Getting the size right is most of this job. An undersized interceptor fills faster than anyone will service it and puts grease into the sewer regardless of how conscientious the kitchen is; an oversized one costs more than it needed to.
When to call
Root intrusion is relentless here. Mature landscaping and old clay or cast-iron joints are a bad combination that shows up as a backup every few months.
These are the symptoms that usually prompt the call. Any one of them is worth a conversation, and most of them get cheaper to deal with the earlier they are looked at.
Opening a kitchen or taking over a space that has no interceptor
A health or sewer district requirement on a new build or remodel
Adding fryers, a dishwasher or a wash-down that the existing trap cannot handle
An undersized trap that fills within weeks
Replacing a failed interceptor
Small failures announce themselves quietly and then stop being small. The window where it is cheap to fix is usually early.
An accurate diagnosis is the whole foundation of a repair that actually lasts.
Size it off the actual fixtures
Sink volumes, dishwasher, flow rates and drain time. The number comes off the kitchen, not off a rule of thumb.
Decide where it goes
Indoor under-sink units and outdoor in-ground interceptors solve different problems. Access for the service truck is part of the decision, not an afterthought.
Handle the permit and the district
New interceptors are permitted work and the sewer district has its own requirements.
Set it and plumb it
Level, on prepared base, with the inlet and outlet at the right heights and only the right fixtures tied in.
Start the service schedule
A new trap with no schedule behind it is a trap that fails in a year.
Quotes are free and they are specific. A number with no explanation behind it is not much use to anybody.
Undersizing is the most common and most expensive mistake on interceptor work, and it is usually the result of sizing off floor area or seat count rather than off the fixtures. The calculation runs on sink volumes and flow rates, and the sewer district normally sets a minimum underneath it. Get it wrong low and you have a trap that overflows its capacity between any realistic service interval, which puts grease in the lateral and eventually brings a notice from the district. That is a costly way to save money on a vessel.
Between camera work, locating, cabling and jetting, most of what goes wrong underground can be identified and handled without opening the ground at all.
Yucaipa is home, and the work radiates out from there across the Inland Empire in every direction. If you are outside the usual radius, call and ask. We cover more ground than most shops our size.
An accurate diagnosis is the whole foundation of a repair that actually lasts.
Small failures announce themselves quietly and then stop being small. The window where it is cheap to fix is usually early.
If you have had a line cleared more than once, ask for a camera inspection rather than a third clearing. Repeated blockages nearly always have a physical cause worth finding.
Watch your water bill. A bill that climbs without a change in habits is often the only warning a hidden leak will give you before the damage shows.
Know the age of the major components. Water heaters, supply piping and sewer laterals all have expected lifespans, and planning for a replacement is considerably cheaper than reacting to one.
For commercial property, a maintenance schedule on drains and interceptors costs a fraction of emergency response, and it is the difference between planned work and a closure.
Urgent calls get triaged on the phone. Sometimes the most valuable thing we do is tell you what to do in the next two minutes.
When Big Mike handed the company to his kids, the thing he was protecting was the way customers get treated. Four decades of repeat business suggests they understood the assignment.
We hold plumbing, sanitation and general engineering contractor licensing, which is what allows one shop to take a job from the fixture in the bathroom all the way out to the leach field.
No sales pitch, and a straight explanation of what we found.
Big Mike's · Yucaipa, California
If yours is not here, call and ask. We would rather talk it through than have you guess.
It is calculated from fixture volumes and flow rate, and the sewer district usually has a minimum. We do the calculation rather than guessing and show you the numbers.
Under-sink units suit small kitchens with light volume. In-ground exterior interceptors suit real production kitchens and are far easier to service.
Yes, and the sewer district typically has to approve it. We deal with both.
Usually not, and in many jurisdictions it is not allowed. The hot water emulsifies grease and carries it straight through.
Depends entirely on volume. We will give you a first interval and adjust it after we see how fast it actually loads.
For simple, well-defined jobs sometimes. For anything that needs diagnosis, a number quoted blind is a guess, and we would rather look first and give you a real figure.
Regularly. We coordinate around construction schedules, tenant access and operating hours as a matter of course.
We run a 24-hour line and same-day service is normal. When you call we will give you a realistic window rather than an optimistic one that slips.
We stand behind what we do. If something we repaired is not right, call us and we will come back and deal with it.
Septic systems are far more sensitive to what goes into them than sewer connections are. A municipal system dilutes and treats at scale. A septic tank is a small ecosystem where wipes, grease, harsh chemicals and excessive water all cause real damage. The habits of the household matter more to septic longevity than the age of the equipment does.
Make sure someone who can make decisions about the work is available, so we are not waiting to get approval on what we found.
The region we cover takes in older established towns and newer developments alike, which is useful, because working across both keeps us fluent in what each one does.
Sewage, effluent and sump pumps.
New and replacement drain fields.
Trenching and digging for underground work.
Baffles, lids, risers and cracked tanks.
Routine pump-outs and full tanks.
Failed lids, baffles and inlet lines.
We run grease trap installation out of Yucaipa across Glendora, San Bernardino, Menifee, Montclair, Rialto, Chino Hills and Beaumont, and the rest of San Bernardino, Riverside and the eastern edge of Los Angeles County.
Tell us what it is doing and we will tell you what it takes to fix it. Plain language, no sales pitch, and the number before we start.
Yucaipa, California · Serving San Bernardino, Riverside and eastern Los Angeles counties · Open 24 hours
