on a daily basis.
Therefore commercial kitchens that produce a large amount of FOG waste daily, require a larger-sized grease trap than basic home kitchens. This is because it needs to hold a larger quantity of wastewater in order to properly separate the FOG from the water without overflowing.
And so, this is why it is important to correctly calculate the size of the grease trap that you need for your specific situation.
Calculating the Size of Grease Trap You Need
In order to make sure that you get the perfect sized grease trap for your specific plumbing system, you can use a grease trap size calculator to find one that is the most appropriate.
The calculator consists of a simple formula that requires various measurements of your dishwashing system. The first step in this calculation is to measure the dimensions of your sink that you are going to be connecting the Grease trap with.
You need to measure the length, the width, and the depth of the sink, all in inches. Once you have all the measurements, multiply all three values to get the volume of your sink in cubic inches.
Next, you need to convert cubic inches into gallons, as the capacity of grease traps is measured in gallons. And so you need to multiple the value for cubic inches with 231.
Next, you need to determine the displacement, which is also known as the fill factor. This is basically the percentage of the maximum usable capacity of the sink, up to which you normally fill it up.
Usually, this is 75% of the total capacity of the sink, and so you need to multiply your previous value by 75%, or 0.75. If you are going to be using more than one sink at a time or have a double sink system, then you need to multiply the value that you get by the number of sinks.
After this, multiply the value that you got in your previous stage with the drainage period, which is the time taken for your skin to be completely drained of all of its wastewater. This period is usually assumed as one minute, but sometimes, under some conditions, it can also be taken like 2 minutes.
And so, if there aren’t any special conditions, then you should also take the drainage period as one minute and divide your latest value with it.
And so you will obtain the flow rate of your sink in gallons per meter. You can use this value to find out the dimensions for a grease trap perfect for your drainage system. To do that you need to look up a standard grease trap sizing chart and then find the dimensions of the trap that is suitable to the flow rate of your sink.
If your exact flow rate is not mentioned on the chart, then round off your value to the next biggest flow rate and choose the trap for that.
For example, if your flow rate is around 13 and the ones mentioned in the chart are 5, 10, 15, 20, and so on, then use 15 as your flow rate and choose the trap with the dimensions suitable for 15 GMP.
Along with the dimensions, many of these chats also mention the approximate weight of the trap, its liquid holding capacity, and so on. And so you will be provided with all the necessary information you need to know about what size grease trap you need. Here is list of Best grease traps.
Frequently Asked Question
What are the requirements for grease traps?
You are required to have a grease trap connected to your kitchen if you cook and serve hot foods. Furthermore, the grease trap you install needs to have enough capacity to hold all the wastewater that your kitchen produces on a daily basis. Otherwise, if the tank is too small, then it won’t be able to properly trap the grease from the water flowing into the drainage system.
How do you know when a grease trap is full?
There are various indicators that let you know when it is time to clean your grease trap; one of those is the water in the sink or dishwasher of your kitchen draining slower than normal. Bad smell coming from the drainage system is also another indicator.
Furthermore, you can also check the level of grease in your trap by dipping a long stick into the tank and observing the width of grease coating on it upon taking it out. If the width is quite thick, then it means that the level of grease in the tank is high, and you need to clean it soon.
What size of grease trap do I need?
The size of a suitable grease trap for your drainage system depends on the flow rate of your sink. And so, once you calculate that, you can easily find out the dimensions of a grease trap that would be perfect for you by consulting a grease trap sizing chart.
If the exact flow rate of your sink isn’t there, then you can use the flow rate value present in the chart that is immediately higher than your actual value.
Wrapping Up
Grease traps are an important part of the plumbing system of any kitchen that cooks and serves hot food. This is why it is important that you choose one that is the perfect size according to the wastewater produced by your kitchen so that you don’t have to deal with problems like the tanks overflowing due to being too small.
And so, in this article, you are shown how to use a grease trap calculator to find out exactly what size grease trap you need.
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