An inspector asks the manager of a restaurant to demonstrate that the grease interceptor serving the kitchen is being maintained. What does the code expect to be produced?
- AA placard fastened to the interceptor cover stating its design capacity and the flow rating of the unit.
A capacity placard identifies the equipment and helps size a replacement. It says nothing about whether the unit has ever been pumped, which is what the inspector is asking.
- Records of the maintenance and cleaning performed on the interceptor, kept on hand and made available to the code official
- CA copy of the original plumbing permit for the installation, kept on the premises for the life of the equipment installed under it.
The permit documents the original installation. Once the job is closed out it proves nothing about ongoing operation, and it is not what the maintenance provisions ask for.
- DAn annual pressure test report demonstrating that the interceptor body does not leak into the soil around it.
There is no periodic pressure test requirement for an in-service interceptor. Testing belongs to the original installation rather than to the operating obligations of the owner.
Why B is correct
The code requires that maintenance of an interceptor be recorded and that the records be available to the code official. The record is the only evidence that the servicing interval actually matches the grease load the kitchen produces over time.
What this question is testing
Whether the candidate knows the operating and maintenance obligations attached to interceptors, not just the installation and sizing rules, and whether they can distinguish documentation of service from documentation of installation. It also checks whether they can advise an owner on what has to be kept after the job closes, which is part of a proper handover on any interceptor installation.
On the job
Enforcement of grease rules is almost entirely a paperwork exercise: the inspector asks for the pumping tickets, and the restaurant either has a folder or it does not. Plumbers get pulled into it because the owner calls asking what they are supposed to keep. Tell them at handover, give them the pumping contractor's invoice format, and put the interceptor capacity and expected interval on a label near the unit so the next manager inherits the information.
Memory technique
No pumping tickets means no maintenance, as far as the code is concerned.
Exam tip
Interceptor questions that mention an inspector asking a question are usually about records, not about hardware.
Where to look it up
Chapter 10, the interceptors and separators section covering grease interceptor maintenance and records. UPC differs on this point and local sewer ordinances typically impose their own record keeping, so confirm both.