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Do you have to hold your nose every time you pass by your internal lift station? If so, you probably already know that you want to eliminate that smell. What you might not know, however, is what is causing the smell or how to fix it.

The smell emanating from your internal lift station is due to the fats, oils, and greases (“FOGs”) floating inside it. This article will help you gain clarity on the leading solution to eliminating the smell of a lift station – a floating degreaser.

This article will explain which of State Chemical’s floating degreasers is right for you. It walks through three popular floating degreasers – Orange Buoy, Orange Buoy Select, and Cherry Float.

What Causes Lift Stations to Smell and Malfunction?

Internal lift stations move wastewater from inside a large building, such as an apartment complex, office building, or school, to the city system. The wastewater that goes down the drain and into the lift station contains FOGs. These FOGs solidify in the lift station and cause malodors. In other words, FOGs smell!

For example, if someone pours bacon grease down the kitchen drain, that grease will slide down the drain and into the lift station. The grease will then solidify and sit in the lift station. The stagnant solidified grease smells and that smell can waft out of the lift station, into the room the lift station is in, and even to other nearby rooms.

The other consequence of the bacon grease that was poured down the drain is that a FOG buildup can cause a lift station to malfunction. A lift station contains floats that tell the lift station whether it is time for the lift station to pump out water. If the floats are covered with FOGs, they may not correctly signal to the pump that it is time to pump out the water, causing the lift station to overflow.

Floating Degreasers Improve the Smell of Lift Stations and Prevent FOGs from Building Up

The solution to the stinky FOGs is to add a floating degreaser to a lift station. When a floating degreaser is added to a lift station, it floats on the top of the water. This creates a barrier between the FOG-infested water and your nose.

Floating degreasers begin to work immediately. After adding the product to the lift station, you will notice that the foul smell of FOGs is replaced with the pleasant scent of the floating degreaser.

Floating degreasers also stick to the sides of the lift station, preventing FOGs from building up there. However, floating degreasers do not break down FOGs that have already formed in a lift station. If you want to fix a clog in your lift station, then you need to use a chemical or biological product instead of a floating degreaser.

Floating Degreasers Differ in Fragrance, Degreasing Strength, and Price

Orange Buoy is A Very Effective, But Premium Cost, Degreaser

Orange Buoy is the most effective degreaser on this list – it is the best at preventing FOGs from building up on the sides of a lift station. It can dissolve one gram of lard in under 10 minutes. We recommend Orange Buoy if your main goal is to prevent FOG buildup.

Orange Buoy contains orange oil. Orange oil is a very effective degreaser and has an orange scent. However, orange oil is a costly raw ingredient and the market for orange oil is volatile. Because the main ingredient of Orange Buoy is expensive, it is an expensive product. Therefore, we do not recommend Orange Buoy if you are cost sensitive.

Orange Buoy Select Provides the Same Orange Scent as Orange Buoy, but is a Less Effective Degreaser

Like Orange Buoy, Orange Buoy Select’s active ingredient is orange oil. However, Orange Buoy Select has a much lower concentration of orange oil. Since Orange Buoy Select contains less orange oil than Orange Buoy, it is a less effective degreaser. It takes Orange Buoy Select over 37 minutes to dissolve one gram of lard. Orange Buoy Select is the right choice if you want a more cost-effective product with an orange scent.

Cherry Float Provides The Most Bang For Your Buck

Cherry Float provides a middle ground of effectiveness between Orange Buoy and Orange Buoy Select. While it is not as strong of a degreaser as Orange Buoy, it is better than Orange Buoy Select. A study found that Orange Buoy can dissolve one gram of lard in under 10 minutes, Cherry Float can dissolve one gram of lard in under 28 minutes, and Orange Buoy Select can dissolve one gram of lard in under 38 minutes.

Since Cherry Float does not contain orange oil, it is more cost effective and more cost stable than the abovementioned products. As the name suggests, cherry float smells like cherries.

The Bottom Line: Floating Degreasers Improve the Smell of Lift Stations and Prevent FOG Buildups

If your lift station smells or you want to prevent FOG buildups, then a floating degreaser is the right product. However, floating degreasers cannot break down solidified FOG masses that have already formed. For that problem, you need a chemical or biological product.

Orange Buoy is the best product for you if your goal is to prevent FOG buildups. It is the strongest degreaser presented here. Orange Buoy Select is for you if you want less effective degreasing at a lower price. Cherry Float provides the most bang for your buck – it is a moderate-strength degreaser at a lower and more stable price point than the orange oil based products.

Your next step to prevent FOG buildup in your lift station and eliminate those ghastly smells is to contact State Chemical.