Plumber for Downtown Covina and Citrus Avenue

Why does this history matter to a plumber? Because downtown buildings were built over more than a century, and each era used different pipe. A storefront from the citrus years, a mid-century office and an apartment building from the last decade can share an alley. Inside, the plumbing can range from cast iron drains and galvanized steel supply lines to modern ABS and PEX.

The City's plan also says protection of historic buildings is a priority in the historic core. In practice, that means owners usually upgrade plumbing inside an old shell rather than tear the building down. Pipe gets replaced section by section, often during a tenant change. The result is a patchwork, and we plan every downtown job around finding where old pipe meets new.

Fats, oils and grease go down a kitchen drain as hot liquid. In the pipe they cool and stick to the walls. Food scraps and soap bind to that layer. Over weeks the opening shrinks until a busy Friday night sends water back up the floor drain. In an older building with cast iron drains, the rough pipe walls catch grease even faster.

Grease is not only a kitchen problem. The line from the building to the City's sewer main is the property owner's to maintain, according to the City of Covina Public Works Department. If grease builds up there, the fix and the cost belong to the property, not the City.

Grease traps and interceptors

Most food businesses catch grease before it reaches the sewer with a grease trap or a grease interceptor. Los Angeles County Public Works publishes restaurant pretreatment guidelines that show the difference. In its guideline, a grease trap is a small single-compartment unit of 25 to 75 gallons, usually under or near a sink. A grease interceptor is a larger unit of 750 gallons or more with two or more compartments, usually buried outside.

That County guideline applies in unincorporated areas and the cities that contract with the County's industrial waste program. Covina is not named in it. Before you install, move or remove a trap or interceptor downtown, ask City of Covina Building and Safety which rules apply to your business. We work to the rules the City gives you.

A grease checklist for downtown kitchens

• Scrape plates and pans into the trash before rinsing.
• Collect fryer oil for a rendering or recycling hauler, never the drain.
• Keep a log of trap or interceptor cleanings so you can spot a short cycle.
• Do not use hot water or chemicals to push grease along; it cools and sticks farther down.
• Watch for slow floor drains, a sewer smell in the kitchen or gurgling at the mop sink.
• Book a camera inspection if the kitchen line clogs more than once in a few months.

When a kitchen line is coated with grease, a cable often punches a hole through the middle and leaves the rest on the pipe walls. Hydro jetting scours the full pipe. Published estimates from Angi (2026) put hydro jetting at $350 to $600 per line and a sewer camera inspection at $275 to $1,800. HomeAdvisor (2025) lists a single drain clog at $147 to $345 and main line clearing at $100 to $800. These are national published estimates, not quotes. Call (626) 746-1970 for an exact quote.

Restaurant owners can find more on after-hours service and multi-tenant buildings on our commercial plumbing page.

The City's Handout #14 says a permit is required for plumbing work and that most are issued over the counter while you wait. There is no online permit portal. No work may be covered up before it is inspected, and inspections are requested by email. Building and Safety is open Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed 1 to 2 p.m. The phone is 626-384-5460.

City Hall is a short walk from Citrus Ave, which helps downtown jobs move. A tenant improvement in a historic storefront still follows the same rule: if a wall or floor is opened, the new pipe is inspected before it is closed again.

Water heater swaps downtown follow Handout #12, effective January 1, 2026, under the 2025 California Plumbing Code. That means two seismic straps, a relief drain that ends outside 6 to 24 inches above grade, a gas shutoff with an approved flex connector and sediment trap, a drain pan, and an 18-inch stand if the heater is in a garage. Our Covina plumbing permit guide has the full checklist, and our water heater page covers the job itself.

Covina has six water suppliers, and the name on your bill tells you which one serves your building. The City of Covina Water Division serves about 33,300 people from its office at 534 N Barranca Ave, 626-384-5220. Its 2025 Consumer Confidence Report lists average hardness of 230 mg/L, a range of 190 to 280, and total dissolved solids averaging 540 mg/L. The water met state and federal standards.

In a downtown restaurant, hard water shows up as scale in commercial dishwashers, ice machines, tankless heaters and faucet aerators. In older buildings it adds to the buildup inside galvanized pipe. Our water softener and filtration page covers treatment, and our water suppliers and hardness guide lists every supplier's numbers.

The Level 2 leak rule

The City has been at a Level 2 water shortage since August 4, 2022. For City water customers, that means a leak must be fixed within 48 hours after the City gives notice. Outdoor watering is limited to set days, and not between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. A slow toilet leak in a busy restroom or a dripping hose bib behind a restaurant can draw a notice. See our Covina water rules guide for the details.

Shutoffs in shared buildings

Many downtown buildings have one water meter for several tenants. Shutting off water for one repair can close the coffee shop next door. Individual shutoff valves for each suite, and for each fixture, let a repair happen without closing the building. When we replace an old valve that will not turn, we often suggest adding one at each suite.

Downtown is not only businesses. The Town Center plan describes a Center Street neighborhood of older single-family homes and newer multifamily buildings, and Covina Park at 301 N Fourth Ave anchors the west side. These older homes share some patterns:

• Old laterals. Clay or cast iron pipe to the street, often under mature trees. Roots get in at joints.
• Galvanized supply lines. Low pressure at upstairs or back bathrooms, and rust in the water after a shutoff.
• Small water heater closets. Older homes may have a heater in a tight spot that needs new venting, straps or a drain pan to meet Handout #12.
• Stuck shutoffs. Main and fixture valves that have not been turned in decades.

The City's Housing Element notes that code enforcement estimates about 30% of Covina homes need some repair and about 10% need major rehabilitation. Plumbing is often part of that work. If you are fixing up an older downtown house, start with a sewer camera and a check of the supply pipe. Those two answers shape the rest of the plan. Our leak detection page helps if you suspect water is going somewhere you cannot see. The EPA's WaterSense program suggests a simple test: read the meter, use no water for two hours, and read it again.