In most bars, yes. A bar sink used to wash, rinse and sanitize glasses needs hot water, because the FDA Food Code sets the wash water in a manual warewashing sink at 110 F or the temperature on the detergent label, and a bar hand sink needs warm water through a mixing valve or combination faucet.
Shop the equipment in this article: underbar drainboards, commercial sink faucets and hand sinks. Freight is included on every order.
If you are choosing from our commercial bar sinks, plan the hot water line before you plan anything else. Your local health department has the final say on how many sinks you need and how they are plumbed, so confirm your plan with them before you build.
What the Food Code says about bar sinks
The FDA Food Code does not have a separate chapter for bars. A bar sink is judged by what you use it for.
- Washing glasses by hand: a sink with at least three compartments is required for manual warewashing (Food Code 4-301.12), and the wash solution must be kept at 110 F or above, or at the temperature on the cleaning agent label (4-501.19). You cannot hold 110 F in a wash compartment without a hot water supply.
- Sanitizing with hot water instead of chemicals: if you sanitize by immersion in hot water, that water must be at 171 F or above (4-501.111). Most bars sanitize with a chemical sanitizer instead, which is why a test kit for that sanitizer matters more behind the bar than a booster heater.
- Washing hands: a hand sink must deliver tempered water through a mixing valve or combination faucet (5-202.12). Virginia’s version of the code, for example, sets at least 85 F. The hand sink can only be used for handwashing (5-205.11), so a bar sink cannot double as one.
- Enough hot water for the whole building: hot water generation and distribution must meet the peak hot water demand of the whole establishment (5-103.11). A busy bar that washes glasses by hand during service adds to that peak.
Which bar sinks need hot water
| Sink behind the bar | Hot water needed? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Three compartment underbar sink used for glasses | Yes | Wash water at 110 F or the detergent label temperature |
| Hand sink at the bar | Yes, tempered | Mixing valve or combination faucet for handwashing |
| Mixology or blender station rinse sink | Usually plumbed hot and cold | Rinsing tools and jars; check how your inspector classifies it |
| Dump sink used only for drinks and ice | Not by the Food Code | Many owners still plumb it hot and cold |
A glass washing machine changes the picture: the machine has its own temperature or sanitizer requirements in the Food Code. Ask your health department whether they still want a three compartment sink behind the bar when you use one.
What our bar sinks come with
Every underbar sink page tells you to plan hot and cold water and a drain, and that a plumber usually makes the final connections. The faucets are what make the hot water usable.
- The S3C-101410-R-F three compartment under bar sink has three 10 x 14 x 9.5 in. bowls, a drainboard on the right, and comes with a 10 in. swing faucet and drain.
- The 36 in. three compartment under bar sink comes with a 4 in. center faucet with a 12 in. spout, a drainer and a strainer.
A 4 in. center faucet has separate hot and cold handles on one body, which is what gives you a mixed temperature at the bowl. If you replace a faucet, match the center spacing to the holes in the sink.
Planning the plumbing behind the bar
- Count every fixture that needs hot water: the three compartment sink, the hand sink, any mixology station and any glass washer.
- Tell your plumber the bar is a warewashing area, not just a drink station. That changes how the water heater is sized for peak demand.
- Common practice is to keep the run from the water heater to the bar short, or to ask the plumber about recirculation, so the first water at the faucet is not cold during the rush.
- Plan drains at the same time. Ask your plumber and inspector whether each bar sink may connect directly to the drain or must drain indirectly to a floor sink, because the Food Code treats warewashing sinks and other sinks differently (5-402.11).
- Leave room for a drainboard next to the sink so clean glasses air dry instead of being towel dried.
Common mistakes
- Running only cold water to the bar and planning to fill the wash compartment from a kettle or the kitchen. It does not hold 110 F through a shift.
- Using the bar sink for handwashing because the hand sink is blocked by stock. The code requires the hand sink to stay accessible.
- Forgetting the sanitizer test kit. Hot water does not replace the sanitizer step unless you are using 171 F water.
What to buy
For washing glasses by hand, pick a three compartment underbar sink with a drainboard and a hot and cold faucet, and add an underbar hand sink if there is not one within reach. Freight to the 48 contiguous states is included in the price on every product page, and as non-powered equipment our sinks have a 14 day return window. Browse hand sinks and commercial sink faucets to finish the station, or call +1-877-558-2253 with your bar length and we will help you choose.