A sewer authority intends to sample what leaves a new commissary kitchen that is served by an in-ground grease interceptor. What provision does the code expect the installation to include so that those samples can be taken?
- An accessible sampling point downstream of the interceptor, such as a sampling well or manhole on the outlet line
- BA removable section of piping inside the kitchen from which staff can draw a sample
A removable piece of pipe inside the kitchen is upstream of the interceptor and inside the tenant space. It measures raw kitchen waste and requires access that a sampling crew usually does not have.
- CA sample tap on the inlet side, where the grease concentration is highest and easiest to measure
Inlet concentration measures the load the kitchen generates, not compliance at the point of discharge. High grease at the inlet is expected and proves nothing about performance.
- DNo provision at all, since a sample is taken from the interceptor whenever it is pumped
Waiting for a pump-out ties sampling to a maintenance contractor's schedule and samples the accumulated contents rather than the flowing discharge. It also does nothing for an authority that samples on its own schedule.
Why A is correct
The interceptor is judged by what leaves it, so the sampling point belongs downstream on the outlet line and must be reachable for routine sampling. A sampling well or manhole gives a technician a clean, repeatable place to draw from without disturbing the unit.
What this question is testing
Whether the candidate understands the purpose of a sampling point and can therefore place it correctly, and whether they distinguish provisions for enforcement access from provisions for maintenance access. It also checks whether they can place a required feature by reasoning about who will use it and when, rather than by copying a location off a typical detail.
On the job
Grease ordinances are enforced through sampling, and a restaurant without an accessible sampling point gets written up before it ever gets tested. The well is cheap to install while the interceptor excavation is open and expensive to add through a finished parking lot. Set the lid at grade, keep it out of the drive lane if you can, and note its location on the record drawing so the next contractor can find it.
Memory technique
Sample what leaves, not what arrives.
Exam tip
Anything meant to measure compliance goes downstream of the treatment device, never upstream.
Where to look it up
Chapter 10, the interceptors and separators section covering grease interceptor installation, access and sampling. UPC differs on this point and local sewer ordinances often add requirements, so confirm both.