Grease Interceptor Replacement for Valley Restaurants

Replace the tank when the structure is the problem, not a part inside it. That means walls that have lost their surface, a cracked floor, a tank that leaks, or one that is simply too small for the kitchen it serves. Phoenix puts it directly: inspectors check whether the interceptor has rotted out and needs to be replaced. A baffle or a tee can be repaired. A tank that is dissolving cannot.

Other triggers are not about damage. A restaurant that added a dishwasher or more floor drains may have outgrown its tank, since Phoenix, Chandler and Scottsdale size the device from the fixture count. An inspector can also write a requirement to install a bigger device. And a space that used to be retail may have no grease line at all, which is its own project. See a new grease interceptor for a former retail space.

We do not quote a replacement from the lid. A licensed hauler pumps the tank, and HQ does not pump, then our three-person confined-space crew inspects it from inside. If the baffles and fittings are the only failed parts, the answer is interceptor repair. If the walls and floor are failing, you get that in writing, with what we saw, so the replacement estimate rests on facts. The inspection is covered on our interceptor inspection page.

Plan first, dig second. The cities differ on the details.

Phoenix. All installs and replacements go through plan review with Planning and Development. A like-for-like trap swap can be done over the counter. A new gravity tank goes through electronic review, with a plumbing floor plan, and an isometric if any fixture is re-piped. The submittal lists every grease-bearing fixture, the device make and model, and, if an inspector required the work, a copy of the inspection report. The city has an approved list, and the minimum gravity size is a 500 gallon unit with two compartments and two man-ways.

Mesa. Every interceptor must be of a type and capacity approved by the City Manager or Water Resources Director. Mesa sizes from drainage fixture units, with a 500 to 2,500 gallon range, at least two chambers, and a traffic-rated cover that carries no wording saying the city owns it.

Chandler. The plumber supplies a fixture count and a plumbing plan to Development Services with the permit application. Chandler's own sizing method applies.

Scottsdale. No at-risk installs. Plans can need an Arizona registrant's stamp, and a gravity tank needs site and civil drawings with setbacks and easements. Scottsdale also notes that standard pumping trucks have a 2,500 gallon limit, so a tank beyond that needs larger trucks at every pump-out.

For the full city-by-city table, see permits for replacing a grease interceptor in the Valley and the Phoenix plan review page.

Once plans are approved, the job runs in a set order: excavate, set the tank on a prepared base, connect the inlet and outlet, add the cleanouts, set the risers and covers, inspect, then bring the tank into service. Several details come straight from the codes. Phoenix requires the drain piping upstream of the tank to slope at least 1/4 inch per foot. Mesa requires a two-way cleanout within 5 feet on each side. Phoenix requires the risers to be grouted with shrink-proof grout. The tank maker's instructions govern the rest. Our installation steps page walks the sequence, and the sizing calculator shows how fixture count becomes gallons.

Because a new tank often sits under a parking lot or drive lane, location and access come first. See lids and risers and where a grease interceptor can go.

Replacement is the wrong answer when one part failed in a sound tank, when the real cause is a full tank or a bypassed fixture, or when the only issue is a lid. It is also the wrong answer if you are a tenant and the tank is shared. A shared strip-center tank has an owner and several users, and the landlord is part of the decision. See shared grease interceptors in strip centers.

Call us with your city, the tank's size if you know it, and what the pumper or inspector said. We offer free estimates and an upfront price before work starts, and 24/7 emergency service if a kitchen is backing up. Related: grease trap and interceptor service, restaurant plumbing and sewer repair.