St. Louis Porta Pros pumps grease traps for restaurants, commercial kitchens and food trucks across St. Louis on a schedule built around your fryer volume. A trap is due when fats, oils, grease and solids reach 25 percent of the liquid depth. Most kitchens land on monthly or quarterly service, and we also run emergency grease trap pumping when a line backs up.
That 25 percent threshold is the real answer, not a calendar date. A busy fryer line hits it faster than a coffee shop. We check depth at every visit and adjust the interval instead of guessing. This is different from residential septic work, where a typical 1,000 gallon tank goes 3 to 5 years between pumpings depending on household size, but a commercial kitchen in St. Louis runs on weeks, not years, because grease volume is constant. Skipping a pumping does not just risk a clog. It risks a backup into the kitchen during service, which is the exact scenario our emergency septic service exists for. If you are building out a new kitchen or event space, our construction site services page covers the sanitation side of the build, and our portable restroom rental fleet can cover staff needs while plumbing is offline.
Cost depends on trap size, grease depth and how far the truck has to travel. We do not publish a flat number here because every kitchen is different, but our septic tank pumping cost page breaks down comparable pricing for tank-based work, and our septic pumping service page covers the service structure. For context on scheduling logic, see how often to pump a septic tank, which walks through the same depth-based reasoning we use for traps.
| service | interval driver | typical trigger |
|---|---|---|
| grease trap | usage volume | 25% FOG depth |
| residential septic | household size | 3 to 5 years |
| commercial holding tank | event or job duration | rental term |
If your kitchen needs a temporary holding solution during trap service, our holding tank rental page has options, and septic tank cleaning covers the deeper service some traps eventually need.
Yes. A grease trap backup does not wait for business hours, and neither do we. Emergency grease trap pumping means a truck out to your location without the multi-day wait a routine schedule allows. St. Louis kitchens near University City, about 7.9 miles northwest, and Webster Groves, roughly 8.6 miles southwest, get the same response priority as downtown locations. If your event or job site also needs restrooms while the kitchen is down, check event restroom rental or emergency porta potty rental. For sites further out toward Chesterfield, about 19.2 miles west, or St. Peters, 27.0 miles northwest, our service areas page lists coverage. Kitchens with washdown or degreasing operations should also review OSHA 1926.51(f)(1), which requires washing facilities where employees handle paints, coatings, herbicides, insecticides or other operations with harmful contaminants present, since some grease handling falls under that same standard. General crew sanitation on a job site still falls under OSHA 1926.51(c) for toilet counts, and any handwashing setup needs soap and towels per 29 CFR 1910.141(d)(2), not just sanitizer.
Slow drains, a sulfur smell near the trap, or grease surfacing in the sink are the tells. Once FOG hits 25 percent of liquid depth, pump it. Do not wait for a full backup. Call for emergency grease trap pumping if drains have already stopped.
Yes. Grease traps trap fats and oils before they hit the sewer line, while septic tanks handle wastewater from the whole building. See grease trap pumping and septic tank warning signs for the difference in signs and service.
Yes. Most commercial kitchens set a fixed interval once we know their grease volume. Monthly and quarterly are common. Ask about a standing route so you never have to call for emergency septic service again.
Trap size depends on kitchen output and local plumbing code. We measure depth and volume during the first visit and size the pumping schedule from there.
Yes, including Kirkwood at 12.5 miles west and Florissant at 15.4 miles north. Check porta potty rental in St. Louis for the full coverage map and nearby city pages.
Yes. St. Louis Porta Pros delivers grease trap pumping across St. Louis and the surrounding metro, with same-day and next-day drop-off available on most orders.
Pricing depends on the unit and how long you need it. See our cost breakdown and request a free quote for an exact figure.
Standard rentals include scheduled service — a pump-out, a clean, a restock and fresh deodorizer. Busy or hot-weather sites can be serviced more often.
Call now or request a free quote — clean units, on-time delivery, transparent pricing.
