Plumbing systems are often the most overworked mechanical systems in any building. Throughout the course of a single day and, sometimes even at night, the plumbing is called upon to handle a constant load of clean water, wastewater, and submerged solids.
Plumbing systems are exposed to a wide variety of stresses. Some of these stresses include the friction and corrosive effect of flowing water, along with the chemical impact of the dissolved contents in the water. Plumbing systems may also be damaged by mishandling.
This is why plumbing issues are easily the most common maintenance issue you will have in your building. In addition to this, the other two challenges with plumbing issues at your business are that they are tricky to detect and costly to fix.
Plumbing issues in commercial buildings
The impact of malfunctioning plumbing systems is greater when it happens in a commercial building. Commercial plumbing systems are more extensive and a lot more complicated than residential systems, explains Campus Connection Management. When they have problems, those problems tend to be harder to solve.
Moreover, because of the number of people who use a commercial facility, issues with the systems will have a more widespread impact. It will not only devastate the operations of the businesses in the building, but it can also hurt the income of your tenants.
This is why it is important to know the common plumbing issues you are likely to encounter in your commercial building. Knowing this will let you determine the right steps to protect the systems, detect problems early and solve them before they get worse.
Here are the 5 most common plumbing issues in commercial buildings:
Clogged drains
Clogged drains are probably the number one issue you will face with your commercial plumbing system. This is partly due to the large volume of waste passing through the drainpipes. Also, commercial plumbing is more exposed to abuse, since it is harder to control the number of people in the facility who uses the plumbing.
As a result, you are more likely to have issues with people flushing non-flushable objects into the drains. Additionally, the presence of commercial kitchens, restaurants, or similar businesses in a commercial building means there is a huge possibility of fats, oils, and grease (FOGs) finding their way into the drains and clogging them.
All kinds of leakages
Commercial plumbing systems are expansive; they feature miles and miles of pipework that are subject to constant pressure throughout the day. With the level of sustained use that commercial plumbing systems see, it is normal for problems to occur within their networks of pipes.
One common issue is leaking from pipes, faucets, sinks, or toilets. This can be a persistent problem in commercial facilities and the issue is often connected to misuse of the plumbing by people who work in or visit the building. Another reason why leaks seem to reoccur in commercial buildings is the vastness of the system makes it hard to track problems and fix them on time.
Water temperature issues
The people who use the plumbing systems in a commercial property have the same need for hot water as people using a residential plumbing system. But because of the size of the demand for hot water in commercial facilities, commercial water heaters are many times larger and more complicated than residential systems.
Commercial water heaters depreciate faster due to the work they must do to meet the huge demands on them. Additionally, commercial water heaters are subject to tougher regulations. They often need to be able to meet the unique hot water requirements of the businesses that occupy the facility.
Damaged piping
The incidence of damaged pipes is higher in commercial plumbing systems because of the sheer size of the pipe network. The probability of problems within a plumbing system increases with the size of the system and the number of people using it. Also, the fact that pipes in a commercial plumbing system are subject to extreme pressures that residential plumbing systems are not exposed to makes them more vulnerable to damage such as a burst pipe emergency.
Furthermore, it is a lot of work to monitor the hundreds of miles of pipes in a commercial property. Therefore, when there are problems with one of the pipe sections in the network, the chances that the issue will escalate are higher.
Sewage odors
This is probably the most damaging plumbing issue you can have on your commercial property. If bad odors are coming from pipes and plumbing fixtures in the property, it will wreak havoc on the businesses on your premises. The problem will affect everyone who visits the facility even if they don’t use any of the plumbing features.
What causes bad odors from a plumbing system? The likely causes are burst piping, clogged drains that need cleaning, and dry pipes. Sewage odors in your facility must be dealt with quickly if you don’t want to lose your customers and subject your employees to an unpleasant working environment.