Grease Trap Service for Food Trucks in Houston, TX
Houston Quality Hood Cleaning helps Houston food truck operators and commissary owners keep grease out of the sewer. Most trucks don't send wastewater to a sewer directly: they carry it in a gray-water tank and empty it at their commissary, so the commissary's grease trap does the work. We pump and inspect commissary traps on a schedule, and we can clean the small grease interceptors some trucks carry onboard. You get a manifest at every pump-out.
Houston Quality Hood Cleaning provides grease trap service for food trucks in Houston, TX and surrounding Houston, TX cities, including Katy, Sugar Land, Pearland, Pasadena, Bellaire, Humble, Spring and Cypress.
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Why Houston Kitchens Call Us About Their Traps
Grease Trap Services for Food Trucks
Commissary Grease Traps
A commissary that takes in gray water from many trucks fills its trap faster than a single restaurant. We'll set a schedule that matches the number of trucks.
Photo: 293.xx.xxx.xx, Wikimedia Commons
Onboard Grease Interceptors
Some trucks carry a small interceptor under the sink. It needs cleaning more often than a building's trap, because it's small.
Commissary Kitchens
Shared prep kitchens where trucks prep and wash have their own fixtures draining to the trap. We'll factor those in.
Fryer-Heavy Menus
Used fryer oil goes to a rendering container, never down the drain or into the gray-water tank.
Truck Parks and Food Halls
Sites that host several vendors often share one trap. We work with the property owner on one schedule.
Photo: Tracy Hunter, Wikimedia Commons
New Commissary Build-Outs
Building a commissary? The trap has to handle the gray water from every truck you serve. See grease trap installation.
Photo: 293.xx.xxx.xx, Wikimedia Commons
Do Food Trucks Have Grease Traps?
Some do, many don't, and the rules depend on where the truck operates. A typical setup:
A fresh-water tank feeds the truck's sinks.
A gray-water (wastewater) tank collects everything that goes down the sinks, grease included.
The commissary is where the gray-water tank gets emptied, into a drain that runs through the commissary's grease trap.
Some operators add a small onboard interceptor to catch grease before it reaches the gray-water tank. That keeps the tank and its valves cleaner. Whether it's required for your truck is a question for your permitting authority.
For Commissary Owners
Houston's grease trap rules apply to your trap like any other: a full pump-out at least every 90 days inside city limits, and sooner if grease and solids reach 25% of the trap's depth. With several trucks dumping gray water, many commissaries will hit that well before day 90.
Keep five years of manifests on site, both the generator copy and the returned copy.
Keep your FOG permit current and posted.
Track which trucks use your dump station. It helps when you set the pumping interval.
Make the lease or use agreement clear about who pays for pumping.
For Food Truck Operators
Empty Gray Water Only Where You're Allowed To
Dumping gray water into a street, a storm drain or a parking lot is illegal, and it sends grease straight into Houston's waterways. Use your commissary's approved disposal point.
Keep Grease Out of the Tank
Wipe pans before washing, use sink strainers and put fryer oil in the rendering container. Less grease in the tank means fewer clogged valves and less odor.
Keep Your Own Records
Note the date and place every time you empty the gray-water tank, and keep receipts for any onboard interceptor service. If an inspector asks, you'll have the answers in one place.
Ask Your Commissary
Who pumps the trap, how often, and whether it's on schedule? If the commissary's trap backs up, every truck that uses it has a problem.
Grease Questions to Ask a Commissary
If you're choosing or switching commissaries, ask:
1. Where do I empty gray water, and does that drain run through the grease trap?
2. Who pumps the trap, and how often? Ask to see the most recent manifest.
3. Is there a rendering container for used fryer oil?
4. What happens when the trap backs up? Is there a plan, or does everyone wait?
5. Who pays if pumping has to happen more often?
A commissary that can answer these quickly is one that keeps its trap on schedule. One that can't may leave you without a place to dump on a busy weekend.
Cleaning an Onboard Grease Interceptor
Small interceptors under a truck's sink fill quickly, because they're small. Signs it's due:
The sink drains slowly.
A sour smell in the truck, especially on hot days.
Grease showing at the lid.
We empty the unit completely, scrape the baffle, check the lid gasket and record the service. Do it at the commissary or another location where wastewater can be handled properly, never at an event site.
Houston Heat and Gray Water
Gray water sitting in a hot truck all day starts to break down fast. Grease and food scraps in the tank produce the same sulfur smell as an overdue grease trap, and you can smell it near the service window. Empty the gray-water tank at the end of every service day, rinse it as your commissary allows, and keep grease out of it in the first place. In summer, staff should check onboard interceptors more often, too.
What Food Truck Grease Trap Service Costs
Commissary trap pumping is priced like any grease trap: routine pumping typically runs $200 to $500 per visit, depending on trap size. Busy commissaries may need more frequent visits, so a scheduled plan usually works out best. Onboard interceptor cleaning is quoted per truck. You get an itemized quote before we start.
Running a Commissary or a Truck? Let's Talk Grease
Tell us how many trucks use the trap, or what's on your truck, and when it was last cleaned. We'll set a schedule that keeps everyone rolling.