How They Work - BIG DIPPER Grease Interceptors
BIG DIPPER® HOW THEY WORK
To remove over 99% of cooking fats, oils and greases from drainwater, Big Dipper integrates two processes:
- The Separation Process - the free-floating grease and oils are intercepted, baffled and isolated from the drainwater. This happens continuously.
- The Self-Cleaning Process - removes all collected fats, oils and grease from the baffled separation area. At pre-set times, all of the intercepted grease is heated, skimmed off and deposited into the supplied translucent Big Dipper containers, or any desired container, including 55 Gallon drums.
Separation:
As the drainwater containing free-floating fats, oils and grease flows into the Big Dipper system, the lighter material, immediately separates, rises to the top and is trapped in the grease retention area of the tank. The heavier clean water portion of the flow is allowed to exit under an outlet baffle and is discharged into the drain lines. An internal solids strainer basket collects incidental food scraps that may be present in the drain water.
Self Cleaning:
At a preset time of each day, completely programmable by timer settings, the self-cleaning process starts itself automatically. An internal heater warms the unit to a temperature of 115-130°F (46-54°C). The heat ensures that all fats and oils are liquefied before being removed from the retention area of the tank. When the timer reaches an "on" position, a motor that rotates a skimming wheel activates. This wheel is made of a special type of material that causes grease and oils to adhere to it. A wiper blade assembly that fits over the wheel removes the grease and oils from the wheel and transfers them to the outlet sump pipe. The skimmed grease and oils flow through this pipe to the outside of the system and is deposited in the system's collection container.
BIG DIPPER with Automatic Solids Transfer (AST)
All BIG DIPPER Grease Interceptors automatically separate and remove fat, oils and grease from the wastewater. Big Dipper with AST, adds a patented technological breakthrough that separates all incidental food solids and debris in the entering water from the fat, oils and grease and pumps it out into the drain. All processes are automatically conrolled by a timer. The operation of a Big Dipper AST can be broken into two components.
THE SEPARATION PROCESS (with AST)
As drainwater containing free-floating grease and oils flow into the Big Dipper, all the lighter fats and oils immediately separate, pass through the solids strainers to the top of the tank, and are trapped in the grease retention area. The heavier clean water exits under the outlet baffle. Any food solids or debris contained in the drain water entering the Big Dipper are separated by the strainers and held in the solids retention area.
THE SELF CLEANING PROCESS (with AST)
Incidental solids and trapped grease are automatically removed from the Big Dipper. An internal timer periodically activates the solids transfer pump, which whisks the trapped solids out of the solids retention area and discharges them to the outlet of the Big Dipper to join the cleaned water exiting the system.
Another independent timer is set to activate the grease removal process. When the timer reaches the "on" position, the electric heating element is activated and heats the system to 115-130ยบ F. This ensures that all fats and oils are liquefied before they are automatically removed from the tank. Simultaneously, the motor which rotates the skimming wheel is activated. Grease and oil adhere to the sides of the specially designed skimming wheel. A wiper blade assembly that fits over the wheel scrubs the grease and oil from the wheel. The skimmed fats/oils are discharged via the sump to the collection container supplied with the system.
