When faced with drainage issues, especially kitchen & bathroom back-ups, restaurant owners’ immediate reaction is panic but before you jump to action, you need to know where to start with your specific issue. Calling the wrong company is a waste of time & money, which only adds to an already stressful situation. We want our customers to avoid the run-around so they can get back to business as soon as possible, which is why we created the diagram below.

Drain Jetting

When to call a Grease Trap Pumping Company: If all the drains in the kitchen are backing up (1,2, and 3), call a grease trap pumping company. Additionally, if the grease trap outside has water rising up out of the manholes, call a grease trap pumping company (we know of a great one called Greasecycle! )

When to call a Plumbing Company: If just one drain in the kitchen is backing up, call a plumber (1 or 2 or 3, independently). This type of back-up indicates a blockage inside the kitchen. If the blockage is in between the trap and the building (i.e. all your drains are backing up),jetting the lines will help (check out of our Preventative Drain Jetting page for more info). While Greasecycle can manage outdoor line jetting, it’s worth noting that we cannot perform any indoor jetting because our equipment requires direct access to the truck. Call your local plumber for assistance with indoor lines including toilets and/or bathroom floor drains.

When to Call a Rooter/Specialty Jetting Company: Finally, if the toiletsand all the kitchen drains are backing-up, call a rooter/specialty jetting company. In this instance, there is a blockage after the sanitary line and where the line leaving the grease trap come together.