Maintenance is a routine, not a repair
Most grease problems are cheaper to prevent than to fix. An interceptor that is pumped before it fills, and a kitchen that keeps solids and grease out of the drains, will need far fewer emergency calls. The hard part is that the right interval is different for every kitchen. A café that bakes and makes sandwiches sends far less grease down the drain than a kitchen running fryers and a wok line all day.
The way to find your interval is to measure. Each time the unit is pumped, the service should record how full it was with grease and solids. If it is close to full every time, the interval is too long. If it is nearly empty, you may be able to stretch it, as long as you stay within any schedule the city requires.
What a good service log records
- Date and time
- When the unit was serviced and whether the kitchen was open.
- Service provider
- Who did the work, with their own record or receipt attached.
- Fill level
- How much of the tank was grease and solids before pumping.
- Condition
- Notes on baffles, lid, inlet and outlet, and anything that looked damaged.
- Disposal record
- Where the waste went, if your service provides it.
- Follow-up
- Any repair recommended and whether it was done.
Daily kitchen habits that cut grease
These cost nothing and make the biggest difference between pumpings.
A sample maintenance rhythm
Adjust every interval to your volume and to any city requirement.
- Every shift
- Empty strainer baskets, scrape before washing, check that floor sinks drain freely.
- Weekly
- Manager walk-through: look at floor sinks, mop sink and interceptor lid; note slow drains.
- Each pumping
- Record fill level and condition; adjust the next interval based on what was found.
- Periodically
- Have the kitchen lines jetted on a schedule based on how fast grease builds up.
- Before menu or equipment changes
- Ask a plumber whether added fryers, sinks or dish capacity change what the interceptor must handle.
Example: finding the right interval
Illustrative example. Not a real job or customer.
A Fullerton lunch counter has its interceptor pumped on a fixed calendar, but floor sinks still back up a week or two before each service.
- The manager asks the pumper to record the fill level at the next two visits.
- Both records show the unit nearly full of grease and solids.
- A plumber jets the kitchen line and confirms the pipes are clear afterward.
- The pumping interval is shortened and staff retrain on scraping and strainer baskets.
The early backups stop, and the fill-level records now show the unit well short of full at each pumping.
Questions to settle with your service
- Will you record the fill level every time, in writing?
- Can service be scheduled before opening or after close?
- Do you inspect baffles and the lid, or only pump?
- Is there a city schedule or reporting requirement we need to meet?
Common questions
How often should we pump our grease interceptor?
There is no single answer. It depends on the size of the unit, your menu and your volume, and the city may set its own requirement. Use fill-level records to set the interval and check with the city.
Who should keep the grease log?
Give one manager responsibility for it and keep it in a set place on site. A log that lives in someone's car or email is hard to produce when an inspector or plumber asks.
Does jetting replace pumping?
No. Jetting cleans the pipes; pumping empties the interceptor. Most busy kitchens need both on their own schedules.
General information for Fullerton, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.