Septic tank maintenance

grease trap reduction

Government housing grease trap reduction

Jul 17th, 2013
by Service.
Comments are off for this post

This article will cover government housing grease trap reduction. In every state, there is a Grease Ordinance that covers the spills from the sewages systems. These spills pollute the surrounding waterways. The Grease Ordinance mandates the different cities to implement the installation maintenance and regulations of the grease traps in various facilities and establishments within their jurisdiction. All of these structures produce and serve food. Since government housing residents also prepare their own meals, government housing projects are also required to install an appropriately-sized grease trap in their premises.

The biggest problem faced concerning grease traps is the FOG (fats, oils grease) overflow. There are government housing projects that have constructed apartment buildings for people to live in. With individual kitchens being used all the time, the grease traps installed in these government structures get filled way ahead of the scheduled pump out and maintenance. Because of this, government housing projects are among the biggest contributors to the worsening sewer and FOG overflow problem in the United States.

Even if the government agencies that run these government housing projects pay for grease trap cleaners, some of them just remove the superficial FOG and not completely remove everything including the solid wastes. Grease traps should be totally emptied, scraped, and scrubbed to completely renew the space that the next batch of FOG and solid wastes will occupy. Lack of proper maintenance makes it even harder for these agencies to face fines and lawsuits because of FOG and sewage overflows.

Government housing grease trap reduction is needed to make sure that everyone in the premises is healthy and the environment is safe. Widespread contamination and health issues spring out when the FOG and sewage back up into the government housing facilities and onto the surrounding water systems. This is really a cause for alarm because government projects like this should not cause harm to people and the environment.

The following are the details of proper maintenance and operation of government housing grease traps:

ü  When the grease trap or grease interceptor runs, it slows down the wastewater flow and  lets the FOG separate

ü  The wastewater then flows into the sewage system

ü  Maintenance is done by a licensed hauling company so that proper and efficient removal and disposal are observed

ü  Maintenance should be done a minimum of four times annually but could increase in frequency when there’s too much accumulation

ü  About 750 gallons is the minimum capacity of the tank

A government housing facility is considered as a multiple dwelling unit. If ever the structure itself evidently shows that an automated grease interceptor cannot be installed, then the following will be mandated by the building official:

  • Installation of a passive grease trap
  • Assurance that proper maintenance of the grease trap will be performed
  • Payments will be made for remedial or preventive work and extra cleaning of the lines

Until the grease trap is built and installed, no approval will be given through a certificate of occupancy and use.

The residents themselves could participate in government housing grease trap reduction practices. The government agency that manages the apartment building could request the tenants to install food meshes or screens into their drains and sinks to keep solid wastes and grease from entering the grease trap. They could also be requested to scrape all the grease materials off their utensils and dishes, place them in recyclable containers, seal them, and dispose of them properly. These practices will significantly lessen the amount of FOG and solid wastes in the grease trap.

Another effective means of government housing grease trap reduction is the use of bioremediation or bioaugmentation. Bioremediation is the process of using bacteria to consume the contaminants and perhaps convert them into less harmful forms. Bioaugmentation is the process of using selected bacteria to consume the contaminants. Both are recommended and used to safely remove the FOG and solid wastes from the government housing grease traps.

By using bacteria in government housing grease trap reduction, government agencies are assured of a much happier set of tenants, a safer environment, and a much lower cost of maintenance.

Apartment complex building grease trap prevention

Jun 6th, 2013
by Service.
Comments are off for this post

This article will cover apartment complex building grease trap prevention. Environmental awareness is given much more attention these days. It seems that people are becoming increasingly considerate with Mother Nature because they know that if she is gone, everything will die off eventually. No one wants that to happen. So, even in the midst of progress, companies and governments are exerting much effort in making sure that their products and services are clean and green. Stricter environmental laws are being passed so as to help various states maintain the integrity of their natural resources and their health.

One product of technology and advancement is the apartment complex. This infrastructure is designed and built in areas that need to provide decent housing facilities. It is very convenient and practical for most people to live in an apartment complex. When the apartment building is full, it’s pretty much like a small vertical community. But even with such progress in residential accommodations, a price is paid. The environment and the health of everyone within an apartment complex area are negatively affected by the FOG (fats, oils, grease) crisis.

As you may already know, a grease trap is a mandatory component that’s installed in facilities that prepare and serve food. Every unit in an apartment complex has a kitchen and is all the residents prepare their meals several times a day simultaneously, then the grease trap will definitely be filled up way before its time to have it cleaned and pumped out. FOG overflow happens especially when the residents just dump everything into their kitchen sink and let the garbage disposal take care of it. What most resident aren’t aware of is that the garbage disposal unit merely grinds up solid wastes. It doesn’t change the chemical composition of the grease that passes through it. This should definitely change. There should be an effective apartment complex building grease trap prevention wherein every resident has to participate.

It’s hard to accept the fact that there is FOG overflow because of the wrong practices in the kitchen. When the grease trap overflows with FOG, the grease material incorporates itself into the wastewater. The FOG cools down and solidifies as it flows with the wastewater through the sewage pipes. Eventually, the FOG sticks to the pipe walls and blocks the wastewater from moving towards the wastewater treatment facility. The wastewater and FOG back up into the apartment complex and onto the surrounding environment. Health problems arise as pathogens infect the residents and animals in the area. Environmental problems such as pollution and eutrophication become too uncontrollable to manage. When this happens, the apartment complex managers and owners face lawsuits and pay up large amounts as fines for violating the set limit for FOG overflow.

Apartment complex building grease trap prevention should be implemented. This should involve the residents in every apartment complex. Fine filters should be installed in kitchen sinks so that any solid wastes or FOG may be caught during washing. Before washing even takes place, the grease materials and solid food particles should be scraped off the utensils and dishes, placed in a jar, sealed up, and thrown with the rest of the garbage. This would prevent a large amount of FOG from entering the grease trap.

The most important element in apartment complex building grease trap prevention is using friendly bacteria in cleaning and treating the grease trap. This process is known as bioremediation. Through this process, the FOG and the solid wastes are controlled because the bacteria aggressively degrade the solid wastes and the FOG that has accumulated in the trap. Offensive odors are also eliminated.

Various forms of bacteria can be used according to the budget and preference. Bacteria pumps deliver bacteria by the dose at different time intervals. Bacteria blocks are suspended in the grease trap until they completely dissolve. Liquid bacteria are poured into the drain and treat the grease trap directly. Powdered bacteria are preferred because they are easy to store and ship out. With the use of bacteria, apartment complex managers and owners don’t have to pay large fines or face lawsuits anymore. We hope this article helped the reader better understand apartment complex building grease trap prevention.

Country club grease trap reduction

Mar 20th, 2013
by Service.
Comments are off for this post

What would you do if you earn hundreds of thousands of dollars a month and have no more charity events to donate your money to? Well, what most people with that much money do is to avail of a country club membership. Living in the city as a rich tycoon or a philanthropist can be very boring, stressful, and tiring. This is why they become exclusive members of these country clubs so that they could relax and enjoy as much as they want without leaving the country. At the very least, they get to mingle with others at their level in society and perhaps welcome those from other circles as well. It is not a secret that many catered events happen in country clubs. They could be fund-raisers, engagement parties, wedding receptions, and other significant events that the exclusive members could think of. Aside from these, there are also bars and restaurants that help satisfy the cravings of those who are willing to pay good money for the food that they want. This is basically what country clubs are about—gatherings and food. But there are certain activities on the side that keep everybody entertained like sports, which are mainly golf and tennis.

Country clubs serve a lot of food at any given day, which is why the FOG (fats, oils, grease) levels in the wastewater that come from their facilities have alarmed the US government and environmentalists as well. The country is currently suffering from the FOG crisis. This is a situation where in FOG overflows into the wastewater and enters the sewage system. There, the FOG lowers its temperature and solidifies in the pipelines. The FOG then adheres to the inner pipe walls and hardens. The cement-like FOG then blocks the flow of the wastewater preventing it from reaching the treatment plant. There should definitely be a country club grease trap reduction scheme. To do this, the country club owners are required through the grease ordinance to install grease traps in their kitchens. The maintenance of the traps is also their responsibility. The schedules grease trap pump outs should be established with eth local grease trap expert. The schedules should be kept so that the FOG levels will not be allowed to increase.

The next important step in country club grease trap reduction is to make us of an efficient additive that could help clean the grease trap without aggravating the FOG situation. There are club owners who keep on using chemicals and enzymes in country club grease trap reduction, only to find out too late that their additives are making things worse. The chemicals and enzymes emulsify the FOG, making it join the effluent much faster. When the FOG enters the sewage system, the events in a regular FOG overflow happen once more. The money that these country club owners have invested in such additives just literally go down the drain.

Bacteria-based additives are the most effective cleaners in country club grease trap reduction. They adapt perfectly in the grease trap environment and proliferate in there. They consume every bit of FOG until the grease trap is odorless and until the FOG levels are extremely low. Regular application of bacteria in the traps will save the country club owners a lot of money that’s supposed to be spent on pump out sessions.

Preventing grease from entering the grease trap is also one way of contributing to country club grease trap reduction. The kitchen personnel could manually scrape off the grease from utensils, cookware, and dishes. They contain the grease in special leak-proof receptacles that could then be sealed upon disposal. The wash sinks that they use should have meshes and filters that could catch the grease materials to keep them from entering the grease trap. These improves grease disposal practices could significantly lower the grease levels in the traps. These and bacteria could finally lead to the alleviation of the FOG crisis in the country.