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Grease Traps in San Jose, CA

Grease trap service and repair, for commercial kitchens only. The grease trap under the sink or the interceptor in the ground, the lines that feed it, and the line that carries it out to the sewer.

Call (408) 217-4765 Specials
Commercial kitchen grease interceptor with the heavy lid lifted, showing the baffled chamber below

Signs you need this

Floor sinks slow or backing up during service
A grease smell around the trap or its lid
A City FOG inspector flagged the device or your records
A rusted lid, a broken baffle or a lid that no longer seals

What the City expects

San José requires grease traps to be serviced at least monthly (every 30 days) and grease interceptors at least quarterly (every 90 days), and more often if the kitchen puts out heavy grease. Maintenance records have to be kept on site for the inspector, according to the City of San José Environmental Services Department.

Keeping to that schedule is one part. The other is the plumbing: baffles, lids, the inlet and outlet tees, and the line downstream. A trap that is pumped on schedule and still backs up usually has a problem in one of those.

A trap that is pumped on schedule and still backs up usually has a problem in the plumbing around it.

The line after the trap

Grease that gets past the device coats the line on its way to the street. Clearing that is a job for hydro jetting, and a camera inspection afterward shows whether the pipe itself is sound.

Houses do not have these. A slow kitchen sink at home is a drain cleaning job.

How the job runs

  1. 1Open the device and check the baffles, tees and lid seal
  2. 2Camera the outlet line if it is backing up
  3. 3Repair what failed and jet the line if grease has built up
  4. 4Schedule it around your service hours

Questions people ask

How often does a grease trap need service in San Jose?

The City requires grease traps to be serviced at least monthly (every 30 days) and grease interceptors at least quarterly (every 90 days), and more often for heavy grease kitchens. Maintenance records have to be kept on site for the inspector, per the City of San José.

Why does my grease trap back up even though it is pumped on schedule?

A trap pumped on schedule that still backs up usually has a problem in the plumbing: a baffle, the lid, the inlet or outlet tee, or the line downstream. Grease that gets past the device coats that line, and clearing it is a hydro jetting job.

Can you work around our service hours?

Yes. We schedule grease trap work around your service hours, so it does not close the kitchen for the day.

Does a house need a grease trap?

No. Houses do not have these. A slow kitchen sink at home is a drain cleaning job.

Sources

  1. City of San José Environmental Services, Businesses and Restaurants FAQ (checked October 2, 2026)

Water where it should not be?

Call and describe what you are seeing. If it can wait until morning, we will say so.

Call now (408) 217-4765

Related work

Sewer Line Repair & Replacement

A failed lateral dug and replaced, or repaired in place when the camera says that is enough.

Pipe Bursting & Trenchless Sewer

A new line pulled through the path of the old one, without trenching the length of the yard.

Sewer Camera Inspection

See the inside of the pipe before anyone quotes a repair on it.