Peoria requires grease traps and interceptors to be pumped every 90 days, Glendale every 180 days, and Gilbert every six months, all unless the city approves a different schedule. Surprise sets no fixed interval in its code. Glendale, Peoria and Surprise require three years of records at the facility.
Details worth knowing
Peoria. The code says traps and interceptors must be pumped or cleaned out completely at least once every 90 days, and the Director can grant a written variance. Internal interceptors must be at least a 50 gpm / 100 lb unit with a flow control device upstream, and external interceptors must include a sample vault.
Glendale. Maintenance means complete removal of all contents, including floating material, wastewater and bottom sludge, and decanting removed waste back into the device or the sewer system is prohibited. Interceptors are required where the city finds them necessary, except for private living quarters.
Gilbert. Every newly built, remodeled or converted commercial facility with grease-generating activity must install a grease removal device at least as big as the adopted plumbing code requires. The town can also order a new or larger device after a grease blockage in the sewer line serving your business. The six-month limit can be extended only if you satisfy the director that it works.
Surprise. Restaurants, along with laundries, service stations, auto repair shops, carwashes and garage bays with floor drains, must have interceptors in line with the city's Engineering Development Standards. The owner maintains it at their own expense and keeps cleaning, repair, calibration and maintenance records for three years. Ask the city for the pump-out frequency it expects.
What this means for you
- 1Do not copy another city's schedule. A 180-day interval that works in Glendale is a violation in Peoria.
- 2Log every service the same way in every city; see Chandler's five-item record list as a template.
- 3Measure the tank. Phoenix (Sec. 28-15) and Chandler tie cleaning to a 25 percent fill limit, and it's a smart benchmark anywhere.
For Tempe and Scottsdale rules, see Tempe and Scottsdale. For choosing a size, read what size grease interceptor a restaurant needs, and for the basics of pumping, how often should a restaurant grease trap be pumped. HQ gives free estimates on commercial kitchen interceptor and drain work.
Peoria's code also requires a sample vault on every external interceptor; see grease interceptor sampling ports.