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Grease Trap Cleaning Winnipeg

Winnipeg is filled with wonderful restaurants. It’s probably as a result of our immigrant population; in a lot of places, you can find cuisine from all corners of the globe a block away from your house. This has meant a lot of good things for our city, but it’s also meant that we need to be careful about how we dispose of grease; too much grease clogging our pipes can cause damage to the City’s sewer systems, clog sewers on neighboring properties, and cause a host of problems. As a result, the City requires that you install and maintain a grease trap. You can read the by-law to find out more about commercial grease traps and if you need one, but if you deal with any food services that could create grease, you’ll probably need a grease trap. This includes bakeries, restaurants, hotels, snack bars, ice cream shops and many more establishments. The fines for not having a properly installed and maintained grease trap can be pretty steep, ranging from $1000.00-$5000.00; you may also have to pay for repairs for sewer damage caused by grease from your property.

Clean Line will deal with all elements of your grease trap cleaning, maintenance service and installation. We’ll get all of the appropriate permits, and ensure that you’re compliant with the by-law. We’ll clean out the grease trap for you, help you choose between a grease trap and an interceptor, and keep everything properly maintained.

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Grease Trap Installation

The city requires weekly grease trap cleanings, performed and documented by a licensed plumber. However, if you generate a lot of grease and/or you use a food waste grinder or garburator in your kitchen sinks, your grease trap’s parts also can clog more quickly. In that case, we may need to clean it more frequently.

The next step is the installation. We’ll make sure the grease trap we install is fully compliant with the by-laws. Our installations are quick and efficient, so you can get back to business as soon as possible. We’re licensed and insured, and we’ve been in the business for a long time; what we’re saying is the installation will be painless, and you’ll be happy with the quality of work we do.

Commercial Cleaning

Now you have a grease trap catching all the fats, oils and grease your business is producing; what do you do with it all? More often than not, we’re talking about a lot of commercial grease traps; cleaning it out can’t be done easily without specialized equipment. We have the equipment you need, so we’ll come by as frequently as you need us to, and clean out your grease trap or oil interceptor so that your plumbing keeps working perfectly.

How often should you clean your grease trap? That depends largely on how much grease you’re producing, and the size of your unit. The City of Winnipeg recommends cleaning under-the-sink grease traps at least once a week, and if you find that the oil level in the trap is reaching more than 50% when you clean it, to clean it out more than once a week. That’s a good best practice; you don’t want pipes or drains in your plumbing to get clogged up with grease. Grease interceptors can often be cleaned out less often every month, because they’re so much larger.

When you have a clogged grease drain trap, you need to keep a maintenance log that tells the City how often you’re cleaning it, how much grease is being drained, how full the grease trap was when it was drained, and other important details. The City reserves the right to inspect these maintenance logs to ensure that you’re doing your due diligence to keep the sewers grease free. Clean Line will help you create and maintain these logs; we’ll make sure we help fill them out every time we swing by to clean out the traps.

We’re here for you for all of your grease trap cleaning and repair needs. You might have an overloaded system that needs to be repaired; we can help you with that. You might realize the system you have doesn’t have the capacity you need; we can install a new one. You might need advice on how to reduce the amount of food residuals and grease going into your grease traps; we can give you tips and tricks to lower the grease load. We’re Clean Line, and we want to keep Winnipeg’s restaurant and food community thriving; in case you need plumbing services give us a call!

FAQ

What is a grease trap?

A full grease trap system collects grease from the wastewater in your sinks and dishwasher, trapping and keeping it all from entering your sewer drain.

Who requires a grease trap?

As of 2018, all commercial restaurants and food service businesses in Winnipeg require a grease trap.

What if we don’t work with grease? Do we still need a grease trap?

Yes, you still need a grease trap. Grease traps collect more than grease; they collect cooking oils, fats from butter and butter substitutes, and baking grease.

There are grease traps and grease interceptors. What’s the difference and which one do I need?

Grease traps and grease interceptors perform the same function. Interceptors are much larger and are usually underground, outside your establishment. They hold more grease, so they don’t need to be cleaned as often as a smaller.

If you don’t have either a trap or interceptor, we can help you determine which one you need. We base this decision on the volume of wastewater and grease your business generates. Call us and we’ll do an assessment with you.

How often do I need grease trap cleaning?

The city requires weekly grease trap cleanings, performed and documented by a licensed plumber. However, if you generate a lot of grease and/or you use a food waste grinder or garburator in your kitchen sinks, you can clog more quickly. In that case, we may need to clean it more frequently.

If you do not clean your grease trap regularly, it will clog.

Do I need to keep a maintenance logbook?

Yes, you do. The city’s Sewer By-law needs maintenance records that must stay on-site for 12 months. They must also be readily available to city inspectors.

The city requires weekly grease trap cleanings, performed and documented by a licensed plumber. However, if you generate a lot of grease and/or you use a food waste grinder or garburator in your kitchen sinks, you can clog more quickly. In that case, we may need to clean it more frequently.

What can I do to reduce the amount of grease and oil going into my grease trap?

Essentially, try to dispose of the waste and grease through the garbage, not the drain.

Put all greasy foods in the garbage and not down drains into the drain. Wipe excess grease off of pans and utensils with paper towel. Use a sink strainer to catch food waste and empty the strainer into the garbage. Pour any excess cooking oil in a container to harden and put that in the garbage too.

I have more questions. Who can I call?

If you have any questions, call us at Clean Line. We would be happy to come down and make sure everything is running smoothly. If you are more curious about the Sewer By-law, call the City of Winnipeg’s 311 Centre by dialing 3-1-1.

If you’d like to print a copy of our grease trap maintenance log to keep on-site, download our PDF by hitting the button below.

Download Maintenance Log

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If you need help immediately, please call

204-788-0777

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