Grease Trap Calculators
Two free tools for Richmond kitchens: when your trap needs pumping, and what size trap a new kitchen needs.
Assumptions (shown so you can check us): the industry "25% rule" —
a trap must be pumped before fats, oils, grease and solids fill 25% of its liquid
capacity. Combined FOG and food-solids accumulation estimated at
0.03 / 0.06 / 0.10 lb per meal by menu type (calibrated so a 750-gal interceptor
at ~250 meals/day lands near the quarterly interval seen in practice), at
~7.5 lb per gallon of accumulated material. These are planning
estimates with real-world variance — your pump-out receipts are the ground truth. This tool is not legal advice.
Method: the common code sizing formula — peak-hour meals ×
waste-flow rate × 2.5 retention factor × storage factor = required capacity in
gallons, rounded up to the next standard trap size. Final sizing must be approved
by the parish plumbing official; use this to sanity-check a quote, not to pull a
permit.