Indoor Grease Trap Repair in Phoenix

Most trap problems are small parts, not the whole box. A hydromechanical trap is a compact unit under or near the three-compartment sink. It uses air entrapment, buoyancy and interior baffling to separate grease, and it depends on a flow-control device to keep water from rushing through faster than the unit is rated for.

The parts we see cause trouble:

• The lid gasket. A dried or flattened gasket lets odor into the kitchen.
• The lid itself. Warped or cracked, it will not seal.
• The flow control. Phoenix's code requires one, vented, and Mesa and Scottsdale want it reachable. When it is blocked or missing, the trap overflows or passes grease.
• Interior baffling and the body. Stainless corrodes and polymer cracks. Phoenix approves only those two materials.

A smell, a slow sink or a leak at the lid is usually the first sign, and a trap that overflows right after a pump-out points at a part rather than at grease. For odor causes, see controlling odor from a grease trap or interceptor.

Repair when the body is sound and the problem is a lid, gasket, fitting or flow control. Clean when it is simply full. Replace when the body is cracked, corroded through, undersized or the wrong type.

Cleaning is its own step. Phoenix requires a full pump-out every 30 days, and no more than 90, by a licensed pumper. HQ does not pump. If your trap smells or backs up and the last pump-out was more than 30 days ago, call your hauler first. Our page on grease trap pumping versus cleaning versus jetting explains the differences.

In Phoenix, a trap is for up to four fixtures, and a dishwasher or garbage disposal rules a trap out entirely. A typical layout is a three-compartment sink, a prep sink and a mop sink. Scottsdale counts a three-compartment sink as one unit, and Tempe uses the same four-fixture line.

That has a practical side. If you added a fifth drain, put a dishwasher in, or took over a kitchen with more equipment than the last tenant, a repaired trap may no longer be legal for the kitchen. The answer then is an outdoor gravity interceptor, covered on our indoor trap to outdoor interceptor upgrade page and the Phoenix fixture count page.

If the trap is the right type but worn out, a like-for-like replacement is the simple case. In Phoenix those can go over the counter, and the manual asks you to call at least 24 hours ahead so a city inspector can be on hand. Appendix B asks for the manufacturer and model, a plumbing floor plan, and, if the pipes are not changing, nothing more. Re-piping, such as rerouting a fixture or adding one, needs drawings, including an isometric that shows pipe size and venting.

Size has to match the fixtures. Phoenix's table steps up with each fixture. Scottsdale allows only the 50/100 size, and Mesa's minimum is the same. So the replacement is picked by the city, not by what fit the old cabinet. The unit also has to be PDI or UPC/IAPMO certified in Phoenix.

HQ replaces the trap and its connections: the flow control, the vent, the discharge cleanout. We confirm the rules for your city before ordering.

Do not pay for a new trap if the problem is a full one. Do not pay for a repair if the trap is under a kitchen that now has a dishwasher. And do not use an enzyme or additive to cover a smell, since Phoenix prohibits chemicals, enzymes and emulsifiers meant to dissolve grease. If the trap is sound and the drain still overflows, the cause may be the line beyond it. See why a kitchen drain keeps overflowing and restaurant grease line jetting.

Tell us the city, the make if you know it, how many fixtures drain to the trap, and what you see. We offer free estimates, an upfront price before work starts, and 24/7 emergency service when a kitchen is backing up. Related: grease trap service, commercial drain cleaning and restaurant plumbing.