When you hear the word “sand traps”, most people think about a golf ball gone awry into a sand trap. In our business, “sand trap” has a very different meaning. At Reliable Sanitation and Watson Rooter, we clean out sand traps for:

• Car washes
• Car and truck dealerships
• Service shops
• Parking garages
• Government institutions

What is a Sand Trap?
A sand trap helps to retain the sand, grit, silt and petroleum products used by many commercial and industrial businesses. When cars are washed, for instance, all the sand/dirt/mud goes into the drain. Similar to a grease trap, the water with all the sand/mud in it flows into the sand trap and the sand settles to the bottom of the sand trap tank while the sand less water continues out the outlet hole down the line.  When the sand trap fills up, it will eventually clog up the line. To prevent this, sand traps should have regular maintenance.

Similar to garbage disposals — sand traps should not be used as catchalls. You should post a sign above your sand trap explaining what should and should not be dumped into a sand trap. For instance, antifreeze, solvents, oil, and transmission fluid should never be dumped into a sand trap.

Here’s some tips on sand trap cleaning:

• Sand traps should be pumped regularly to prevent pollutants from being discharged to the sanitary sewer collection system.
• Companies that clean sand traps should provide you with a manifest, and tell you what they are doing with the waste (we do!).
• Sand traps should be pumped when the depth of the liquid and solids in the sand trap approaches 25% of the total depth of the trap

For more information on Colorado sand trap pumping, contact Reliable Sanitation at 719-527-9484.