Grease Trap Cleaning Pomona CA

An under-sink trap, or hydromechanical interceptor, holds a few dozen gallons and uses baffles plus flow control to separate grease quickly. An in-ground gravity interceptor holds hundreds or thousands of gallons and relies on retention time. The city's program treats them differently: small traps get cleaned at least weekly or per manufacturer, while interceptors are pumped by the 25 percent rule.

Grease and food solids sitting in a trap turn septic and release hydrogen sulfide, and summer heat speeds that up. Older downtown buildings also have dried-out floor drain traps and tired vent piping. A full pump and scrape removes the source, then refill floor drains with water and have a plumber check vents if the odor returns.

Sampling is mostly used for permitted industrial dischargers, which LACSD and the city regulate jointly. The city's program, however, judges interceptors partly on removal efficiency, so a badly performing unit or a restaurant tied to repeat blockages may draw closer scrutiny. Keeping the outlet tee intact and the sample box clear makes any sample representative.

It prohibits discharging solid or viscous material, including fats, oils and grease, in amounts that could obstruct sewer flow. If a city crew clears a grease blockage on your street and traces it to your connection, this section is the basis for enforcement. A maintained interceptor and good BMPs are your defense.

The city asks food service establishments to complete an Environmental Questionnaire and pay an annual environmental fee when the business license renews. The answers tell the Water Resources Department what grease control equipment you have and how it is maintained, and they help schedule the annual unscheduled inspection. Have your device size and latest manifest handy when filling it out.

Many fair vendors drain to shared interceptors or collection systems on the grounds, and Fairplex manages how those are serviced. Heavy frying for weeks fills them fast. If you operate a permanent kitchen, banquet space or restaurant at Fairplex, plan pumping before opening day and after each heavy weekend instead of waiting for the end of the run.

Low flow does not stop grease from going septic. A half-full trap left through a quiet summer can produce strong odors and corrode concrete or steel. It is better to pump before the break and again just before fall classes begin, when student traffic returns and the device needs full capacity.

The city's BMPs say not to run water hotter than 140 degrees through grease controls, because very hot water melts fat and carries it past the baffles into the sewer, where it cools and sticks. Route high-temperature dish machines correctly and let pots cool before washing so grease separates where it should.

The city's program requires cleaning and inspection records to be kept on site for at least two years and shown to city inspectors on request. Keep manifests, repair invoices, cooking oil recycling receipts and your BMP training log together. The training log matters too, because the program expects employee training at least twice a year.

Much of it does. LACSD's Pomona Water Reclamation Plant on Humane Way provides primary, secondary and tertiary treatment with a design capacity of about 15 million gallons per day. Grease that escapes your interceptor first threatens city sewers on the way there.

Usually the property owner contracts the service and recovers costs through common area charges, but some leases put it on the largest kitchen. Inspectors can cite any connected tenant if the interceptor fails. Ask the landlord for recent manifests and request pumping before the grease layer approaches the 6-inch limit.

Hospital kitchens prepare patient trays, cafeteria meals and staff food from early morning to late evening, so no hour is truly idle. Service is planned around quieter windows and coordinated with facilities staff so trucks do not block ambulance or delivery routes. The interceptor is usually larger and pumped on a fixed recurring schedule.