According to Southern Water approximately 2/3rd of the sewer blockages are caused by Fats Oils, and Grease (FOG). These blockages and backups within a commercial kitchen are caused by the build-up of FOG generated from washing pots, pans and plates. The potential costs go beyond compliance because drain blockages often need emergency call-outs with bills, not to mention the risk of further complications elsewhere in the water system.

The existing grease skimming system was suffering from regular problems including blocking with flour. The result was grease blockages in both the connecting drain line and the onsite foul water packaged pump station. The system produced a foul smell and the blocked drains exacerbated the situation.

QFM contacted the Filta Group to provide a solution. Filta installed a FiltaFOG Cyclone unit with a bespoke Flour Catcher unit which was designed for the KFC store. The modular system was installed in the kitchen and connected to the sinks.

As the wastewater from the washing of pots and pans makes its way down the drain it passes to a bespoke Flour Catcher unit which captures the flour residue, the filtered wastewater flows onto the FiltaFOG cyclone grease recovery unit (which works in the same way as a conventional grease trap). Next, the two-stage patented system separates the oils from the water to produce greywater free from oil residue.

The recovered oil is then stored onsite and returned back with the restaurant’s waste oil to be repurposed (for applications such as bio-fuel etc.) which generates additional revenue for the site.

The FiltaFOG Cyclone delivers ultra-high levels of Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) retention whilst using less energy than traditional GRUs and ensuring a better kitchen environment too. It offers the lowest energy consumption of any GRU and is also a sealed outlet with no need for staff to remove covers, ensuring no odours for a better working environment, reduced cleaning time and better hygiene.

It was a significant upgrade on the existing unit which was previously in place – and one which is already making a difference through improved performance and easier operation.

Lee Henderson, Restaurant General Manager at KFC Lakeside Doncaster, said: “We were one of the first to trial the new FiltaFOG system because our previous solution wasn’t working very well. It wasn’t separating the grease, wasn’t filtering out the flour and we had blocked drains regularly.

“I was aware of Filta because we use them for extraction duct cleaning services, but this is the first time we’ve had a Filta Grease Recovery Unit. Our pots inevitably get very messy by the end of the night so it’s a challenge, but FiltaFOG Cyclone has already shown that it’s a much better product than our old unit. It not only does the job, separating the flour and the oil as we need it to, but it looks better and smells better in the kitchen too.”

FiltaFOG Cyclone was installed at KFC Lakeside Doncaster to deliver an enhanced solution, separating grease and flour more effectively than the previous solution used beforehand.

• Installed x1 FiltaFOG Cyclone grease recovery unit and x1 Flour Catcher  in the kitchen
• Trained kitchen staff and the management team on how to maintain the equipment
• Arranged for regular follow-up servicing of the equipment to ensure it is running at maximum performance