Warning signs in the kitchen
- Floor sinks back up whenever the dishwasher dumps
- A stale-fat odour around the interceptor cover
- The three-bay sink empties slowly even after plunging
- A white, waxy layer inside the nearest cleanout
On the day of service
- Open the interceptor and gauge the floating fat and the settled solids.
- Book or supervise the pump-out, then scrape down the walls and baffles.
- Look over the inlet and outlet tees, the lid gasket and the flow restrictor.
- Clear the branch from the sinks to the unit with a cable or the jetter.
- Fill each sink and pull the plug to prove the line flows.
Peel Region and fats, oils and grease
Peel's sewer by-law caps the fat, oil and grease a kitchen may let into the sanitary system, and kitchens are expected to keep their interceptors working. Inspection programs and limits are updated from time to time, so confirm the current rules with the Region for your address.
Kitchen habits that save a callout
- Plates get scraped into the green bin before they ever reach a basin.
- Store spent fryer oil in lidded drums for the rendering pickup.
- Keep a basket strainer in each floor sink; empty it when shifts change over.
- Skip the boiling-water trick; the grease just sets again farther along.
- Log each clean-out so you can see how fast your unit fills.
Repairs we see in local restaurants
- Steel interceptors with rusted-through baffles
- Cracked lids that let the smell reach the line
- Units too small for a kitchen that added a second fryer
- Bellied pipe under the slab where fat pools
What callers want to know
How often does an interceptor need cleaning?
It varies with the unit's size and your menu. A wing bar fills one far faster than a coffee shop. We check the layers and suggest an interval that fits.
Can the work happen while we are open?
We try not to. Most kitchens book us before prep starts or after the last order.