Warning signs in a busy kitchen
- The three-bowl pot sink takes ages to empty after dinner service
- Floor grates by the dish pit burp or seep
- A sour, rancid odour lifts off the interceptor cover
- White fat shows in the cleanout or on the outlet side
- The line backs up again only weeks after the last clearing
What we check and fix
- Lift the interceptor lid and inspect baffles plus inlet and outlet tees
- Clear the lateral with a cable or water jet, depending on how hard the fat has set
- Run a camera when backups keep coming back
- Swap cracked lids, perished gaskets and missing baffles
- Record how full the unit is so you can time pump-outs with your hauler
Our sequence
- Pick a time before the doors open or after the last table so the line can sit empty.
- Shut off the dish machine and sinks, then crack the interceptor.
- Work the lateral from the cleanout down toward the main.
- Rinse with very hot water until the outlet runs clear.
- Seal the lid, mop up and note what came out.
Bylaw background
York Region and its member towns enforce sewer-use rules limiting the fat, oil and grease a restaurant is allowed to send into the sanitary system. Limits and inspection habits get updated from time to time, so ask the Region or the City what applies today. Keeping the interceptor serviced and filing every pump-out receipt is the easiest way to be ready if an inspector shows up.
We are plumbers, not a liquid-waste carrier. For full pump-outs we coordinate with whichever licensed hauler you already use.
Your questions, answered plainly
How often does an interceptor need attention?
That hinges on your menu and covers. A deep-fry heavy kitchen can need monthly visits, a small café far fewer. We note the fill level each time to set a schedule.
Do we have to close the kitchen?
Normally only the sinks and dish machine go out of use, for an hour or two. An early-morning slot avoids losing any service.