What's included in our commercial drain cleaning in Oklahoma City
Commercial drains work harder than household drains. More people, more fixtures and, in food service, a steady load of grease. Our commercial drain cleaning covers every part of the system:
- Kitchen lines. Three-compartment sinks, prep sinks, dish machines and mop sinks, cleared and scoured.
- Floor drains and trench drains. Cleared of grease, food solids and grit, with trap seals checked.
- Restroom groups. Toilets, urinals and lavatory lines in offices, schools, churches and retail.
- Main building drains and sewer lines. Stoppages cleared from cleanouts with large-diameter cables and jetting.
- Camera inspection. A sewer camera inspection shows whether a stoppage was a one-time clog or a broken, sagging or grease-choked pipe.
- Written findings. What we cleared, what we saw and what we recommend, for your records or your landlord.
Signs your building needs commercial drain cleaning
- Floor drains that pool water or push water back up during dish washing
- Slow sinks across the kitchen, not just one
- Sewer odor near floor drains, restrooms or the grease interceptor
- Toilets or urinals that back up when several are used at once
- Water backing up at the lowest drain in the building
- Grease or debris visible at a cleanout or sample well
Grease is the big one. The U.S. EPA reports that grease from restaurants, homes and industrial sources is the most common cause of reported sewer blockages, at 47 percent, because it solidifies and chokes the pipe.
Restaurant Grease Line Cleaning & Hydro Jetting
Snaking a grease line pokes a hole through the clog and leaves most of the grease on the pipe wall, so the line closes again quickly. Hydro jetting uses high-pressure water through a nozzle that scours the full pipe diameter, washing the grease, scale and food solids out toward the interceptor and the sewer.
For restaurant grease lines, we usually:
- Jet the branch lines from the sinks, dish machine and floor drains into the grease interceptor
- Jet the outlet line from the interceptor to the building sewer
- Camera the cleaned lines and note any sags where grease will collect again
- Coordinate timing with your permitted grease hauler so the interceptor is pumped right after jetting
The plumbing code adopted in Oklahoma requires drain pipe upstream of a grease interceptor to slope at least 1/4 inch per foot, twice the usual minimum for 3- to 6-inch pipe. A line with less fall than that will keep collecting grease no matter how often it is cleaned, and the camera shows it.
Grease interceptor rules for Oklahoma City food service
Oklahoma City treats grease seriously, because the City says fats, oils and grease build up in private pipes and City mains and can back sewage into homes and businesses. For a restaurant, the City warns that a backup can mean several days of closure. The rules that matter most:
- The code requires a grease interceptor or automatic grease removal device on grease-laden fixtures in restaurants, hotel kitchens, hospitals, school kitchens, bars, cafeterias and clubs.
- A food waste disposer must not discharge to a grease interceptor.
- Oklahoma City's amendments set a 1,000-gallon minimum for gravity grease interceptors and require a sample well downstream.
- Private service lines from grease and waste traps need a wastewater discharge permit from the City's Wastewater Quality division.
- Grease traps must be pumped out completely, and only by City-permitted transporters.
- Enzymes, bacteria and other bio-remediation products are prohibited without the City's prior approval.
What affects the cost of commercial drain cleaning
We price the actual job after we see the system. The main factors:
- Number and length of lines. A single restroom group is a short job. A full kitchen and building drain take longer.
- Access. Good cleanouts speed the work. Roof vents or pulled fixtures slow it down.
- Grease load. Heavily packed lines need more jetting passes.
- Timing. After-hours scheduling around your business is available.
- Repairs found. Broken or sagging pipe is priced separately.
Keeping commercial drains clear between visits
The cheapest stoppage is the one that never happens. Scheduled jetting, staff habits and a regular camera check keep most kitchens running between visits. We can fold drain cleaning into a broader commercial plumbing maintenance plan that also covers restrooms, water heaters and backflow test dates. To learn who you are working with, meet our team.