24/7 grease trap & interceptor service
We provide grease trap cleaning Pasadena CA restaurants, hotels and campus kitchens can schedule around their busiest service, from Colorado Boulevard in Old Pasadena to South Lake Avenue. Every visit ends with an empty device, a measured record and a manifest you can file. One call sets it up.
Grease layer close to the outlet tee? A dispatcher can help right now.
Call (424) 573-8021Pasadena regulates restaurant grease through its own municipal code rather than a county program. Chapter 8.14, the Grease and Oil Disposal ordinance, limits fats, oils and grease sent to the sewer, sets requirements and standards for grease interceptors in section 8.14.060 and for smaller grease traps in 8.14.070, gives city staff right of entry in 8.14.080, and lays out enforcement against food service establishments in 8.14.090.
The sewer chapter backs this up. Section 13.24.370 bars discharges that can cause a stoppage, grease included, and sections 13.24.540 and 13.24.620 require interceptors to be cleaned and kept in a safe, sanitary condition. The Public Works stormwater program publishes the FOG Control Guidelines that local business districts hand out, and the city's own Public Health Department, rare among California cities, inspects kitchens and the use of grease control devices.
Those guidelines list the BMPs inspectors expect: scrape plates into the trash, keep screens on every sink and floor drain, wipe and absorb before mopping, send mop water through the interceptor, store used oil in sealed containers, supervise each cleanout to confirm solids are removed, and keep maintenance records. We use the 25 percent rule common across California as our pump-out benchmark, so grease interceptor pumping happens before grease and solids crowd a quarter of the tank.
Pasadena's sewers empty into Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts trunk lines through roughly 120 connections, and the city's Sewer System Management Plan is written under the State Water Board's statewide sanitary sewer systems order, which expects grease control from local food businesses.
Pump-out coming due? A single call puts you on the route.
Call (424) 573-8021Old Pasadena packs brick buildings along Colorado Boulevard and its alleys with gastropubs, burger bars, ramen shops and late-night pizza. Many of these century-old storefronts were never designed for commercial kitchens, so interceptors sit in tight rear courtyards or under alley pavement that several tenants share. Fryer oil, beef fat and pork broth dominate the load.
East along Colorado, the Paseo mixes chain dining with apartments above, and Playhouse Village around the Pasadena Playhouse adds dumpling houses, Thai noodle shops and pre-theater bistros. Rich bone broths and wok oil from these menus emulsify in hot water and separate slowly, which leaves a thick grease cap that needs a full cleanout rather than a skim.
South Lake Avenue carries a business-lunch crowd: salad chains, bakeries, Mexican grills and coffee bars serving the office towers between Colorado and California boulevards. Further out, Hastings Ranch, East Washington and the North Fair Oaks corridor hold fried chicken, taquerias and Armenian and Salvadoran bakeries, each with its own pattern of shortening, lard and dairy.
Floor sink backing up mid-service? Trucks roll day and night.
Call (424) 573-8021Event calendars drive grease volume here more than in most cities. The Tournament of Roses parade fills Colorado Boulevard every New Year's Day, the Rose Bowl hosts the game, UCLA football and stadium concerts, and the Pasadena Convention Center runs banquets for thousands. Kitchens along the parade route should have devices emptied in late December, before street closures block truck access.
Institutional kitchens follow their own rhythm. Caltech dining halls, Pasadena City College, Huntington Hospital's cafeteria and patient trays, and the large hotels near the Convention Center cook every day and want early-morning service. We work with facilities managers on dock times and keep paperwork ready for their environmental files.
The January 2025 Eaton fire burned through neighboring Altadena and the city's northern edge, and many kitchens closed for weeks while smoke damage was cleaned. A trap left sitting turns septic and corrosive, so any kitchen reopening after a long closure should get a full pump-out and baffle check first. Heavy winter rains on burned hillsides also push debris toward drains.
FOG inspection on the calendar? Book the pump-out before it.
Call (424) 573-8021We start by measuring the grease and solids layers so you know where the device stood, then follow the steps below. On shared interceptors we note which tenants were open that week so the property manager can spread costs fairly.
Small under-counter units get grease trap cleaning by hand, including the strainer and flow control fitting, so the whole kitchen is covered in one stop.
Prefer service after closing? Overnight crews are standard.
Call (424) 573-8021Compact grease traps under prep sinks in Old Pasadena and Playhouse Village kitchens fill fast with broth fat and fryer drippings. We pump each unit dry, scrape the baffles, clean the strainer and record the volume removed so your Chapter 8.14 maintenance log stays current. Busy ramen and burger kitchens often need service every two to four weeks.
How grease trap pumping works →In-ground interceptors under Colorado Boulevard alleys, South Lake Avenue lots and hotel loading docks collect a hard grease cap and packed solids that suction alone misses. Our crews scrape every wall and baffle, clear the inlet and outlet tees and confirm free flow, keeping the device in the clean, sanitary condition section 13.24.620 of the Pasadena code requires.
How interceptor cleaning works →Large interceptors serving banquet kitchens, campus dining halls and multi-tenant centers need the entire contents removed, not a skim of the surface. We measure layers first, pump every chamber, haul the waste to a permitted receiving facility and leave a manifest you can show Public Health or Public Works during a Pasadena inspection.
How interceptor pumping works →Want a complete evacuation and a signed manifest? Give us a call.
Call (424) 573-8021We serve every part of the city, including Old Pasadena, the Playhouse district, South Lake, Hastings Ranch, Lamanda Park, East Washington and the Arroyo near the Rose Bowl. Kitchens in Altadena, South Pasadena and San Marino are on the same routes.
Unsure how big your interceptor is? A technician can talk it through.
Call (424) 573-8021A small under-sink trap usually takes 30 to 45 minutes, including the strainer and paperwork. A large in-ground interceptor in an Old Pasadena alley can run one to two hours depending on size, how hard the grease cap is and how close the truck can park. We plan around your prep and lunch rush so service is not interrupted.
They only move the problem. Hot water and chemical degreasers melt or emulsify grease so it slips through the baffles, then it cools and sticks in the lateral or city main. Chapter 8.14 and the Public Works FOG guidelines aim to keep grease out of the sewer entirely, so scraping, screens and regular pump-outs are the accepted approach.
Usually the property owner or manager arranges service and divides the cost through the lease, but each tenant still has to follow the BMPs that keep the device working. We can bill the landlord, record which restaurants were open during the period and send copies of the manifest to everyone who needs it.
Section 8.14.060 sets requirements and standards for grease interceptors, the larger in-ground devices, and 8.14.070 does the same for grease traps, the smaller units installed near fixtures. Which one your kitchen needs depends on its size, menu and plumbing layout, and it is reviewed during plan check for new or remodeled restaurants. We service both types.
Yes. Pasadena runs its own health department instead of relying on the county, and its inspectors monitor likely grease sources and the use of interceptors and traps in food facilities. Keeping a recent manifest and a maintenance log near the kitchen office makes it easy to answer questions about when the device was last emptied.
Book for the week after Christmas. Colorado Boulevard and nearby streets close for the parade and bleacher setup, so trucks may not reach alley interceptors on December 31 or New Year's Day. An empty device before the holiday rush gives restaurants along the route room for the heavy volume that comes with parade and game crowds.
Book a full grease trap cleaning and inspection before you restart cooking. Grease and food left sitting for weeks turns septic, produces corrosive gases and can damage concrete and baffles. We remove everything, check the tees and lids for heat or debris damage, and give you a dated record showing the device was serviced before reopening.
Yes. Campus kitchens run on fixed meal schedules, so we book early mornings or the gaps between breakfast and lunch, check in with facilities and follow campus vehicle rules. Breaks between terms are a good time for a deeper cleanout of large interceptors because the dining hall can be fully shut down.
City lines carry it into Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts trunk sewers through about 120 connection points, and the Sanitation Districts treat it at their regional plants. Grease that escapes your device can block the city's smaller mains well before then, which is why Public Works keeps grease rules in both Chapter 8.14 and the sewer chapter.
It does. The Public Works FOG Control Guidelines ask kitchens to sweep and wipe with rags or absorbents first, then pour mop water into a fixture connected to the grease interceptor, never into a storm drain or parking lot. Floors in older Old Pasadena buildings often lack a connected floor sink, so plan where that water goes.
We work with banquet and catering kitchens like those around the Convention Center, where a single event can produce more grease in a weekend than a cafe makes in a month. We suggest pumping before big conventions and again afterward, timed around load-in schedules so trucks are not competing with exhibitors for dock space.
It can if it ends up in a storm drain. Pasadena's storm drains flow untreated toward the Arroyo Seco and the Los Angeles River, which is why the Public Works stormwater program runs the FOG guidelines. Store used oil in sealed containers, keep lids closed on outdoor bins and never rinse grease into parking lot drains.
Truck, crew and manifest, all arranged in one phone call.
Call (424) 573-8021We also work across the San Gabriel Valley and nearby foothill cities. Choose a city below for its local sewer rules and service details.
Sinks draining slowly at the dish station? Call before it overflows.
Call (424) 573-8021