Download the Grease Trap Permit Application

Grease Trap Inspection

Grease traps are used to keep fat, oil and grease (FOG) out of the sanitary sewer system. When FOG enters the waste stream and ultimately the treatment plant, they create a variety of problems. It clogs pipes and causes sewage to back up into homes, commercial establishments, and open spaces. As it reaches the plant, grease causes mechanical problems and increases treatment time and costs.

Grease introduced into the sewer system is lost as a valuable resource. When FOG is recycled prior to entering the sewer system, it can be used in a variety of products such as soaps and cosmetics, fertilizer, animal feeds, and munitions.

Peters Township has an ordinance which requires "all non-residential establishments that produce fats and grease" to have a working grease trap installed. This trap shall be cleaned periodically to prevent the discharge of FOG to the sanitary sewer system. It is estimated the 90% of the FOG discharged from a typical food service comes from the 3-bowl sink used for pre-rinsing and washing utensils. The FOG produced by households can be dealt with through routine maintenance of the sewer lines and normal treatment at the wastewater plant.

PTSA has confirmed that all establishments have complied with the township ordinance. PTSA is now making routine unannounced visits to these establishments in order to verify that the traps are being cleaned and maintained regularly.

OUR PROCEDURES:

1. If, at the time of the first inspection, we find that the trap is not being routinely cleaned and maintained we will issue a courtesy notice to clean the device immediately and to maintain it from that time forward. The courtesy notice will only be provided once. All future actions after a courtesy notice has been sent will proceed directly to a non-compliance notice.
2. If a follow-up inspection, to the courtesy notice, identifies continued neglect, a notice of noncompliance will be issued to advise the establishment that it is in violation of local ordinances and state and federal statutes.
3. If inspection after the noncompliance notice identifies continued neglect, a sample of the establishment's discharge will be collected and analyzed for grease and oil concentration. This will be performed by a contracted laboratory. All costs will be charged to the establishment's sewer account, should the results be greater than the Authority's discharge limit.
4. When the result of the analysis becomes available, the establishment will be notified in writing. If the concentration of grease and oil exceeds the Authority's discharge limit of 100 mg/L a written notice of violation of Township Ordinance, a citation, and an order to comply will be issued.
5. The establishment will be routinely inspected. The discharge will be considered in noncompliance until laboratory analysis confirms compliance.

The Authority requires that all grease traps conform to the Plumbing and Drainage Institute Standard G-101. Grease traps and their installation details must be approved by PTSA before construction. The application for new installations must contain the size and type of the trap being proposed as well as a floor plan showing location of trap and all fixtures being connected to trap along with discharge rates for each fixture. A copy of the PDI Standard G-101 may be obtained by contacting the Authority office or view: www.pdionline.org/dpi-g101.pdf.

HOW A GREASE TRAP WORKS:

Greasy wastewater entering the trap passes through a flow control fitting that limits the flow of the wastewater to meet the capacity of the grease trap. The wastewater then passes over a series of baffles within the trap which cause separation of grease and oils from water. The grease floats to the top of the trap and accumulates until manually removed. The water continues to flow through the trap and into the sanitary sewer system.

CLEANING TIP:

A small wet/dry shop vacuum make the cleaning of the trap simple and easy.