Have you been wondering why your grease trap smells so bad, making you nauseated to the core? Well, it should if it’s kept unclean for long. All that solid food particles will gather and decay till they give off a foul smell. Grease traps are essentially harmless and have so many benefits if you think of them.
They are eco-friendly and don’t even cost you a fortune. Moreover, they are easy to install and protect your kitchen drains from getting clogged. Let us discuss in detail why does a grease trap smells so bad and what can you do to prevent the bad smell.
Contents
How Does a Grease Trap work?
A grease trap functions on the mechanical gravity separation method. It has a stainless steel box shape in which one end of the grease trap is connected to the wastewater supply and the other to the drain system.
It comes with baffles and filters that retain water for a long time. What actually happens inside the grease trap is wastewater enters, and the FOGs accumulate on top when the water cools down.
Due to the difference in gravitational pull, the oils and grease remain on top while the solid waste food particles gather down. The wastewater gets free from FOGs and solid food particles and goes to the drain.
Why the Bad Smell?
Despite all the benefits of grease traps, one drawback that no one can stand is the rotten food smell that lingers in its surrounding area. It’s pretty obvious that the smell comes from the solid food particles that are devoured by bacteria.
To put it simply, the bacteria decompose the food that is accumulated at the bottom, and the emission of nitrates and sulfates takes place, which is why you smell rotten egg-like malodors around the grease trap location.
Now, it’s a natural and essential process that has to occur and cannot be stopped. If you actually somehow try to stop the process, the food waste will continue to grow and will have nowhere to go.
There are, however, certain ways which help you in malodors management. Cleaning is the first thing you need to do to get rid of the foul smell.
What Works Best to Eliminate the Smell from Grease Traps?
The thought of cleaning your grease trap with a disinfectant may pass your mind. That might not be the best idea you can carry out as you don’t want to disrupt the natural decomposition processes.
While it may seem gross, the most simple task you can do is clean the grease trap regularly. It might be the last thing in the world you would want to do as it isn’t easy to stand the off-putting scenario of an open grease trap.
It depends on the size of your grease trapping unit to clean it regularly. A bigger grease trap doesn’t fill up quickly, so you can clean it out every 3 to 4 months.
However, the smaller-sized grease traps tend to fill up quickly, so you might need to clean it up every week. If it’s sickening for you to clean the grease trap, you can always hire a professional to do the job for you.
If you plan to clean it yourself, there are certain ways to make it squeaky clean. For instance, you can add baking soda into white vinegar and pour it into your grease trap. Now, pour a large quantity of boiling water into it to clean it from the FOGs.
FAQs
What does grease trap smell like?
Grease traps smell pretty much like frying oils, rotten eggs, and fruits/veggies that have gone bad. The foul smell is the decomposition of the solid food particles that goes from the kitchen sink to the grease trap. These food particles settle down, and the bacteria decompose them, which generates bad odors.
Can I clean the grease trap myself?
You can clean the grease trap yourself if you have the heart. All you have to do is remove the lid and clean the excess FOGs. Once you have done that, you can remove the bigger food particles and remove the rest with a vacuum. In the end, you can wash the entire unit off to make it squeaky clean.
How do you know when a grease trap is full?
When you haven’t maintained and checked your grease trap in a while, the water movement to the drainage gets slow. You might notice that the water goes down slowly from your kitchen basins to the pipe. It happens because the FOGs and solid food particles accumulate in abundance.
If that happens, the filters will get blocked, and they might also cause blockage in the pipes. This is the tie when you should clean the grease trap.
How much does a grease trap cleaning cost?
A lot of people don’t like to clean their indoor grease traps as it stinks. Therefore, a professional can clean it for you, and it comes with a cost. If you maintain your grease trap regularly, then it might cost you between $175 to $475, depending upon its size and situation.
Moreover, not maintaining your grease trap regularly will cost more money for professional cleaning.
Where to install the grease trap?
Grease traps usually go right under the kitchen basin or on the floor for proper functioning. You can also install it outside the kitchen underground to prevent it from freezing. Underground installation is only for the areas where the temperature gets freezing.
Bottom Line
In a nutshell, grease traps are essentially significant and prevent your drainage from clogging due to the FOGs. They come in various sizes, which allows you to install a specific size according to your kitchen requirement and usage.
You can use the grease traps commercially in restaurants, oil fields, industrial sites, and homes. It is important to clean the grease trap weekly, so you don’t have to face hassle when it gets filled.
The cleaning of the grease trap is simple but gross. You can always get the help of a professional to make your life convenient.
Leave a Reply