Yes. Stainless steel underbar equipment such as bar sinks, ice bins, drainboards, speed rails and liquor racks works in a home bar because it needs no power, only a water line and a drain where there is a sink or an ice bin. Commercial refrigeration is the part to think twice about, because most manufacturers limit their warranty to commercial installations.
Shop the equipment in this article: underbar ice bins, bar sinks and underbar drainboard. Freight is included on every order.
What works well at home
The non-powered stainless pieces are the easy ones. They are built to be hosed down, they do not rust the way painted cabinets do, and they come in narrow lengths that fit a short bar.
- Speed rails. Our stainless steel speed rails are listed for commercial and residential bar use, in single or double tier, in lengths from 22 to 72 inches. They have pre-drilled mounting holes and need no plumbing.
- Liquor display racks. The four-tier rack on our site measures 22.5 by 24 inches and 33 inches high, and its product page lists home bars among its uses.
- Underbar ice bins. The underbar ice bins we carry include insulated ice chests with a sliding lid, 19 inches deep and 24 or 36 inches long.
- Bar sinks and mixology stations. A compact station such as our 22 by 18 inch mixology station combines a sink bowl, a glass rinser and a removable drainboard in one piece.
- Underbar drainboards, from 12 to 48 inches long, for drying glasses.
Check the plumbing first
This is where a home bar differs from buying furniture. A bar sink needs hot and cold water and a drain. An ice bin needs a drain too, because the ice melts all evening. The ice chests on our site list a 1 inch NPT copper drain tube, and our underbar drainboards include a 1 by 1.5 inch IPS drain.
If your bar is in a basement, find out where the nearest drain line is before you order. A drain below the level of the house sewer line may need a pump, which is a job for a licensed plumber. Home plumbing is covered by your local plumbing code, so have a plumber make the connections.
Check the height under your bar top
Commercial underbar equipment is made to sit below a bar top, with the bartender working at the equipment and the guest at the higher counter. Our underbar drainboards list a 30 inch working height, and the mixology station is 33 inches high overall including its 3 inch backsplash. Measure from your floor to the underside of your bar top and compare it with the height on the product page. Many home bars are built like kitchen counters, with a cabinet base and no open space underneath, and in that case a freestanding underbar unit will not slide in. A bar sink on legs needs open floor under the counter.
Refrigeration is the exception
Back bar coolers, bottle coolers and kegerators are sold for commercial use. The warranty page on our site states that residential use voids coverage on most brands, because the manufacturers write their warranties for commercial installations only. A commercial cooler will run in a house, but you should assume there is no manufacturer warranty unless the brand tells you otherwise in writing. Commercial units can also be louder than home appliances and need clear space around the grille to breathe. Ask us for the warranty document for the exact model before you buy one for a home.
Do health rules apply to a home bar?
A private home bar that serves family and friends is not a food establishment, so restaurant health rules do not apply to it. That changes if you sell drinks or run events as a business from the space. In that case the local health department has the final say on what sinks and equipment are needed.
Mistakes to avoid
- Ordering by the length of the bar top. Measure the clear space between the walls or end panels under the top.
- Forgetting the ice bin drain.
- Mixing depths. Our underbar drainboards come 18 or 22 inches deep and the ice chests are 19 inches deep. Choose depths that match so the fronts line up.
- Buying a refrigerated unit for the warranty and installing it in a house.
What to buy
Start with the pieces that need plumbing, then fill in around them. Browse bar sinks and underbar ice bins, add an underbar drainboard for glasses, and finish with a speed rail or a rack from liquor displays. The full range is under bar equipment. Express KitchQuip stainless steel underbar equipment is NSF certified, freight to the 48 contiguous states is included in the price, and non-powered items can be returned within 14 days.