What Are Grease Traps?

March 28th, 2012 Posted in Grease Traps
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A grease trap is a device that captures and removes grease, fats, and oils from wastewater and prevents it from entering the municipal wastewater system.  Municipal wastewater systems can handle and treat the relatively small quantities of grease produced by residential customers, but they cannot handle the large volume of grease produced by commercial customers such as restaurants.  In addition, without a grease trap, all that grease can clog sewer lines and cause problems with the sewer system.

Since homeowners dispose of relatively small amounts of grease, they don’t need to install grease traps in their drains but many commercial entities are required by local law to have them.  Grease trap regulations are set by local governments and vary depending on the location, but in general most commercial establishments that dispose of more than a limited amount of grease through their drain lines are required to have grease traps.  Restaurants are the most common type of establishment that needs to have a grease trap.

Grease traps look like a large box with baffles that are designed to capture the grease.  Wastewater enters the box from one end and cools inside the box. Grease, oil and fat solidify and float to the surface and are trapped inside the box.  Wastewater flows out the other end of the box and flows into the sewer system.

Regular grease trap cleaning or grease trap pumping is vitally important to keep a grease trap operating properly.  A clogged grease trap will cause drains to back up and might allow grease to enter the sewer system.  A good sewer septic company that handles commercial septic pumping will offer grease trap pumping and disposal of waste grease.  Keeping the grease trap clean with regular cleaning an pumping will keep the grease trap working great and prevent messy backups.

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Wet Basements

March 15th, 2012 Posted in Sump Pumps and Ejector Pumps
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Wet basements are a huge problem for thousands of homeowner.  In addition to causing severe damage to floor coverings, personal possessions, appliances, and furnishings, flooded basements can lead to wood rot and structural damage.  The presence of all that moisture attracts insects and promotes the growth of mold and mildew.

Ignoring a wet basement will only make the matter worse.  Fortunately, you don’t have to live with a wet basement.  There are several different options for solving any flooded basement problem.

The first thing to do is to ensure that your yard is draining properly.  The ground around your home should be graded so that rain water and runoff flows away from your home.  In many cases simply re-grading your property will solve of greatly reduce basement flooding issues.

Drain spouts that allow water to accumulate near the home are another common cause of wet basements.  Re-position or extend drain spouts so that rain water is directed out into the yard and away from your foundation.

When the water table is too high or it is simply impossible to prevent water from accumulating around the foundation, you should talk to your plumber or sewer septic professional about installing a sump pump.  Sump pumps are installed in a shallow well in the floor of your basement.  The well is below floor level so water accumulates in the well before it reaches your basement.

A float switch in the well activates the sump pump and the water is safely pumped out and away from your home.   A sump pump system must be properly designed and installed for effective operation.  A good local plumber  or sewer septic technician will be able to help you select the right sump pump for your home and handle the installation.

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Dealing With Tree Roots

March 15th, 2012 Posted in Sewer Lines
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Tree roots are a common cause of sewer line clogs and backed up sewer lines.  Tree roots will find any holes, cracks or fissures in a sewer line.  Once they infiltrate the sewer line, the roots will grow and expand until a web of roots is inside the sewer line.  Everything that gets flushed down the drain or toilet will get caught in the mat of tree roots including paper, oil, hair grease, and other material.  Before long, a nasty clog will form and a sewer septic professional will be needed to clear the clog.

Your sewer septic professional will be able to provide details on what options you have to take care of the clog.  One option will be to use a mechanical cutting head to cut through the roots and clear the clog.  This option will only be effective until the tree roots grow back.  The problem will recur every year or two and you will have to call the sewer septic contractor back out to clear the line again.

Another option is to use high pressure hydro jetting to clear the clog.  Hydro jetting uses high pressure water sprayed through special heads to cut through tree roots and thoroughly clean the inside of the pipe.  Hydro jetting does a more thorough job than a mechanical cutter, but you will still have the problem of the tree roots growing back.

A camera inspection may be needed to check the condition of the pipe.  If the sewer line is in good condition, your sewer septic professional may recommend a chemical treatment to kill the tree roots and stop new roots from forming.  Relining the pipe is another more permanent solution.

If the sewer line is collapsed, broken, or otherwise in bad shape a sewer line replacement may be the only alternative.

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Sewer Gas Smell In Your Home

March 15th, 2012 Posted in Sewer Lines
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If you think you smell sewer gas inside your home, your first step should be to make sure you are not smelling natural gas or propane.  Natural gas or propane has a distinctive “rotten egg” smell that can be mistaken for sewer gas.  If you even suspect that it might be propane or natural gas, leave your home immediately and notify the gas company or fire department.

If you have eliminated natural gas or propane as the source of the smell, you can start looking for the source of the sewer gas odor.  In most cases, the cause of sewer gas odor is a “dry trap”.  Every sink, tub, shower or other drain in your home has a short curved section of drain pipe shaped like a “P” laying face down.  This drain pipe is called a P-trap.

If you look under your kitchen or bathroom sink you will see the P-trap right under the sink.  Bathtub and shower stall P-traps are usually under the floor and not as easy to see.

The P-trap is meant to hold a little residual drain water in it to form a seal that blocks sewer gas from entering your home through the drain.  What often happens when a drain does not get used for awhile is that the water evaporates and allows the sewer gas to enter your home.

In most cases, simply running some water down the drain will refill the P-trap and stop the sewer gas smell.  If you don’t have any dry traps, you should call a plumber or sewer-septic contractor and have them check your plumbing.  You could have a broken or leaking sewer line or a cracked or broken sewer vent line.

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