A Real Cleaning Goes Down To The Walls, Not Just The Water

What is included in a grease trap cleaning?

The scope is fixed so you can compare quotes honestly. If another bid is cheaper, check which of these it drops.

• Measurement of grease and solids depth against trap capacity
• Complete removal of the grease cap, the wastewater, and the settled solids
• Physical scraping of walls, floor, baffles, inlet, and outlet tee
• Condition inspection of baffles, tee, lid, and gasket with findings reported
• Legal transport and disposal at an approved facility
• A dated service record for your compliance file
• A recommended next service date based on what we measured, not a default

Should you clean or just pump the trap?

It depends on your interval. A high volume kitchen serviced frequently can run pumping visits between periodic full cleanings, because grease does not have long enough between visits to harden badly on the surfaces.

A kitchen on a longer interval should get a full cleaning every time. More time between visits means more hardened buildup on the walls and baffles, and pumping alone leaves all of it in place, so the effective capacity of the trap shrinks visit after visit even though it looks empty when the truck pulls away.

The comparison table above lays the two scopes side by side, and our grease trap services hub covers how the pieces fit together. If you would rather not manage the decision at all, our restaurant grease trap program puts it on a standing schedule.

What happens if you let a grease trap go too long?

Grease leaves the trap. That is the whole failure and everything else follows from it. Once fats, oils, and grease pass the outlet, they cool in your building's drain line and in the sewer lateral, harden onto the pipe wall, and narrow it. The result is a blocked line during service, which is a plumbing emergency with a full dining room attached to it.

Discharging grease past a trap is also a compliance issue. Local health departments and wastewater authorities set the requirements and the enforcement, and a missing or thin service history is what turns an inspection into a problem. Confirm what your jurisdiction requires directly with them.

The trap itself degrades too. Long periods running full leave deposits that stop responding to routine cleaning, and at that point the unit needs replacement rather than service. That is a shutdown and a construction job instead of a two hour visit outside business hours.

What is not part of grease trap cleaning?

Interior kitchen plumbing is a different trade. A blocked drain line inside the building, a failed floor drain, or fixture work is plumbing, and our sister company Afford-A-Rooter Plumbing handles that lane. Replacing damaged baffles, a failed lid, or a cracked tee is quoted separately from the cleaning once we have reported the condition. We do not run enzyme or bacteria dosing programs, because they do not remove accumulated grease and several of them emulsify it so it passes the trap entirely. Compliance filings and fees imposed directly by your authority are yours to submit, though we supply the service documentation they ask for.