Can a restaurant stay open during interceptor repair?

Usually not during the work itself. Every grease-bearing fixture in the kitchen drains to the interceptor: the pot and prep sinks, the dishwasher, the mop sink and the floor drains. While the tank is open and a crew is inside it, those fixtures cannot be pouring into the tank.

The safety rules are why. OSHA defines a permit space's isolation as the process by which a space "is removed from service and completely protected against the release of energy and material into the space," and lists engulfment, "the surrounding and effective capture of a person by a liquid," among the hazards. A crew that has to control what flows in cannot also have a dishwasher draining behind them. Our page on why entering an interceptor takes a confined-space crew explains the rest.

Work that is done from the surface is different. A lid replacement or a camera look at an empty tank may not need the kitchen stopped for as long. Ask your contractor which kind of work yours is.

Scope, not a standard number. These are the drivers:

• When the hauler can come. The tank has to be pumped completely empty first. Our page on the order of pumping and repair lays out the sequence.
• What is found once it is empty. A loose tee is a short fix. A cracked wall or a rotted shell may turn the job into a repair-or-replace decision.
• Whether the tank is a replacement. Phoenix says "all grease interceptors installed and replaced in the City of Phoenix must go through plan review," which adds time before any digging.
• Access. A lid in a drive lane or a tank under a parked vehicle area can add blocking and setup.
• Parts. A standard fitting is on the shelf; a custom or older tank part may not be.

Ask for the schedule in writing before the day, including when the kitchen must stop discharging and when it can resume.

Then closing is not optional. The model FDA Food Code says a permit holder "shall immediately discontinue operations and notify the REGULATORY AUTHORITY if an IMMINENT HEALTH HAZARD may exist because of an emergency such as a fire, flood, extended interruption of electrical or water service, SEWAGE backup." Maricopa County's own list of reasons a food permit may be suspended includes "Sewage backing up at a permitted establishment," and it notes that "Permit suspension is appropriate if sewage is backing up inside and/or outside an establishment." The county tells the person in charge to cease operations and contact the department for guidance.

Do not serve food over a sewage backup in the kitchen, even if the cause turns out to be a small part in the interceptor. For the clog side of the story, see why a grease trap backs up into floor sinks.

Plan around service, not against it.

1. 1Do not wait for a failure. A planned repair at a closed hour beats an emergency in the middle of Friday dinner. If an inspection already found a problem, you have time to plan: Phoenix's inspector "will prescribe a time frame for the requirement to be completed," and "Extensions can be granted based on business needs if the request is in writing."
2. 2Bundle the work. Schedule the repair crew for the same visit as the pump-out the code already requires, so the tank is emptied once.
3. 3Pick a closed window. Early morning or after close keeps the lunch and dinner rush intact.
4. 4Tell the kitchen. Staff need to know when to stop the dishwasher and prep sinks, and when they can start again.
5. 5Check with your city if in doubt. If the repair changes the tank, ask the city before you start.

HQ repairs and inspects grease interceptors but does not pump them, so your licensed hauler and our crew need to be lined up for the same window. We are available 24/7, and we give a free estimate and an upfront price before work starts.