CLEARMASTERS
Why pubs and restaurants are different
Your kitchen is your biggest drainage risk
Fat, oil and grease from a busy kitchen are behind most pub and restaurant drain problems, and many country pubs are on private drainage too.
Fat, oil and grease
Liquid when hot, solid when cold. Fat that leaves the kitchen sets in the drains and in the system beyond.
The law
It’s an offence to put anything into a public sewer that stops it flowing, and water companies can trace blockages back to you.
The cellar
Line cleaning fluids and cellar pumps bring problems most people never think about.
Country pubs
Many rural pubs have a septic tank or treatment plant that a busy kitchen can overwhelm.
Interactive
Drainage problems around a pub
Tap a number to see what goes wrong in each area, and how to prevent it.
Kitchen
The biggest cause of pub drain problems: fat, oil and grease from cooking and washing up.
- Fat setting in the kitchen drain
- Food waste from plates and prep
- Hot dishwasher water carrying fat past the trap
What to do: Scrape plates, collect used oil separately and jet the kitchen run before it blocks.
Bar and glass washer
Glass washers and drip trays run all day.
- Detergent and rinse aid in large volumes
- Sugary drinks and syrups
What to do: Use the right amount of detergent, and tell us if the bar drains are slow.
Customer toilets
Busy on a Friday night, and used by people who don’t think about what they flush.
- Wipes, sanitary products and paper towels
- Blockages at the worst possible time
What to do: Bins in every cubicle, a clear sign, and our 24/7 number behind the bar.
Cellar
Cellar drains take line-cleaning water, spillages and sometimes groundwater, often via a small pump.
- Beer line cleaning fluid, which is harmful to septic tanks and treatment plants
- Cellar pumps failing and flooding
- Silt and broken glass in cellar gullies
What to do: Find out where your cellar drains go, and keep line cleaner away from a septic tank or plant.
Beer garden
Outdoor bars and food service add to the summer load.
- Food and fat poured into outside gullies
- Rainwater connected to foul drains
What to do: Keep outdoor sinks connected to the separator, and rainwater to the surface water drain.
Yard gully and car park
Rainwater from the yard and car park, plus whatever gets swept in.
- Gullies full of silt and leaves
- Fat poured into the yard gully
What to do: Regular gully clearance, and never pour fat outside.
Septic tank or treatment plant
Many country pubs aren’t on mains drainage. Fat and chemicals are hard on the system.
- Fat coating the plant and drainage field
- Line cleaner and bleach killing the bacteria
- Weekend peaks overloading it
What to do: Regular emptying and servicing, and a grease separator that’s working properly.
Grease separator
Stops fat leaving the kitchen, but only if it’s the right size and emptied often.
- A full separator letting fat straight through
- Smells in the kitchen or yard
What to do: Empty it on a schedule. BS EN 1825 calls for at least monthly.
Interactive
Working around your service
Tap a time to see when we’d visit, and what work fits.
Want to check your kitchen? Try the FOG compliance check in our grease traps guide.
What we offer
How we look after pubs and restaurants
Grease separator emptying
Scheduled emptying with our own tankers, before opening or after close, with a waste transfer note every time.
Jetting and CCTV
Planned jetting of problem drain runs before they block, and camera surveys to find the cause of repeat problems.
Planned maintenance contracts
A schedule for every drainage asset on site, booked and confirmed by our office, with a written report after every visit.
Invoicing by site and PO
Invoices split by site and quoting your purchase order numbers.
Compliance paperwork
RAMS, insurance certificates and training records on request, and a waste transfer note for every load removed.
24/7 emergency cover
One number, answered day and night. Tankers to stop an overflow, engineers to fix the cause.
One contractor
From the kitchen to the septic tank
Getting started
How it works
Site visit
Before opening, we look at your separator, drains and any septic tank or plant.
A schedule that fits
Emptying and jetting planned around your opening hours and busiest days.
Visits and paperwork
Our own crews do the work. You get a waste transfer note for every load.
Support when it matters
Our 24/7 line is there if the drains back up mid-service.
What our customers say
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Scores as of September 2026
Questions answered
Questions from licensees and restaurant owners
How often should a pub grease separator be emptied?
BS EN 1825 calls for grease separators to be emptied at least monthly, and busy kitchens often need more. We set a schedule based on the size of your separator and how many covers you serve.
Can you empty our grease trap before we open?
Yes. We plan visits before opening or outside service hours, so we’re not in the kitchen when you’re busy.
Can beer line cleaner go down the drain?
It can harm a septic tank or treatment plant, because line cleaning fluids are designed to kill bacteria. If your pub isn’t on mains drainage, find out where the cellar drains go and talk to us or your supplier about safe disposal.
Our pub has a septic tank. How often should it be emptied?
At least once a year under the general binding rules, but a pub with a busy kitchen usually needs it more often. Our emptying estimator gives a rough guide, and we can measure the sludge at each visit.
Who pays if our fat blocks the public sewer?
It’s an offence to put anything into a public sewer that stops it flowing, and water companies can trace fat blockages back to the businesses responsible and recover their costs. A properly sized and emptied grease separator is your best protection.
What should we do if the toilets back up on a Friday night?
Close the affected toilets, stop using water in that area and call our 24/7 line on 03333 233577.
Do you work for pub groups with several sites?
Yes. We can set up planned maintenance across several pubs and restaurants, invoice by site and quote your purchase order numbers.
Do you provide waste transfer notes?
Yes. Every load we remove comes with a waste transfer note, which is your proof that grease and waste water were disposed of properly.
Got a different question? Call 03333 233566 or send us a message.
Let’s talk about your kitchen
Tell us about your pub or restaurant and your opening hours. We’ll arrange a visit before you open and set up a schedule that suits you.
Useful guides for kitchen teams
Other sectors we work with: Wedding and event venues · Golf clubs · Care homes · Schools and colleges · Farms and rural estates · all sectors
Fully accredited & compliant
We're independently vetted and certified so you can trust who you're letting onto your site.
SafeContractor
Health & safety pre-qualification accreditation, verifying our processes meet recognised safety standards.
RISQS
Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme — approved to work safely within the rail industry supply chain.
Achilles UVDB
Utilities Vetting Database membership, confirming we meet the utilities sector's supply chain standards.
Trading Standards Approved
Vetted and approved under the local authority's trusted trader scheme for honesty and fair dealing.
NADC Member
Members of the National Association of Drainage Contractors, the UK trade body for the drainage industry.
Registered Waste Carrier
Registered with the Environment Agency, so your waste is handled and disposed of fully within the law.