A Guide to Interceptor Maintenance

It is a common misconception that interceptors need all liquid contents removed every 6 months… This leads to billions of litres of predominantly clean water being transported around the country and disposed of as hazardous waste every year when most of this could have remained in the interceptors. We take a tiered approach to interceptor maintenance to offer cost savings and environmental benefits to our clients.

We recommend monitoring the interceptor at least every 6 months to ascertain the contents and only if a high silt level or a structural problem is detected does the whole system need emptying. If a high level of oil is found we can remove this by skimming the surface, thus removing only the oil and not the water.

During the monitoring event we will check the coalescer and automatic closure device and service if necessary. If no structural issues are found and no major build-up of silt has accumulated then the separator will not need the cost to bring a tanker to site.

We can sample discharges to sensitive receptors for key indicators of compliance failure and provide solutions to any site non-compliances.

After an interceptor monitoring/maintenance event you will be provided with a written report detailing the condition of the interceptor and the works we have undertaken. The report can be used as third party assurance to ISO 14001 auditors and the Environment Agency/NRW/SEPA to prove that correct maintenance is being conducted.

If during an audit a high level of silt is found to have accumulated inside the interceptor or the interceptor has gone 5 years without a general inspection then an interceptor service will be required.

See the case studies for examples of how our approach to interceptor maintenance can lead to substantial cost savings and environmental benefits and how not maintaining your interceptors can lead to environmental incidents and prosecutions.

To summarise the benefits of our approach compared with tanker companies we: