How To Size Restaurant Grease Traps

Last updated on July 1st, 2022 at 09:56 am

Fats, oils, and greases have no place in drains. A commercial grease trap is the ideal solution to keep them out. Grease traps slow the flow of water allowing the oils and grease to cool and then collect them to be cleaned out. Burkett Restaurant Equipment offers a variety of grease traps. To properly size one you need to use the following formula:

Commercial grease traps are sized according to the rate of incoming flow, in gallons per minute (GPM). Associated with this incoming flow rate is the trap’s capacity. This rated capacity, in pounds, is listed at twice the flow rate. For example, a 10 GPM trap has a rated capacity of 20 pounds.

Keep in mind to consider not only how much grease you may generate, but also the size of the bowl on your sink. Similarly to overflowing a funnel, if your grease trap is too small it won’t be able to keep up with the rate of water flow.

It is important to size a grease trap larger than calculated (round up to next available size only). A grease interceptor that is extremely oversized will have longer periods between pump-outs. The rotting grease will adversely affect the structure of the grease interceptor.