Grease Trap Service in Phoenix

A common rule in Valley programs: clean the device before fats, oils, grease and solids reach 25 percent of its capacity. Chandler states it exactly that way, and Phoenix makes it mandatory, though not every city uses that rule. Past that point the device stops catching grease and starts passing it to the sewer.

The required schedule is different in every city. Some set a calendar, and the intervals in the Valley range from every 30 days for small traps to every six months for some interceptors. Others go by the 25 percent rule. Start with how often to pump a grease trap, then look up your city: Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale and Chandler.

Additives do not change the schedule. Chandler prohibits adding enzymes and bacterial products to a grease device to reduce cleaning or pumping, and the same is true in other cities. See whether enzyme grease treatments are allowed in Phoenix.

Here is the order, and the order matters. A tank full of grease and water cannot be inspected, and the lines on either side cannot be judged until the tank is empty.

1. The pumper empties the interceptor. HQ never pumps. We work with a pumping company and line up the visit for you, and the pumping charge can ride on one invoice with ours. If you already have a hauler, we work with yours.
2. We enter the tank the safe way. A confined-space entry follows OSHA's rules: three people, air tested before anyone goes in, an attendant outside the whole time and a retrieval system ready. Read how a confined-space interceptor entry works.
3. We inspect the inside. We look at the baffle walls, and at the baffle piping on the inlet and the outlet to see that it meets current code. We check that the standpipe reaches down to 18 inches from the bottom of the tank.
4. We hydro jet the line going in and the line coming out. Grease coats both, and pumping the tank does nothing for the pipe.
5. We inspect the grease lines and the sanitary line. That means the grease lines running into the interceptor and the sanitary line leaving it, so a problem in the pipe is found before it becomes a backup.
6. You get it in writing. What we found, what we fixed and the date, to keep with your pumping record.

Pumping a tank and walking away leaves the lines coated, and the kitchen backs up the next busy Friday. Doing the whole system in one visit is what keeps it from happening again. More on each step: pump-out and repair coordination, grease interceptor inspection and why the pumper goes first.

We do not post prices because the device and the job decide them. These are the factors:

• Size and type. A small trap and a large buried interceptor are different jobs.
• Condition and access. How full it is, and whether the lid and lines are easy to reach.
• Line condition. Whether the lines also need jetting or a camera check.
• Repair, replace or install. Each has its own materials, labor and permits.
• Timing. An after-hours emergency is a different visit from a scheduled one.

The way to get an exact number is the free estimate. You get the price up front, before any work starts. Backed up right now? Read what to do when a commercial kitchen drain overflows.