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Whether it’s a large institutional cafeteria that runs 24/7, or a small neighborhood pizza place, installing a grease trap of proper size is essential.

You risk overflows and messy back-ups in the kitchen if you install a unit that’s too small. You would also risk flushing money down the drain if you install a unit that’s too large.

Determining the appropriate size of a grease trap may be challenging. Luckily, there are resources to make the job a success. The following is a guide that informs you on ways to size a grease trap.

· Grease Trap Sizing
A grease trap is designed to stop greasy substances from entering wastewater treatment facilities, septic tanks, and plumbing systems. Greasy substances may also be a hazard to the environment.

The combination of kitchen appliances connected to the grease trap determines the size of the grease trap needed. To determine the right sizing, you have to limit the amount of fixtures connected to the grease trap.

Fixtures connected to the trap may include mop sinks, pot sinks, 3-compartment sinks, and dishwashers.

You can also have more than just one grease trap installed depending upon the location of the appliances in the kitchen.

· Factors that Determine Grease Interceptor Sizing
Formulas used in grease trap and passive grease interceptor sizing can vary from city to city. Grease interceptors, grease traps, and grease recovery devices are sized using different strategies and formulas.

Grease traps are sized according to the rate of incoming flow, in gallons per minute (GPM). Related to this incoming flow rate is the capacity of the trap. Charts, formulas, and calculations are used to determine grease trap sizing and capacities.

It is recommended that you always consult your plumber and local grease trap company for specific regulations. Meanwhile, you can use a grease trap calculator to obtain a detailed sizing for your grease trap and grease recovery device.

· Local Plumbing Codes

For public health and safety, you’re obliged to meet the required standards of the approved codes. The codes determine design and installation criteria, and they typically follow those detailed by the Plumbing & Drainage Institute.

Municipal codes frequently disallow automatic dishwashers from being affixed to grease traps. With this scenario, the wastewater is left to flow directly into the sanitary sewer. Although, some Municipal codes keep it mandatory that all drains be connected to the grease trap.

While sometimes possible, outside in-ground grease interceptors are space-limited. As a matter of fact, the concept of only permitting a large in-ground grease trap to meet regulations is outdated and not relevant.

Local plumbing codes usually determine the design and installation criteria. The guidelines proposed by the Plumbing & Drainage Institute are also typically followed.

Sometimes, the local codes may require an engineer/plumber or a company focused on grease traps in order to help you create your trap by one or two options.

The 2 options are:

1. Fixture capacity

2. Gravity flow rates

The two options are guided by the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) developed by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials.

1. Grease Trap Sizing Using Fixture Capacity
You can use this method if the fixture dimension in your FSE (food service establishment) is known. Otherwise, use the gravity flow rate option instead. There’s a correlation between the maximum flow rate to the grease trap and the volume of the fixtures.

Usually, grease traps are rated depending on the flow rate. This means that you can determine the size of the grease trap by calculating the total volume of the fixtures feeding the grease trap.

Calculating the Flow Rate

Step 1: Calculate the capacity of the fixture (ex: the sink) your grease trap is servicing by measuring the length, width, and depth. Use inches.Next, multiply all three values. The resulting value is the volume of the fixture. Let’s assign this value to A.

Step 2: Convert A to gallons. 1 gallon amounts to 231 cubic inches. The resulting figure is now in gallons. Let’s assign this figure as B.

Step 3: Determine the fill factor (also called loading factor), which we’ll use to multiply with B. Fill factor pertains to your sink’s fill capacity. If you usually fill your sink to 3/4 of its full capacity, then your fill factor is 0.75. Once you have the fill factor, multiply it by B gallons. The resulting figure is now C gallons.

Step 4: Determine the length of time it takes to completely drain the sink/fixture. Normally, the drainage period is 1 or 2 minutes. One minute is optimal. To determine the drainage period, simply divide C with either 1 or 2 minutes. The resulting figure is D gallons per minute.

Now you’ve got your flow rate.

2. Grease Trap Sizing Using Gravity Flow Rates

Under this method, the grease trap is sized according to the grease waste pipe’s diameter. According to the Uniform Plumbing Code, the maximum flow rate for a waste diameter pipe is 20 gpm.

If you choose a two-minute drainage period, you would need a 10 gpm– rated grease trap. Basically, for this specific case, you must ensure that the volume of the sink feeding into the grease trap– rated 10gpm doesn’t exceed 25 gallons.

Conclusion
Determining the right size of a grease trap is key. However, the determination isn’t always easy, especially given how complicated and messy the world of grease trap selection is.

Hopefully, this guide has succeeded in teaching you ways to determine the right size for your grease trap.