Espresso Machine Installation.

For commercial installations, we recommend a pre-installation site survey before machine purchase — especially for under-counter installations (Modbar) and high-amperage three-phase machines (Eversys Enigma, large La Marzocco multi-group). The survey identifies electrical, plumbing, and drain requirements that may need general-contractor work before machine arrival.

The site survey is $185 and is credited toward the installation when we proceed. For prospective customers comparing dealers, the survey is also useful as an independent technical opinion on whether the proposed install will work.

Standard scope: water supply line from existing valve to machine inlet (typically 3/8" or 1/2" copper or stainless), drain line from machine to existing drainage (typically 3/4" PVC), electrical from existing dedicated circuit to machine connection point.

Out of scope: installation of new electrical circuits from breaker panel, drilling through structural walls or finished cabinetry, water-line work upstream of the existing valve, drainage work downstream of the existing drain. For these we coordinate with a licensed general contractor or electrician.

Our California Bureau of Household Goods and Services license (#A49573) covers our scope. We will not perform work outside our license; we will identify the right specialist and coordinate.

Every commercial install includes water-filter installation as standard. The filter type depends on local water hardness and the machine’s sensitivity — most LA cafes get an Everpure 7CB5 or 7CB6 cartridge filter; specialty cafes serving lighter roasts often add a softening or remineralization stage.

We use the Specialty Coffee Association water-quality target (50-175 ppm TDS, 17-85 ppm calcium hardness, 40-75 ppm alkalinity, pH 6.5-7.5) as our installation baseline. Local water quality varies dramatically across LA — Long Beach and Santa Monica are harder than DTLA and Beverly Hills. We test water at the install site before specifying the cartridge.

After plumbing and electrical, the commissioning phase: power up, leak-check all fittings, calibrate boiler and brew temperatures, set pump pressure to 9 bar (or platform-specific spec), program volumetric doses for cafe defaults, verify shot-temperature with Scace bench tool where applicable, run 8-shot break-in sequence to seat group seals and equilibrate the system.

Commissioning typically adds 60-90 minutes to the install visit. The output is a written commissioning report documenting: water quality at install, boiler temperature setpoints, pump pressure setting, programmed dose volumes, any deviations from factory spec.

Every install ends with 30-60 minutes of operator training: daily cleaning protocol, weekly deep-clean tasks, common shot-quality troubleshooting, when to call us. We train the on-shift staff who will actually use the machine, not just the owner. This step is often skipped by dealers but it is what makes the difference between a 12-year service life and a 6-year service life.

For multi-employee operations, we recommend follow-up training at the 30-day and 90-day mark to catch operator drift before it causes service issues. Included with installations under PM contract; available standalone for $145-$185 per visit otherwise.

For new cafe build-outs, we coordinate with the general contractor on cabinet design, electrical-panel sizing, drain routing, and water supply staging. The earlier we are involved, the smoother the install. A late-stage call to "just install the machine" sometimes reveals upstream problems (insufficient amperage, no dedicated circuit, no water filter pre-stage) that require contractor return visits.

We will also coordinate with your machine dealer for unit purchase, warranty registration, and any factory-specific commissioning steps the manufacturer requires. Some manufacturers (Eversys, Schaerer) require factory-trained-tech commissioning for warranty validity; we coordinate with the authorized network on those.

Pre-install site survey $185 (credits toward install). Standard commercial install: $480-$1,200. Modbar under-counter: $900-$1,400. Multi-machine cafes: custom-quoted.