Commercial Plumbing: $100 an Hour, Backflow and Grease Traps

How much does a commercial plumber cost

National figures. Commercial jobs are usually quoted per job after a site visit.

HomeAdvisor's June 2026 data puts commercial plumbers at an average of $100 an hour against $80 for residential work. A service call runs $100 to $250 and usually covers the first hour. After hours, most plumbers charge time and a half to triple their rate, and HomeAdvisor says emergency calls add $100 to $300 or more.

Do this now: a plumbing emergency at a business

1. Smell gas? Get everyone out, then call 911 or the gas utility from outside. The Kansas Corporation Commission says not to use light switches or phones on the way out and not to look for the leak.
2. Keep staff and customers away from water near outlets or equipment. The Red Cross warns not to touch electrical equipment that is wet or while standing in water.
3. Shut off the main water valve, or the fixture valve if the leak is at one fixture, as HomeGuide advises.
4. Photograph the damage before cleanup and report it to your insurer; FEMA says photos come first. Do not sign your claim over to a contractor.
5. Call the plumber line and ask for the hourly rate and any emergency fee before someone is sent.

Is it an emergency? What cannot wait at a commercial property

A commercial plumbing problem is an emergency when water is running and cannot be shut off, sewage is backing up, or there is a gas smell, and HomeAdvisor says after-hours work adds $100 to $300 or more, or 1.5 to 3 times the hourly rate.

• Call now: burst pipes, sewage backups, gas leaks, major leaks and a broken main water line, all on HomeGuide's emergency list.
• Call now: a leak near electrical panels, kitchen equipment or a sprinkler riser.
• Schedule it: a backflow test or grease interceptor pumping. Neither is an emergency, but the deadline your water utility or city sets still applies (see the sections below).
• Sewage on the floor is its own job; see sewage cleanup.

Backflow testing: who needs it and how often

In Texas, state rule 30 TAC 290.44 requires every required assembly to be tested on installation and those protecting against health hazards to be tested at least annually, by a licensed backflow prevention assembly tester. HomeGuide says most homes have one device and commercial systems two to three, at $30 to $300 per device.

Examples from Texas rules and two Texas utilities. Your water utility sets its own deadline and filing method.

San Antonio Water System, for example, requires annual testing, asks owners to hire a licensed tester, and has the tester submit a Test and Maintenance report for each assembly. HomeGuide notes some cities charge a fee to file the report; ask whether it is in the price. A new backflow preventer installed runs $200 to $1,000 per device in HomeGuide's figures.

Grease trap cleaning and interceptor pumping

City wastewater programs set the pumping schedule. The City of Denton, Texas, for example, requires grease interceptors to be pumped at least every 90 days, or sooner when grease and solids reach 25% of the interceptor's wetted height. Only a city-permitted hauler can pump it, the business keeps the manifest for each pump-out on site for at least three years, and a city pretreatment inspector checks. Ask your city's pretreatment or wastewater program for its schedule. We did not find a current, sourced national price for grease trap pumping, so ask the hauler for a per-pump price in writing.

Commercial water heaters

Commercial water heaters are quoted job by job; none of the national cost guides we checked publishes a commercial price. Residential tank and tankless prices are on water heater repair and tankless water heater installation. For scald safety, the CPSC urges all users to set water heaters to 120 F.

Frozen pipes and fire sprinklers in commercial buildings

Commercial buildings with fire sprinklers should leave the heat on overnight and on weekends when subfreezing temperatures are forecast, the City of Fort Worth says. See burst pipe repair for what to do first.

Commercial plumbing services: gas, drains and sewer

In Dallas, a gas permit is pulled by a plumbing contractor with a Master Plumber license or by a qualifying owner-occupant; gas line repair covers permits and leak signs. Backups in kitchens and restrooms go to drain cleaning, and a failed main to sewer line repair. For an after-hours leak, see emergency plumber; some companies take after-hours calls, and hours vary.

Commercial plumber near me: what to ask before you book

• License numbers: the plumbing license, plus the backflow tester license if they test assemblies. Check them with your state.
• Fire lines: in Texas, only testers employed by an Approved Fireline Contractor may test and repair assemblies on fire lines.
• Proof of insurance: ask for a certificate before work starts.
• Rates: the hourly rate, the after-hours multiplier and the trip fee, in writing.
• Paperwork: who files the backflow report or the grease manifest, and whether filing fees are included.

Other commercial trades: commercial HVAC repair, commercial electrician and commercial roof repair. Every trade's prices are on home repair costs, and residential plumbing is on the plumbing hub.

Calls go to an independent company that serves your area and takes this kind of job. Ask for its license number and proof of insurance before work starts. How calls work.

Commercial drain cleaning: what it costs

Commercial drain cleaning starts from the commercial plumber's rate, $100 an hour on average against $80 residential in HomeAdvisor's 2026 plumber guide, and no cost guide we checked publishes a separate commercial job price; the residential figures below are the floor, not the quote.

• Residential reference points (HomeGuide, Dec 2025): one sink, tub or toilet drain $100 to $275; a main line $175 to $600; hydro jetting a severe main line blockage $600 to $1,400. HomeGuide's jetting guide puts jetting at $600 to $1,400 with a $1,000 average and says results last about 2 to 3 years.
• Why commercial runs higher: longer and larger lines, grease from a kitchen, after-hours work so the business stays open (HomeAdvisor lists $100 to $300 or more extra after hours), and a camera look afterward.
• Restaurants: jetting removes grease, soap scum and mineral deposits where snaking only opens a hole (HomeGuide), so a kitchen line that clogs monthly is usually a jetting-plus-grease-trap conversation, not a snaking one.
• Prices in depth: drain cleaning and hydro jetting cost.