What Is a Grease Trap and Why Does It Need Regular Cleaning?
A grease trap — also called a grease interceptor — is a plumbing device installed between your kitchen drains and the municipal sewer system. Its job is to capture fats, oils, and grease (FOG) before they enter the sewer, where they solidify and cause blockages, backups, and environmental violations.
Grease traps fill up over time as FOG accumulates in the baffled chambers. When a trap reaches capacity, FOG begins bypassing the device and entering the sewer — which triggers fines, emergency service calls, and potential forced closure. Most municipalities require grease traps to be cleaned before they reach 25% solids accumulation by volume.
How often this happens depends on your kitchen's cooking volume, the types of food you prepare, and your trap's size. High-volume fryers fill traps faster. Grand Natural's service schedule is calibrated to your actual usage — not a generic quarterly cycle.
FOGCO Compliance: What Your City Requires
Most cities and counties with sewer systems have enacted Fats, Oils, and Grease Control Ordinances — commonly called FOGCO regulations. These ordinances require food service establishments to maintain functioning grease interceptors, clean them on a schedule that prevents bypass, and submit proof of service through licensed hauler manifests.
Non-compliance consequences vary by jurisdiction but typically include:
- Fines of $500 to $5,000 per violation
- Required immediate service at the restaurant's expense
- Sewer surcharge fees for FOG contributions
- In extreme cases, forced closure until compliance is achieved
Grand Natural handles all manifest documentation and submits required records to your local pretreatment authority automatically. Every service generates a timestamped manifest stored in your EcoSystem account — pull any document for a health inspector in seconds.
What Happens During a Grease Trap Cleaning
A Grand Natural technician arrives at your scheduled service time — typically during off-hours to minimize disruption to your operation. The service process:
- Access and inspect the grease trap to assess waste levels and check baffles
- Pump out all accumulated FOG waste and grease cap
- Inspect inlet and outlet pipes for blockages
- Rinse and backflush trap components
- Record waste volume and trap condition
- Issue compliant manifest with technician signature, license number, waste volume, and disposal facility information
All pumped grease waste is transported to a licensed receiving facility in compliance with local and state environmental regulations. Disposal documentation is included with every service manifest.
Trap Sizes We Service
Grand Natural services grease traps and interceptors of all sizes including under-sink plastic interceptors (25-50 gallon), indoor grease traps (100-1,500 gallon), outdoor in-ground concrete interceptors (1,500-10,000+ gallon), and large-volume gravity grease interceptors for high-output commercial kitchens. If your restaurant has multiple traps, Grand Natural coordinates service across all units under a single account.
Signs Your Grease Trap Needs Emergency Service
Contact Grand Natural immediately if you observe any of the following:
- Slow-draining floor or sink drains in the kitchen
- Sewage or sulfur smell near floor drains or in the kitchen
- Visible grease or solids in drain lines
- Health department citation related to grease trap compliance
- Grease trap lid displaced or overflowing
Grand Natural offers same-day emergency pumping in most service areas. Call (855) 519-5550.
Compliance Made Simple
Licensed technicians — certified in your state
FOGCO manifests — submitted automatically
Digital records — every service in your account
Auto-scheduled — calibrated to your actual usage
All trap sizes — from 25-gallon to 10,000+ gallon
Emergency Service Available
Grease backup during service? Call (855) 519-5550 for same-day emergency pumping in most service areas. Grand Natural maintains emergency crews in major markets.
Multi-Location Compliance
Manage grease trap compliance across multiple locations from one dashboard. All manifests, service dates, and compliance records centralized in your Grand Natural EcoSystem account.