Commercial plumbing in the Bay Area — restaurants, medical offices, and multi-tenant buildings. Grease traps, backflow prevention, and restroom installs.
Restaurants must usually have properly sized and permitted grease interceptors, floor sinks, and high-use hot water systems. Local jurisdictions in the Bay Area and Los Angeles strictly enforce grease control and backflow prevention to protect public sewers. We design and install these systems to meet health department and plumbing code requirements.
A grease trap or interceptor slows wastewater so fats, oils, and grease can cool and separate before the water enters the sewer. If you operate a restaurant, café, or any food prep facility in California, you’ll almost always need one sized and installed to local code. We can help with sizing, permitting, installation, and coordination with the city or sanitation district.
A backflow preventer is a device that stops contaminated water from flowing back into the public water supply. Most commercial properties—especially those with irrigation, fire sprinklers, or chemical use—are required by California code and local water agencies to have them. We install and replace backflow assemblies and coordinate inspections and testing with certified testers when needed.
Commercial water heaters are designed for higher demand, faster recovery, and continuous use, and they often require larger gas or electrical connections and dedicated flues or vents. In Bay Area restaurants, gyms, and multi-tenant buildings, proper sizing and venting are critical for safety and performance. We can evaluate your hot water needs and recommend the right type and capacity for your operation.
Most commercial plumbing requires a building permit and both rough and final inspections. But some systems require approvals from separate agencies: grease interceptors in restaurants and commercial kitchens need county environmental health sign-off in addition to building inspection before they are placed into service. Backflow preventers require initial city registration and annual testing by a certified backflow tester—results must be reported to the local water authority each year. Restaurant dishwasher and prep sink installations may also need to satisfy county health department temperature and sanitizing requirements independent of the building inspector. We identify all required agency approvals at the start of the project so you are not caught by a second-agency hold at the very end of construction.
Commercial restroom rough-in involves designing supply lines, waste lines, venting, and cleanouts to support all fixtures within your code-required layout and fixture count. In multi-tenant buildings, we also plan for future reconfigurability and keep cleanout and main drain locations accessible for long-term maintenance. All rough plumbing is coordinated with the inspection schedule so no other trade is held waiting for a plumbing sign-off.
ADA-compliant commercial bathrooms require specific clearances at fixtures, grab bars at defined heights and locations, accessible turning radius, compliant faucet controls, and correct mirror and accessory placement. California's CBC goes further than federal ADA in some areas—for example, tighter rules on lavatory knee clearance, water temperature controls, and path-of-travel requirements triggered when you renovate. We lay out and install fixtures to meet both sets of standards and coordinate with the designer and inspector to make sure nothing gets flagged during plan review or final inspection.
Sewer backups in multi-tenant buildings are among the highest risk: wastewater contamination reaching neighboring tenants can result in health department involvement, temporary closure orders, and significant remediation liability. A failed or clogged grease interceptor in a restaurant is a fire risk and a health code violation that can trigger a forced shutdown. A failed backflow preventer is a public health issue—it can allow contaminated water to enter the potable supply, and California requires the water authority to be notified when this occurs. Any active leak inside a slab or above a ceiling that has been wet for more than 24–48 hours is a mold risk that compounds rapidly. In each of these situations, the cost of a delayed response is typically several times the cost of the original repair. We treat commercial plumbing failures in these categories as priority calls.
Esquives General Contractors · Morgan Hill, CA · (408) 809-1212 · sales@esquivescontractors.com · Mon–Fri 6:00am–5:00pm, Sat 6:00am–2:00pm · CSLB License #1056641 · Licensed, bonded & insured.