Septic tank maintenance

June 10th, 2013:

Correctional facility grease trap chemicals

Correctional facility grease trap chemicals help to provide every kind of service to inmates and staff so that their stay within the premises remains pleasant. As much as possible, everyone’s needs are addressed and every crisis is resolved. Food provision and clean living spaces are two of the most basic needs given by correctional facilities. Large kitchens are within correctional facilities. They have to be huge because of the number of people they have to cook dishes for. Imagine the massive number of meals that are served, perhaps three to five times in a day. Continuous washing takes place in the kitchen and this is the most common source of FOG problems in correctional facilities.

With the FOG crisis dramatically worsening, other facilities and establishments are already being affected. There are cases wherein lifts in municipalities stop working because the pumps are saturated with FOG that comes from correctional facilities. The surrounding environment also suffers from the FOG and wastewater overflow. When the FOG completely blocks the sewer pipes, the wastewater backs up into the correctional facility and overflows into the lakes, streams, ponds, and rivers. As a result, the aquatic life dies off and pathogens spread diseases.

Inside the correctional facilities, the inmates and staff experience the foul experience when they use the bathrooms, drains, sinks, and toilets. Disarming smells overwhelm the facilities and this is not ideal for such a huge population of people living in confined spaces. There is a high probability that the inmates or staff will suffer from hygiene issues and health issues if the FOG and wastewater overflow are not immediately resolved.

To help correctional facilities manage the FOG output from their kitchens, passive grease traps are installed outside underground. Passive grease traps that use gravity are the ones used so that there would be no extra electricity consumption. A passive grease interceptor collects the grey water that contains all the FOG and solid materials from the kitchen during the washing process. When the grease materials go down the drain, they are liquefied. Because of the distance between the drains and the grease interceptor, the grease slowly cool and solidify. When the FOG solidifies, it floats on the grey water. The solid wastes sink to the bottom of the trap. The resulting effluent is then free to run through the wastewater pipes that lead to the wastewater treatment facility.

The maintenance of these grease traps is very important because correctional facilities are one of the largest contributors of FOG overflows in the US. They usually have their grease traps pumped out and cleaned every 6 to 8 weeks. Even if they practice this regularly, they still end up with a hefty annual fine of 30,000 USD. This only means that the care being given to the grease traps is not enough. The management of FOG should be completely modified to lessen the incidence of FOG overflow. Kitchens in correctional facilities are now scraping the grease materials and solid food particles before the utensils, dishes, and equipment are actually washed. This makes the level of FOG decrease dramatically inside the grease traps.

In maintaining the grease traps, correctional facility grease trap chemicals should not be used at all because of the following reasons:

  • They corrode the grease trap’s physical components
  • They pollute the environment once they run off into the surrounding water systems
  • They only emulsify and suspend the FOG in the wastewater, enabling it to travel through the wastewater pipelines. They solidify in these pipelines and cause blockages.
  • They contribute to the formation of sludge that block the pipe lines even more

Instead of correctional facility grease trap chemicals, non-pathogenic or good bacteria are used to breakdown the solid wastes and FOG in the grease traps. This method is called bioremediation. It’s highly recommended by the Plumbing & Drainage Institute because bacteria do not pollute the environment and bacteria eliminate the foul odors as well. Bacteria are very safe to use and would save the correctional facility a lot of expenses in pumping out and cleaning bills.