Nobody opens a restaurant because they are excited about the grease trap. But it is the piece of equipment most likely to interrupt a service, and the one an inspector will ask about first.
Here is what actually matters, from someone who pumps them.
What a grease trap does
Fats, oils, and grease — FOG, in the regulatory shorthand — are lighter than water and they solidify as they cool. Left to run into the sewer, they coat pipe walls and build up until a main blocks. That is why sewer authorities regulate them.
A grease trap or interceptor slows the flow down enough for the FOG to separate and float, and for heavy solids to settle. The relatively clean water in between continues to the sewer. It is the same separation principle as a septic tank, at a different scale and with a much shorter service interval.
How often to service it
Most commercial kitchens land in a thirty- to ninety-day cycle. The widely used benchmark is to service the unit before FOG and settled solids reach a quarter of the total depth.
A high-volume fryer operation often needs monthly service. A low-volume café can sometimes stretch to quarterly. The honest way to set it is empirically: service on a conservative interval at first, note what comes out, and adjust.
What a proper pump-out includes
- 1Full removal of the entire contents — the FOG layer, the water column, and the settled solids at the bottom
- 2Scraping the walls, baffles, and lid where grease has hardened
- 3Inspecting baffles, tees, lid gaskets, and the inlet and outlet connections while the unit is empty
- 4Verifying flow by running water through and confirming the unit draws and discharges correctly
- 5A service record with date, volume removed, and disposal details
The step most often skipped is the scraping. A service that pumps only the floating layer — a "skim and go" — leaves the hardened grease on the walls and the solids on the floor. The unit looks serviced and its actual capacity has barely improved. It is also the kind of shortcut that produces a citation, because inspectors know what a properly emptied trap looks like.
Documentation
Keep every service record, and keep them somewhere an inspector can see them in under a minute. A binder in the office, or a folder somebody can pull up on a phone.
Requirements vary by jurisdiction and by whether your building is on municipal sewer or on a septic system, but the expectation is consistent: maintain the interceptor and be able to prove it. We provide a record every visit and can supply a consolidated account history whenever you need one.
Additives do not work here either
Enzyme and bacterial additives marketed for grease traps do not remove grease. They emulsify it, which means the FOG passes through the interceptor rather than being captured by it.
The grease is still there. It just re-solidifies further down the line where nobody can pump it out, which trades a scheduled trap service for an unscheduled sewer blockage. Many sewer authorities discourage or prohibit them outright.
Keeping grease out in the first place
- Dry-wipe pans and plates before they reach the dish sink
- Scrape solids into the trash rather than the disposal
- Collect fryer oil in a rendering barrel — never down a drain, under any circumstances
- Train every new kitchen hire specifically on this, because it is not obvious to someone who has never worked a station with an interceptor
- Watch dish sink water temperature — very hot water pushes liquefied grease through the trap to congeal downstream
If you are on septic rather than sewer
This applies to a number of commercial properties around Ooltewah, Collegedale, and out toward Cleveland. FOG is far more damaging to a septic system than to a municipal main, because grease coats the drain field soil and destroys its ability to absorb.
On a septic property the trap is not a compliance formality — it is the only thing standing between your fryer and a failed drain field, which is a far larger number than any citation.
Getting on a schedule
We service grease traps across Chattanooga, East Ridge, Ooltewah, Collegedale, and Cleveland, scheduled around your service hours rather than ours.
Details on our grease trap pumping page. If you have been cited and need to demonstrate a corrective schedule, call — we can get you on a documented cycle immediately.
Frequently asked
Most commercial kitchens fall in a thirty- to ninety-day cycle, with the common benchmark being to service before FOG and solids reach a quarter of the unit depth. High-volume fryer operations often need monthly. We set your interval from what actually comes out on the first few visits rather than from a generic rule.
They do not remove grease — they emulsify it, so it passes through the interceptor and re-solidifies further down the line where it cannot be pumped out. That trades a scheduled service for an unscheduled sewer blockage, and many sewer authorities discourage or prohibit them.
Yes. We schedule around your service hours — before opening, after close, or during a slow window. The sinks and floor drains connected to the trap cannot be used while it is open, which for a standard unit is typically under an hour.
Need someone to actually look at it?
We are a licensed plumber and septic technician based in Ooltewah, serving Hamilton, Bradley and the surrounding counties. Free estimates on every job, and an honest answer about whether you need the work at all.
