Restaurant drain jetting: what you need to know before your kitchen line fails.
A blocked kitchen drain during service is one of the most disruptive — and avoidable — problems a restaurant can face. Grease builds in commercial kitchen drain lines faster than almost any other drain environment. Understanding how and why, and what to do about it, is basic facility management for food service operations.
Why restaurant drains clog faster
Commercial kitchens produce enormous volumes of fat, oil, and grease (FOG) relative to residential kitchens. Every cooking session sends some amount of grease into the drain lines. Even with a grease trap in place, grease that makes it past the trap coats the interior of the downstream drain lines. Over weeks and months, that coating builds up — narrowing the pipe and eventually blocking it.
The problem is cumulative and gradual. The first sign is usually slower-than-normal drainage. By the time you notice a backup, the line may be significantly restricted and the next event is a full blockage.
Grease trap maintenance vs. line jetting — two different things
A grease trap (or grease interceptor) captures FOG before it enters the sewer line. It needs to be pumped regularly — monthly to quarterly depending on volume — to remove the captured grease. That is a different service from drain line jetting.
Even with a properly maintained grease trap, some grease makes it into the downstream lines. Those lines need periodic jetting regardless of trap maintenance. The trap reduces the frequency; it does not eliminate the need.
Signs your restaurant drain line needs jetting
Slow drainage from the floor drain or three-compartment sink. Gurgling from the grease trap. Backup in the kitchen during high-volume service. A smell coming from the floor drain even when it is flowing. Any time the previous jetting was more than 3 months ago at a high-volume kitchen.
What a restaurant jetting service looks like
We camera inspect the kitchen drain lines and grease trap outlet before jetting — confirming what we are dealing with and the condition of the pipes. We jet with a nozzle appropriate for grease removal, working from the furthest point back toward the cleanout. Post-jetting camera confirms the result. You receive the footage.
We schedule commercial services to minimize disruption to your operation — early morning before service, or after closing. We understand that a restaurant kitchen cannot stop during service.
How often should a restaurant jet its drains?
High-volume fry operations: monthly. Moderate-volume kitchens with good grease management: quarterly. Light commercial food service: semi-annually. The camera footage after each service tells us what the actual buildup rate is for your specific kitchen — which is the honest basis for a maintenance recommendation.
Ready to get clear pipes? Call Sunburst Environmental at 678-799-4389 — same-day response across Metro Atlanta and North Georgia. Or request a free estimate online.