The UK’s eating habits have changed dramatically over the past decades, with many people now eating out much more often, allowing the food and drink industry to grow exponentially. While FOG (fats, oil, and grease) do not appear harmful on the surface, they congeal and stick to the inner lining of drainage pipes when cooled. This restricts wastewater flow and over time blocks pipes.
Once grease enters the sewer system, it causes blockages, foul odours on the surface, sewer overflows and even pest infestations. Resulting problems can be costly to rectify and the property responsible for blockages can be back charged by the water company for cleaning the sewers.
Over the past few years, legislation has been put forward for commercial food and drink venues to install grease traps. The purpose of a grease trap is to collect and reduce the amount of FOG entering the public sewers.
Grease traps can be made from steel, plastics, concrete or a combination of the three. There are a range of grease traps, we at Aqua Mundus offer, whether they are situated above ground, below ground, inside the kitchen, or outside the building.
With the many different types of grease traps available, this blog has been created to outline the best above ground grease traps, so that you feel better informed about which solution would be best for you.
What Is an Above Ground Grease Trap?
The Above Ground Grease Traps can also be known as Floor Standing Grease Traps. This means they are available for internal or external installations. They can be installed adjacent to the pot wash sink or other kitchen equipment.
Passive Manual Grease Traps slow the wastewater flow, allowing it to cool and separate into 3 layers, FOG, Solids and Water. The FOG (fats, oil, and grease) forms a grease layer on top of the liquid. The solids will accumulate towards the bottom of the unit or collect inside a strainer, which is located at the inlet side of the unit. The water will then discharge through the outlet.
Automatic Grease Traps function similar to Passive Grease Traps. Like the manual systems kitchen wastewater flow enters the automatic grease traps and separates the grease and solids. However, the automatic systems always feature a removable strainer basket for solids collection as well as an external grease collector.
The difference between automatic grease traps and manual grease traps, is the build-up of solids and FOG (fat, oil and grease) inside the unit. Therefore, manual grease traps are less efficient than automatic ones, as the grease accumulates inside the grease trap, until its either pumped out or emptied manually.
Big Dipper
The Big Dipper is part of the fully automatic series of grease traps and is completely self-cleaning. This means that effective maintenance only takes two minutes a day. The unit also has a 24-hour timer, so that it can be programmed to suit your food establishment’s schedule and requirements effectively.
The Big Dipper also features Advanced Odour Protection technology, thus presenting a solution to the problem of both kitchen grease and unwanted odours. If required, there are also AST models that automatically remove solids, reducing the maintenance required even further.
The Big Dipper is made from strong, robust, and durable polyethylene, but has an appealing and hygienic stainless-steel casing that has a relatively small footprint in your kitchen space. As a result, a Big Dipper can be installed in a variety of locations and is suitable for 1 – 3 compartment sinks, pre-rinse stations, combi-ovens, and workstations.
Why It’s Recommended?
The Big Dipper removes 99.5% of FOG, giving you confidence that your establishment has free-flowing drains, and will not incur any costly maintenance. The Big Dipper grease traps are usually installed in Kitchens, near the sink or dishwasher.
Grease Shield
The Grease Shield is a fully automatic grease trap, which enables your business to run smoothly and focus on the customer rather than the functioning of your kitchen. The Grease Shield’s self-cleaning function further encourages this, as it ensures grey water is always circulated, so that it may continue to operate cleanly and efficiently.
One aspect that is completely unique to Grease Shield is that it is the first and only ‘’green’’ certified grease trap in the world. The machine uses waste thermal energy and does not require the use of any heating elements, allowing you to reduce your energy bills and ecological impact simultaneously.
Another aspect that is unique to the Grease Shield is its addition to the patented Oleophilic Roller. The Oleophilic Roller attracts oil and repels water, and therefore helps to contribute not only to separating FOG but also to remove it – a landmark process in grease removal.
Why is it Recommended?
With the absence of chemicals, required heating elements, and the inclusion of control time locks, the Grease Shield is the ideal option for the economically minded, as well as those companies seeking to be more environmentally friendly. They can be installed adjacent to the contaminating sink or other equipment within the kitchen area.
Lipujet
The Aqua Mundus Lipujet is comprised of a range of free-standing grease separators that assist in the complete disposal of grease. Lipujet functions on the basis that water, fats, oils, grease, and solid particles all have contrasting densities. Kitchen wastewater enters the LipuJet grease trap where FOG floats upwards, and sludge sinks downwards and the separated clean water, floats away.
The Aqua Mundus Lipujet can be constructed from either polyethylene or stainless steel and is available in either a round or oval design – enabling you to choose from a range of options to suit your specific spatial requirements. Furthermore, polyethylene is corrosion-resistant but also light; making it easy to transport and install. Aqua Mundus is so confident in the performance of the Lipujet, that it offers users the benefit of 25-year-warranty protection for material stability and resistance against greasy wastewater.
The Lipujet is a grease separator that requires maintenance to remove waste once the separator is full. All of the above-ground Lipujet models feature one or two inspection windows, which allow you to view and monitor the grease level effectively.
Why It’s Recommended?
Many choose the Aqua Mundus Lipujet, as there are no biological agents or chemicals used in it, enabling your business to be more environmentally friendly. Using a more ethical method of grease separation and removal can therefore help to increase the popularity of your business significantly.
Grease Trap Solutions by Aqua Mundus
Currently the UK’s leading grease trap and wastewater management specialist, Aqua Mundus has a wide range of high-quality solutions for you and your business. We install and service an expansive range of above ground grease traps from trusted brands, all designed to be a valuable investment for you.
To discover more about our below ground grease traps, site surveys or our other services, please contact us today.