A grease trap intercepts fats, oils, and food solids before they reach the wastewater system, protecting your kitchen’s plumbing and keeping you compliant with local sewer regulations. Left unmaintained, grease builds up into a solid blockage that causes slow drains, sewer odours in the kitchen, and — if it backs up during service — a shut-down kitchen at the worst possible time.
Commercial kitchens in Winnipeg operate under the City’s grease interceptor requirements, which exist because grease build-up in the municipal sewer system is a real and costly problem for the city, not just an individual restaurant. Regular grease trap cleaning keeps your kitchen on the right side of an inspection and avoids the fines that come with a neglected trap. (Worth confirming the exact bylaw reference with your local jurisdiction before this goes live — regulations can differ between Winnipeg and surrounding municipalities.)
What’s Included
Our grease trap cleaning service covers:
- Trap cleaning — full removal of accumulated grease and solid waste from the trap.
- Trap pumping — extracting waste with specialized equipment, leaving no residue behind that would shorten the time to your next service.
- Grease interceptor maintenance — inspecting and servicing larger interceptor systems to keep them functioning and prevent downstream sewer blockages.
- Connected drain cleaning — clearing the kitchen drain lines feeding into the trap, since a clean trap with a blocked line upstream doesn’t solve the problem. For lines and blockages beyond the grease trap itself, see our full drain cleaning services.
Every visit is documented, so you have a maintenance record on hand if a health inspector asks for one.
Who Needs This, and How Often
Any business that prepares food — restaurants, catering operations, hotel kitchens, cafeterias, and food processing facilities — needs a working grease trap and a cleaning schedule that matches how much grease the kitchen actually produces.
As a general guide:
- High-volume kitchens (full-service restaurants, fryers running daily): every 4–6 weeks.
- Moderate-volume kitchens (cafes, smaller catering operations): every 2–3 months.
- Lower-volume kitchens: quarterly, adjusted based on inspection results.
If you’re not sure where your kitchen falls, we can assess your trap and recommend a schedule rather than guessing and risking an overflow.
For a broader look at how grease trap service fits alongside general drain and sewer maintenance for restaurants and commercial properties, see our main cleaning services.
Service Area: Winnipeg and Rural Manitoba
We service commercial kitchens across Winnipeg and in surrounding rural Manitoba communities, where fewer specialized grease trap contractors operate and response times from city-based providers tend to run longer. Being locally based means we can typically get to a rural service call faster than a company dispatching from further away, which matters when a blocked trap means a kitchen can’t operate.
FAQ
Why is regular grease trap cleaning necessary? An unmaintained trap fills with solidified grease, which blocks drainage, causes odours, and puts you at risk of failing a health or plumbing inspection. Regular cleaning also protects you from the higher cost of an emergency call when the trap backs up during service hours.
How often should grease traps be cleaned? It depends on your kitchen’s volume — high-output kitchens typically need cleaning every 4–6 weeks, while lower-volume operations can often go quarterly. We can recommend a specific schedule after assessing your trap.
What are the signs my grease trap needs cleaning? Slow drainage in the kitchen, odours near the trap or drains, and grease visibly reaching the top of the trap are the main signs. Any of these means it’s due, not overdue — waiting until it overflows means a bigger cleanup and possible downtime.
How do I schedule a service appointment? Contact us to book a cleaning. We work around kitchen hours to minimize disruption to service.
If your grease trap is due for cleaning or you’re not sure of your current schedule, get in touch and we’ll set up a plan that keeps your kitchen compliant and running.