Stainless commercial kitchen with a wall faucet over a deep sink

Commercial · Food service

Restaurant Grease Interceptors and Kitchen Lines

Fat, oil and starch cool into a wax that grips the inside of a kitchen drain. We clear it, check the interceptor and tell you how often it needs attention.

Booked before opening, after close or between sittings
Only the failing branch shut down; other units stay running
Written job notes with photos for owners and managers
Camera footage on drain work for your records

How a kitchen drain warns you

The three-compartment sink takes longer to empty after every service.
Floor drains near the dish machine hold a film of grey water.
A rotten-egg or rancid smell rises from the interceptor lid.
Water backs up into the prep sink when the dishwasher dumps.
The interceptor overflows onto the floor during a busy evening.

What is actually happening in the pipe

Hot, oily dishwater exits the basin as a liquid, then cools within a few metres and sets on the pipe wall. Each layer narrows the bore. Starch from rice and pasta binds with it, and detergent only moves the problem further downstream. An interceptor is meant to catch that fat before it reaches the municipal sewer, but once it is more than about a quarter full of grease and solids, it stops separating and passes the mess along. Many municipalities in York Region have sewer-use bylaws that address fats, oils and grease from food premises; check the current requirements with the Town before relying on any schedule.

Our process on a kitchen call

Arrive outside service hours so the line is not in use.
Open the interceptor and measure the grease cap and settled solids.
Clear the inlet and outlet tees and check that the baffles are intact.
Jet the branch from the sinks to the interceptor with a nozzle sized for the pipe.
Scope the pipe when a blockage comes back, hunting for sags and split joints.
Run every fixture on the branch hot and full to prove the flow.

Habits that cut the number of call-outs

Scrape plates into a bin before they reach the pre-rinse sprayer.
Keep strainers in every floor drain and sink basket.
Never pour fryer oil down any drain; collect it for recycling.
Log interceptor cleanings with the date and depth measured.

A kitchen that cannot drain cannot open. Ring (365) 517-0623 and we will book the earliest window before your next service.

Asked on site

How often should a restaurant grease interceptor be cleaned?

It depends on the menu and volume. Fryer-heavy kitchens may need monthly attention; a cafe might go much longer. Measuring the grease cap at each visit tells you the right interval.

Can you jet the line during opening hours?

We avoid it. Jetting needs the branch out of use, so we book before opening, after close or between sittings.