Grand Opening ...

More than a year ago we had Jeff, our master plumberer and air conditionerer, install the grease trap in the dish station. The purpose of the grease trap is to capture oils and grease, and prevent them from getting into the septic system, where over time they would clog the leach field. So they are a good thing, and as a restaurant we are required to have one.

Originally, the health department wanted us to install one the size of a VW microbus, for no justifiable reason, other than they said so. Talking to grease trap manufacturers and internet research didn't provide much help on grease trap sizing, except that dump load (in our case the size of our 3-bay sink) would be a good starting point.

Somehow we managed to convince the head-honcho at the health department (who has since been nixed) that a 100 gallon grease trap would be sufficient for our kitchen.

Fast forward to today. The grease trap has been in use for more than a year now, but I never looked inside. Until today. We are closed today (it's Tuesday), and it seemed like a good day to do it. Our health inspector (one of the good guys, despite the fact that he works for the health department) had warned us that the odors from the grease trap could trigger gag reflexes, and were beyond sour milk.

So I opened the door as a precaution, in case I needed to escape. Fair warning: the following pictures may not be for the faint-hearted.

Off with the lid ...


... and be disappointed. Yes, there was scum (about half inch thick), but the smell was like leaving a greasy pan filled with water sit for a day or two, i.e. harmless.


So I skimmed the scum off the top and put the lid back on. Until next time ...


Dirk