A commercial plumbing emergency is any problem that stops you from opening, serving or staying safe: sewage at a floor drain, a main line that will not move water, a burst supply line in a back room. The line is open 24/7, so call right away. While you wait, stop using sinks, toilets and dishwashers, close the main water valve if water is spraying, and keep staff and customers out of wet areas near electrical panels or equipment.
If the smell is gas and not sewage, leave the building, call 911 and call your gas utility before you call us.
Most business calls fall into two groups. Some are true emergencies that need a crew tonight. Others are scheduled obligations that sneak up on an owner, like a grease trap that is overdue or a backflow test the water department wants on file. We handle both, and the sections below cover the three jobs people ask about most.
When a business drain is overflowing right now
Commercial drains fail differently than house drains. A kitchen line carries fat, starch and food solids that harden into a plug downstream, and a restroom line carries paper and wipes from many more users per day. When either one stops, the water has to go somewhere, and it picks the lowest floor drain in the building.
Floor drains gurgling or backing up
Water rising in a floor drain while you run a sink usually means the blockage is past the fixture branch, in the building drain or the lateral. Stop using every fixture on that line and call.
Slow sinks in more than one room
One slow sink is a branch problem. Several slow fixtures at once point to the shared line, which needs a bigger cable or a camera and jetting, not a plunger.
Sewage smell near the kitchen or dining area
A grease trap that is full or a dry floor drain trap can both let odor into the room. We check the trap, the vent and the line before anyone guesses.
Water on the floor with no obvious source
A slab or wall leak can leave a damp patch for days before staff notice it. If the floor is wet and every fixture is dry, a supply line is the likely source.
Grease trap cleaning for restaurants and food service
A grease trap, or interceptor, catches fat, oil and grease before it reaches the sewer. Millbrae Municipal Code Chapter 8.20 sets a local limit of 100 mg/L for oil and grease in wastewater sent to the city sewer, and it lets the city's pretreatment supervisor specify the trap type and size for a particular business. In plain terms, a trap that is overfull stops doing its job, and the fat goes down the line where it hardens.
We pump the trap, scrape the walls and baffles, check the inlet and outlet for damage and look for leaks around the lid. Cleaning removes the contents but a trap that has cracked baffles or a loose outlet tee will still pass grease, so we tell you when the trap itself needs repair.
Call us before the trap is full, not after. A trap near its limit tends to show up as slow kitchen sinks and a sour smell, and the next stage is a backup during service. What you pay depends on trap size, how far the lid is from where we can park and how packed the trap is. Call the 24/7 line for a clear price before work starts.
For related kitchen drain work, see our drain cleaning page, and for stubborn grease buildup past the trap we use hydro jetting.
Backflow testing and what Millbrae's code expects
Backflow assemblies sit on lines where dirty water could be pulled backward into the drinking supply, like irrigation, fire lines, boilers and some food service equipment. Millbrae Municipal Code Chapter 8.10 is the city's Backflow and Cross-Connection Control Program. Section 8.10.040 says the consumer must have the assemblies tested once upon installation and once a year, at the consumer's expense, and that records must be kept.
The same chapter lets the water provider cut service when a required assembly is missing or has not been tested. The city's own water quality report also notes that state rules call for backflow devices to be tested yearly. An overdue test is not a paperwork annoyance, it is a risk to your water service.
Confirm which devices you have
We locate each assembly, note its type and size and check that it is installed where it can be reached and tested.
Run the test
We test the assembly against its pass criteria and record the readings. If it passes, you get the report to keep with your files.
Repair or replace if it fails
A failed assembly usually needs new internal parts or a full replacement. We explain which, and whether the job needs a permit through the Millbrae Building Division.
Keep every test report. The code expects records, and the water provider can ask for them. If you received a notice about an overdue test, call the 24/7 line and have the notice handy so we can see which device it names.
Storm drain cleaning and flooding at the property
Storm drains carry rain off lots, loading docks, parking areas and roofs. They clog with leaves, silt, trash and the slow buildup that happens between wet seasons, and the first hard rain finds every weak point. Millbrae has a recent example: flooding on 23 December 2021 covered the Hemlock Avenue and East Hillcrest Boulevard underpass, and in the days after, one resident reported storm drains backing up behind a home.
That is public drainage, not your private lot, but the lesson carries over. A catch basin or trench drain full of debris cannot take a storm, and water that cannot leave the lot heads for the nearest door or basement. Clearing private storm drains before the wet season is cheap compared with water damage inside.
We clear catch basins, trench drains and yard drains with cable machines and, where the line is long or packed, with water jetting. We also camera the line when a drain refills quickly after cleaning, since a collapsed section or a root intrusion needs repair and not another cleaning.
Know where your private drains end
Your property's storm and sewer connections are separate systems. If you are not sure which drain feeds which line, we trace it before we clean it, so debris and chemicals do not end up in the wrong place.
Hidden leaks in commercial buildings
Water bills that creep up, a wet wall near a restroom or a damp patch in a hallway all point to a leak that is not visible. In a business, leaks hide in ceilings, under slab floors and in mechanical rooms where nobody looks daily. Our leak detection work finds the source with non-invasive methods first, so we open as little wall or floor as possible.
If you hear water running when every fixture is off, or the meter spins while the building is closed, tell us when you call. It narrows the search, and it separates a supply leak from a drain leak right away.
| Situation | What it usually means | What we do first |
|---|---|---|
| Floor drain bubbling | Main or building drain restricted | Cable or jet, then camera if it returns |
| Grease smell, slow kitchen sinks | Trap near or past capacity | Pump and clean the trap, inspect baffles |
| Overdue backflow notice | Annual test not on file | Test the assembly, report results |
| Water pooling in the lot | Storm drain or catch basin plugged | Clear the drain, check the outlet |
| Damp wall, no fixture nearby | Concealed supply or drain leak | Trace the leak before opening the wall |
Business down? Call now
Tell the dispatcher what is overflowing, whether you have shut off the water and whether customers are in the building. That is enough to start planning the safest sequence of work.
What we ask when you call about a business
The more we know up front, the better the first visit goes. We ask what the business does, what the symptom is, when it started and where the nearest cleanout, trap or shutoff is. If you can send a photo of the trap lid or the backflow assembly tag, that helps us bring the right parts.
After hours, we focus on stopping damage first. That usually means isolating a line, clearing the blockage so the building can function and scheduling larger repair work for daylight when it can be planned properly.
What affects commercial plumbing cost
The price depends on the job and the building, so we give it by phone before work starts.
Type of work
A trap pumping, an assembly test and a storm drain clearing each take different equipment and time.
Size and access
Larger traps, long drain runs and tight mechanical rooms take more labor.
Condition of the line
A plugged line that is also cracked needs repair after cleaning.
Timing
Night and weekend calls involve a crew leaving its off hours.
Permits and parts
Replacing a backflow assembly or repiping a section may need a permit and new materials.
Call the 24/7 line for a clear price before work starts. Check with your insurer on what your policy covers after water damage.
Related business plumbing situations
A restaurant that keeps refilling its trap may have a line problem past the trap, so we camera the run before we clean it again. An office with a persistent wet spot needs the leak traced before anyone cuts the wall, and a retail space with slow restroom drains often just needs a cable run. Our service area page lists where we work around Millbrae, and we also cover businesses next door in Burlingame.
Commercial plumbing questions
Yes. The line is open 24/7 and we take after-hours calls for overflowing floor drains, burst lines and failed main lines. Tell the dispatcher what is happening and whether the water is shut off. We then plan the fastest safe fix without promising a time.
It depends on trap size and how much fat your kitchen sends down the drain, so there is no single schedule. Slow sinks and odor mean the trap is near full. Millbrae's code lets the city specify trap size for each business, so ask us to check yours.
Chapter 8.10 of the Municipal Code says assemblies must be tested when installed and once a year, at the consumer's expense, with records kept. The water provider can shut off service if required assemblies are missing or untested. Call us to schedule the test and file the report.
Yes. We clear catch basins, trench drains and yard drains with cable machines or water jetting, and we camera the line if it refills quickly after cleaning. Doing this before the wet season is much cheaper than dealing with water inside the building.
Permits may apply, and the Millbrae Building Division handles plumbing permits. Replacing a backflow assembly or changing supply lines are the kinds of jobs where it can come up. We tell you what applies when we scope the job.
Usually we can narrow it down first using non-invasive tracing, then open only the spot that matters. Tell us if the meter runs while the building is closed or if a wall is damp, since that points us to the right line.
Yes. Restaurants bring grease traps and kitchen drains, while offices and retail spaces bring restroom lines, supply leaks and backflow assemblies. We ask a few questions on the phone so the right equipment is on the truck.
Sources and standards: Millbrae Municipal Code chapters 8.10 (backflow) and 8.20 (sewer). The California Plumbing Code (based on the Uniform Plumbing Code). The City of Millbrae flood hazard annex.