Pumping and cleaning aren't the same job
A pump-out removes the liquid and loose solids sitting in the tank. That's what most of the Katy market sells, and it's what the 90-day cadence under Sec. 47-512 requires at minimum. What it doesn't touch is the layer of hardened grease that builds up on the baffle, the walls, and the underside of the lid over months of service. That crust doesn't move with a vacuum hose. It has to be scraped and degreased by hand.
A trap running on pump-outs alone for a year or more usually has a baffle coated thick enough to reduce its actual holding capacity by 15% to 25%, even though the tank measures empty right after service. That's a trap that's technically compliant on paper and functionally undersized in practice. We see it most on accounts that switched providers two or three times, where nobody ever went back to the baffle.
Stated limit
We don't sell a full degreasing clean on every single visit. Most kitchens need one full clean a year on top of quarterly pump-outs, sometimes two for fry-heavy menus. We tell you the real number after we've opened your trap, not before.
How a full cleaning works
- Full evacuation first. Same as a standard pump-out, bare walls and floor, nothing skipped.
- Baffle inspection. We check the inlet and outlet baffles for hardened grease buildup and physical damage, cracks, or a baffle that's come loose from its mounts.
- Hand scraping. Solidified grease on the baffle, walls, and lid underside gets broken up and removed by hand, not just rinsed.
- Degreasing rinse. A final rinse clears loosened residue so the tank starts its next cycle clean, not just empty.
- Function check. We confirm the baffle is seated and doing its job of separating grease from wastewater before we close the lid.
- Manifest completed on-site. Same paperwork as a standard pump, your copy left with your manager.
What makes a cleaning harder than a pump-out
Grease that's been building for over a year sets up almost like wax near the baffle, and breaking it loose by hand takes real time, sometimes 45 minutes to an hour longer than a standard pump on the same size tank. A baffle that's cracked or partially detached needs to get flagged for your landlord or property manager before we sign off the unit is functioning as designed, since a broken baffle means grease is bypassing straight into your line. Traps that have never had a full clean, only pump-outs, from a prior provider often surprise us with buildup nobody documented. And any trap where the lid gasket has failed lets groundwater or rainwater into the tank between visits, which changes the whole service plan for that stop.
Price and duration
A standard full degreasing clean on a 500 to 1,500 gallon interior trap runs $275 to $450, on top of or in place of a scheduled pump depending on timing. Larger exterior interceptors, 1,500 to 2,500 gallons, run $450 to $700. Heavily neglected traps with a full year or more of baffle buildup can run $700 to $950 because of the extra scraping time. Most standard cleanings take 60 to 90 minutes on site. Heavily neglected traps can run past two hours.
One fact that separates this from a route pump-out
We open the lid and physically check the baffle on every scheduled cleaning visit. A lot of route trucks in this market pump and go without ever looking past the liquid line, which is exactly how a baffle problem goes unnoticed for a year.
Baffle scraping
Degreasing rinse
Manifest every visit
Serving restaurants in Katy, Cinco Ranch, Fulshear, Brookshire, and Richmond. Not sure whether your trap needs a pump or a full clean? Call and describe what you're seeing, we'll tell you which one fits.