Commercial Restroom Remodel Plumbing in Phoenix

It involves more than new fixtures. The plumber demolishes old fixtures, caps or relocates supply and drain lines, sets new rough-in, then installs the fixtures and tests them. The scope depends on whether the fixtures stay put. A swap in the same locations can be quick. Moving a water closet means relocating the drain and vent, which usually means opening the slab, and moving a urinal means new waste, vent and supply behind a wall. Our page on ADA restroom plumbing covers the accessibility basics, and commercial tenant improvement plumbing covers the bigger permit picture when the remodel is part of a build-out.

The clearances set the room's size before the plumbing is drawn. The 2010 ADA Standards require 60 inches of clear floor from the side wall and 56 from the rear wall around the water closet, a centerline 16 to 18 inches from the side wall, and the flush control on the open side. Urinals are limited to a 17-inch rim height and need a forward-approach clear floor space. Lavatories are 34 inches maximum with knee and toe clearance, and metering faucets must stay open for 10 seconds. An alteration must make the altered elements comply, but the standards allow a single unisex room where full compliance is technically infeasible. See alterations and the ADA path of travel and ambulatory accessible compartments for the finer points.

Table 403.1 sets the minimum number of fixtures by use and occupant load, so a remodel that adds seating or staff can change the count. The IPC's spacing rules also apply: 15 inches center to wall, 30 inches between fixtures, 21 inches in front, and a 30 by 60 inch compartment for a floor-mounted bowl. The ADA dimensions are generally larger, so the accessible stall governs. In Phoenix, a tenant space of 15 or fewer occupants, or a mercantile or business occupancy of 50 or fewer, can skip separate men's and women's rooms, which can make a single-user room the practical answer in a small space. The FAQ on single-user all-gender restrooms explains the choice.

Fixtures and valves have to match. Phoenix's amended Table 604.4(1) sets water closets at 1.28 gallons per flush and urinals at 0.5 gallon for fixtures it covers, with older limits for certain building types and an exception for service sinks. A toilet or urinal rated for the old volume will not meet the limit where it applies. Flushometer valves must also have enough pressure to work, and many are sized for specific flush volumes, so a new fixture often needs its valve to match. Check with the building department whether your replacement is covered. Our pages on flushometer versus tank toilets and flushometer valve repair cover the valve side, and commercial toilet and urinal repair covers repair versus replacement.

Wall-hung bowls need a concealed carrier anchored to structure, so a switch from floor-mounted to wall-hung means opening the wall and often reinforcing it.

Moving fixtures and replacing concealed pipe is new work. In Phoenix, stopping a leak is exempt, but removing concealed pipe and replacing it with new material needs a permit, and concealed piping may not be covered until it is inspected and approved. Plan the sequence so the slab patch, wall and ceiling stay open until the inspector signs off. A plain like-for-like fixture swap may need no permit, and the city decides; ask before you assume. For restrooms that must stay available, keeping a business open while restrooms are out of service and temporary restrooms during a water shutdown help with planning.

If the complaint is a running toilet, a weak flush or a leaking urinal, repair the fixture; a remodel is not needed. If the floor has a slow leak or the drain keeps stopping up, find the cause first, because a new fixture on a failing line will fail the same way. See commercial drain cleaning if that is the case. And if the layout works and only the finishes are tired, a refresh that leaves the plumbing alone avoids the permit, the inspection and most of the downtime.

Send the existing plan, a sketch of the fixtures you want, and the permit status. HQ offers free estimates, upfront pricing before work starts, and is licensed and insured. Related pages: commercial plumbing, property management plumbing and medical and dental plumbing.