Volume 35: SaniTEE Screens

In the heart of a bustling downtown district, nestled between designer boutiques and artisan cafés, stood The Spa for Paws: a luxury dog grooming studio where high-end hounds came to be pampered. From lavender-scented baths to meticulous haircuts, the adorable clients were well taken care of.

But beneath the polished surfaces, a growing infrastructure problem threatened to disrupt business.

With dozens of pampered pups coming through daily, the salon’s water system was taking a hit. The Spa for Paws was experiencing repeated plumbing slowdowns, drainage issues, and rising maintenance costs.

The studio had been operating with a generic wastewater treatment system installed years earlier, sufficient for a smaller operation, but never designed to handle the kind of grooming volume they had grown into. Staff were reporting reduced flow rates, backed-up drains, and increasingly frequent service calls.

The issue was eventually traced to the amount of fur entering the system.

With dozens of appointments each week, many involving heavy coats, double coats, and seasonal shedding, the volume of hair entering the wastewater system had reached a tipping point. Fur was bypassing preliminary filters, entering the system, and accumulating in the infrastructure.

Salon owner Elena Gibbs knew this was more than a minor inconvenience.

“Not only were we looking at long-term damage to the infrastructure, but it was also threatening the reliability of our service. We needed to protect our water system, and our business!”

She reached out to Dr. Shaw, a veterinary clinic owner and longtime friend, for advice.

“We had a similar problem,” Dr. Shaw told her. “When it came time to expand, we contacted BioMicrobics. Their engineers designed a properly sized wastewater treatment system for our facility, and they recommended a component that made all the difference: the SaniTEE Wastewater Screen. It stops the kind of solids that cause blockages.”

Encouraged by the recommendation, Elena contacted BioMicrobics.

Within days, BioMicrobics dispatched Robust, a systems specialist, along with Eco, the company’s service helper dog– a calm, observant rescue pup who often accompanied site visits as part of BioMicrobics’ community outreach.

Robust conducted a full site assessment.

“We’ll help you upgrade to a solution that’s engineered for grooming facilities like yours. That includes properly sizing a new wastewater treatment system, and adding screening to protect it from fur and debris.”

He introduced Elena to the SaniTEE effluent screen: a specialized filtration device engineered to prevent large and suspended solids from reaching downstream processes. Built with angled slots that deflect and trap debris, the SaniTEE screen
works within single or two-compartment tanks and is specifically designed to protect absorption fields and downstream components from premature clogging or failure.

As part of a complete system upgrade, the SaniTEE screen offered a smart, low-cost solution that extended the life of the new system and drastically reduced future maintenance needs.

Best of all, the screen is easy to clean using a built-in plunger accessible from the surface, meaning no tools, no disassembly, and no system shutdown required.

The new BioMicrobics system, complete with dual SaniTEE screens, was installed with minimal disruption to daily operations.

The results were almost immediate. Water flow normalized. Maintenance calls decreased. Fur buildup in the system dropped significantly.

“Everything changed,” Elena said. “BioMicrobics didn’t just sell us a product– they engineered a solution tailored to our business. The SaniTEE screen was a simple but critical piece of that upgrade.”

She now recommends the SaniTEE screen, and BioMicrobics systems, to other grooming and veterinary professionals facing similar challenges.

By partnering with BioMicrobics, The Spa for Paws didn’t just fix a problem. They future-proofed their operation with a scalable, reliable, and cost-effective system designed for real-world use.

With the SaniTEE screen in place, the studio not only resolved a growing technical issue but also preserved the integrity of its new wastewater treatment system and ensured the long-term sustainability of its operations.

For grooming studios, veterinary clinics, and any facility managing high volumes of organic solids, the SaniTEE screen from BioMicrobics is an essential upgrade for system protection and long-term performance.